is the second album by band Cirith Ungol. It was self-produced by the band and released in July.
Band member Robert Garven declared in an interview:
"King of the Dead was our best album, the reason was that we had total control over it. Every album could have been this good if we could have exercised complete control over its production and other things. This is the album which I feel is our best effort. The reason the long wait between albums is because when you are FINANCING them yourselves, you have to come up with the money to pay for things like studio time. Plus being on all these independent labels their time tables are slower. I also did all the layout and design of the first three covers, all this while we were all working full time trying to sponsor the dream."
Guitarist Greg Lindstrom, who left the band in 1982, two years before the release of this album, said:
"'Atom Smasher,' 'Cirith Ungol' and 'Death of the Sun' were all songs we had written together in the mid 70's, and 'Finger of Scorn' was one of my songs that the band used with my blessing."
Another Michael Moorcock-inspired drawing acts as the album's cover: it is entitled "King of the Dead" and was painted by Michael Whelan.
Cirith Ungol are unsung dinosaurs in the metal scene, and this is probably their best known album, King of the Dead is a dark and primitive, yet also very catchy and fun, listen. This album sound more like 70's than anything else.
Tim Baker Jerry Fogle Michael Vujea Robert Garven
