One of the world’s most iconic music venues – the Sunset Strip’s Roxy Theatre – hosted a legendary 2024 gig by one of the world’s most iconic metal bands, Cirith Ungol. The one-night-only performance was an album release show for the band’s 2023 “Dark Parade” LP. It captured the lineup at the height of its considerable powers, performing “Dark Parade” in its entirety, along with a set of classic songs including “Join the Legion”, “Frost and Fire”, “Black Machine,” and “Atom Smasher”. The end result is a stellar live album and DVD.
There was no choice other than the Roxy for Cirith Ungol to record this momentous live collection. “It’s owned by a Hollywood music legend, Lou Adler”, notes cofounding drummer Rob Garven, “and is next door to the famous Rainbow Bar And Grill. It’s a landmark Hollywood club, which includes the Whisky and The Starwood [now gone] so every time we played one of these historic venues, it was a special occasion. It was great to see many of our friends and fans from all over the world at the show”.
Adds bassist Jarvis Leatherby: “For years, there has been a live bootleg record famous in the underground from their last appearance there in1984 titled Cirith Ungol, ‘Live at the Roxy’. I felt it fitting for the band to return there 40 years later to officially document a live performance in a way the guys would be proud of. Metal Blade Records, The Adlers, Nanotear, and Goldenvoice all came together in support to actually make it happen”.
“Live at the Roxy” holds its own against other legendary live records. “The Who made an extremely powerful album with ‘Live at Leeds’, my favorite band of all time, Mountain, had several pretty spectacular live albums, and 1993’s ‘Uriah Heep Live’ is another outstanding live album! It’s hard to accurately capture all the sound and feeling of a live concert. I think these bands achieved that, and I think our ‘Live at the Roxy’ does also”.
“Live at the Roxy” will be released on April 25th, 2025, via Metal Blade Records. In advance of its official unveiling, today the band presents a taste of the monumental event with video footage of “Down Below”.
Comments Garven: “This song strung together by the haunting acoustic guitar is a gift to all of you on this Doomed Planet! It was, and is, the culmination of all the pain and suffering absorbed into our being from the pandemic, the lost lives, cancelled shows, isolation, and stimuli deprivation. It features some of my best drumming and one of [guitarist] Jimmy [Barraza]’s best solos. As the song rises to the ultimate crescendo, all this pent-up emotion is unleashed on the listener with our final gasping breath. Truly a churning maelstrom of metal chaos descending”!
Watch the live video for “Down Below” below.
“Live at the Roxy” will be available digitally and as a 2xCD/DVD set or 2xLP/DVD set in the following color variants:
• Green Black Marbled (US – Ltd. 500)
• 180g Black (EU)
• Light Blue Marbled (EU)
• Green Black Marbled (EU – Ltd. 500)
• Demon Blood Splatter (EU – Ltd. 300)
• White / Blue Splatter (Band Exclusive – Ltd. 200 available HERE)
Find preorders here.
Tracklist:
1. Velocity (S.E.P.)
2. Relentless
3. Sailor on the Seas of Fate
4. Sacrifice
5. Looking Glass
6. Dark Parade
7. Distant Shadows
8. Down Below
9. Atom Smasher
10. I’m Alive
11. Frost and Fire
12. Black Machine
13. Blood and Iron
14. Chaos Descends
15. The Frost Monstreme
16. Fire
17. Death of the Sun
18. Master of the Pit
19. King of the Dead
20. Join the Legion
Line-up:
Tim Baker – Vocals
Greg Lindstrom – Guitar
Robert Garven – Drummer
Armand John Anthony – Guitar
Jarvis Leatherby – Bass
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/cirithungolofficial
www.instagram.com/cirithungolband
