I haven't reviewed many live albums since I joined The Metal Crypt back in 2008 (Dio's Live at Donnington and Motörhead's No Sleep 'til Hammersmith come to mind) because I don't typically see much point to them. I will make exceptions, and Cirith Ungol's Live at the Roxy is one. According to the band, they will no longer be touring (at least not extensively) and this album is a fitting capstone to a lengthy career on the road.

What you get on Live at the Roxy is nearly two hours of Cirith Ungol's incomparable blend of heavy and doom metal with original vocalist Tim Baker's unique and captivating vocals, original drummer Robert Garven's thunderous drumming and original guitarist Greg Lindstrom's uncanny guitar riffs. Bassist Jarvis Leatherby (also in Night Demon) and guitarist Armand Anthony round out the live version of Cirith Ungol and the quintet does both the new and the classic material justice. The first half includes their most recent album, Dark Parade, second only to King of the Dead in the band's catalog, in my opinion, played front to back. The performances are true to the album with enough variation (along with brief crowd work from Baker) to make sure you know it is live. Songs like the speedy "Velocity (S.E.P.)" and crushing doom anthems like "Relentless" and "Distant Shadows" sound amazing, perhaps even more powerful in this setting than their studio counterparts. The second half consists of material from the band's five previous albums, touching King of the Dead most with five tracks. If you like true heavy metal on any level, try not to throw a fist in the air during cuts like "Blood and Iron," "I'm Alive," "The Frost Monstreme" or the perfect show closer "Join the Legion." This is a band that forged their own path before and during the formative years of heavy metal and have stayed faithful to that sound over 50-odd years and sound every bit as powerful and in command on Live at the Roxy as they did on their early albums that enthralled those of us looking for something more obscure, more cult, more awesome than anything the mainstream had to offer in the early '80s. With six albums to choose from, there are sure to be tracks long-time fans will lament not being included (personally, I would have loved to hear "The Finger of Scorn") but in the end, you simply cannot argue with the set list, the performances, the sound, anything.

I was fortunate to catch Cirith Ungol on this tour and, while they didn't play this exact set (Dark Parade was not played in its entirety), I can confirm this is how the band sounded live. If you missed them when they hit your area (and aren't scheduled to come your way before the tour ends), grab a copy of Live at the Roxy, turn the lights down and the sound up as high as it goes, and you'll have the next best thing to being there live. Better yet, grab the version with the DVD of the show and meld with the TV for the next two hours. Cirith Ungol obviously cares deeply for their fans and Live at the Roxy perfectly captures them, giving their appreciative fans an incredible live show.