Description
Check the exclusive video, showing the vinyl for sale!
Check the exclusive video, showing the vinyl for sale!
Label: Metal Blade Records – MBR 1062, Restless Records – 72143-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1986
Style: Epic Heavy Metal, Doom Metal
A1 Blood & Iron 3:50
A2 Chaos Descends 4:56
A3 The Fire 3:38
A4 Nadsokor 4:44
B1 100 MPH 3:25 Written-By – Cirith Ungol, Greg Lindstrom
B2 War Eternal 5:15
B3 Doomed Planet 4:38
B4 One Foot In Hell 5:10
Marketed By – Restless Records – 72143-1
Record Company – Enigma Entertainment Corporation
Published By – Bloody Skull MUSIC
Published By – Bug Music
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Metal Blade Records
Copyright © – Metal Blade Records
Cover – Michael Whelan*
Performer, Band [Cirith Ungol Is] – Jerry Fogle, Flint*, Robert Garven, Tim Baker
Producer – Brian Slagel, Cirith Ungol
Written-By, Arranged By – Cirith Ungol
includes merchandise order form.
All songs published by Bloody Skull Music. Administered by Bug Music.
Cirith Ungol is a registered trademark of Tolkien Enterprises and is used here by permission.
Barcode (Printed): 0 1877-72143-1 5
Barcode (Scaned): 018777214315
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout – etched): MBR-1062-72143-1-A G-1 S-16413 1-1 ᯤ
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout – etched): MBR-1062-72143-1-B G-1 S-16414 1-2 M
Matrix / Runout (Side A & Side B runout – stamped): MASTERED BY CAPITOL
Rights Society: BMI
Released August 12, 1986
Genre Epic metal / doom metal
Length 35:33
Label Metal Blade
Producer Brian Slagel, Cirith Ungol
One Foot in Hell is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Cirith Ungol. The original LP was produced by Brian Slagel and Cirith Ungol. It was released in August 1986 on Metal Blade Records. It is the last album to feature guitarist Jerry Fogle and bassist Michael “Flint” Vujea.
Greg Lindstrom said in an interview: “It’s an excellent album although I thought the songs overall were not as strong as King of the Dead, and Flint’s bass seems to have gotten lost in the mix”.
The song “Nadsokor” was covered by the Italian epic doom metal band Doomsword.
Track listing
All songs by Cirith Ungol, except where indicated.
“Blood & Iron” – 3:52
“Chaos Descends” – 4:55
“The Fire” – 3:37
“Nadsokor” – 4:43
“100 MPH” (Cirith Ungol, Greg Lindstrom) – 3:26
“War Eternal” – 5:12
“Doomed Planet” – 4:38
“One Foot in Hell” – 5:10
Personnel
Tim Baker – vocals
Jerry Fogle – guitars
Michael Vujea – bass
Robert Garven – drums
Third album from these California-based heavy metal monsters Cirith Ungol. After releasing two nearly flawless albums, they gained some pressure on their shoulders from the fans and the new label. Metal Blade signed Cirith Ungol after the rather successful and critically acclaimed King Of The Dead. I haven’t given that one a respectable amount of spins yet, so I cannot entirely tell the differences. However, this seems to be more stripped down and more direct in terms of songwriting, and it has an audibly “better” production. This may be due to their mentioned label change, and the departure of Greg Lindstrom. Which impact did all these changes make? Would this be accepted as another cult masterpiece? Was it as good as their previous work? And most importantly, how did it sound?
As I’ve already mentioned, this may have had an impact on their musical framework. The changes I’ve picked up myself are that there are no acoustic passages or extended lead breaks. Relax; there are a lot of great leads for you to motorboat in. This is maybe stripped down a little, but this is nonetheless a must-have if you like this band. The production is clearer yes, but their sound is still thick and juicy. The only complaint I have is that the dominant bass-playing is not as audible as it used to be. Another thing that grabbed me was the excellent lead work on here. I knew Jerry Fogle (R.I.P) was good after listening to Frost and Fire, but I got completely blown away by some of the stuff he does here. War Eternal is, if there have to be one, one of the weaker tracks here, and the way that solo at the end just lifts it through the roof is just amazing. His tone is thick as a brick wall, loaded with passion and emotion and he is, without a doubt, very highly skilled. Tim Baker’s unique vocals still seem to have a bad reputation among various fans, but no-one can deny the identity this guy provide Cirith Ungol. He shifts between high-pitched raspy snarls and deeper rumbling croaks, and without him this band wouldn’t be the same at all.
