Cirith Ungol

Cirith Ungol is an American heavy metal band formed in late 1971 in Ventura, California. An early doom and power metal group, Cirith Ungol is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery). The band is named after the mountain pass Cirith Ungol in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Throughout the 1970s, the band played heavy metal rooted in hard and psychedelic rock. Its first studio album, Frost and Fire (1981), featured a heavier sound, regarded as an early example of American power metal. Its second studio album, King of the Dead (1984), solidified its power metal style while gravitating toward a "darker" sound. Many consider the album among the first doom metal releases.