Time for a little sneak peak into the various songs on One Foot In Hell. Blood & Iron starts it all off with classic galloping riff work and is somewhat catchy. This is probably one of the fastest songs here, and definitely a good way to kick off this incredible slab of heavy metal. The slower, more doom-y Chaos Descends embraces your tympanums with an apocalyptic sound and great melodies. Barker really gets time to shine here, and mixes up various vocal styles on the mighty chorus. Some great lead-work by Fogle on an almost Maiden-esque outburst towards the end, perfects this one. The first of many highlights, and my personal favorite. After the more straight-forward rocker The Fire, Cirith Ungol shows off some slight progressive rock-ish influences on the mightyNadsokor, operatic backing vocals travels trough time to Seventh son-era Maiden, and I almost sense some black metal lurking in the gloomy, atmospheric parts. 100mph gains speed, and cracks out an early heavy metal anthem at full power, before War Eternal and the slow Doomed Planet slows things down prior to the mighty title-track. Packed with top notch performance from every single band member, it closes a worthy successor of the mighty King Of The Dead.
This is nothing but solid, distinctive and outstanding heavy metal that nearly no-one does better. Cirith Ungol will forever be the unsung heroes of classic heavy metal, they will forever hold a place in the metal underground as one of the finest bands to ever come out of it. They released four great albums, and managed to color the genre with their presence, never drowning in the sea of newborn bands in the eighties. Get this one, and get ready for a journey through the pass of the mighty freakin’ spider.
In the band’s own words
It’s a lot different from our last one obviously. Just listen to the songs. it’s so much faster, better and ballsier. I think we were before, especially on our last album… we were to… kinda eccentric. Like it was too different for people to handle. A lot of the stuff on KOTD, the songs are real good, but they were kinda arranged weird. But the new one is pretty consistent, like rockin’. Actually I prefer, myself, the really sloowww, dirge type songs. That’s what I really like. And really, that kind of stuff is technically a lot harder to do. But if you stack up One Foot In Hell to either one of our other albums, it sounds so much better. If sounds like a normal record, sound quality wise. KOTD sounded like it was coming through a tin can. It should be mandatory for Metal fans to purchase, or at least listen to One Foot In Hell and find out what “radical” really means. Shit, just look at the album cover! The music is just as wild, and that’s saying a lot!
Tim Baker, Suck City interview, 1986
It’s an excellent album although I thought the songs overall were not as strong as King of the Dead, and Flint’s bass seems to have gotten lost in the mix.
Greg Lindstrom
The problem with One Foot in Hell is that Brian Slagel who owned Metal Blade Records wanted to take a large role in the production of the album. I think this was the beginning of where the band started to lose control of our vision and it is evident in this record. There were solos left out or changed, and multi tiered vocals ala Styx “Serpent is Rising” that were removed. I also did not like the final mix. We also recorded the tracks in LA, whereas with the first two albums we recorded them across the street from our band studio, so we had less time and were in a strange location, which did not help the sound or mood. Brian to this day does not like me and I suppose his feelings toward me, which I have tried to unsuccessfully patch up over the years, was taken out on the band. This again probably was my personality, negatively affecting the bands success which I will never forgive my self for.
Robert Garven, Diabolical Conquest
You didn’t hear the solo’s of Jerry’s tat were cut on OFIH or the unbelievable four part background vocals I did on ‘Nadsokor’ that never made it to the record. I also feel that it was mixed kind of flat.
Robert Garven, Steel Conjuring, 2000
Brian was in complete control of this project and did the final mixdown. He did a good job but he cut out allot of stuff I wanted in the final mix. There were many great guitar solos and vocal harmonies, which were deleted, which is sad.
Robert Garven, Guardians of Fate 3/02
The 17th best Metal Blade Record
One Foot In Hell has been ranked at place 17 on best Metal Blade Records albums of all time.
To commemorate the fine 30th Anniversary of metal’s most venerable and storied label, Metal Blade Records, the writers of BraveWords.com have gotten their metalheads together and come up with a list of the Top 30 coolest, most legendary, rockingest, most influential, most deserving of fame and notoriety, releases founder/CEO Brian Slagel and crew have issued since forging the fire way back in mom’s garage in 1982. As has become tradition ‘round here, we are presenting them – through January and February – in reverse order, leading eventually to the penultimate slab of iron ever to carry an esteemed Metal Blade catalogue number.
By Greg Pratt
Man, history has not been kind to Californian heavy metallers CIRITH UNGOL—NO ONE has been kind to Cirith Ungol—but take a listen to One Foot In Hell to get a glimpse of a truly unique band. Cool to see them place on this list at all, those histrionic vocals, the overdramatic song writing, and general metal-’til-fucking-death being a bit too OTT for even some diehard metal types, the band toiling, toiling, toiling, silent, forgotten, back again for quick reunion, underwhelming, silent, forgotten… but for brief moments of time way back when—like during One Foot In Hell’s duration—Cirith Ungol were doing everything perfectly.
