Cirith Ungol is an American heavy metal band formed in late 1971 in Ventura, California. This early doom and power metal group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery). The band took their name from the mountain pass Cirith Ungol in J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings
Throughout the 1970s, the band generally played a style of heavy metal heavily rooted in hard and progressive rock. Its first studio album, Frost and Fire (1981), featured a heavier sound, generally regarded as an early example of American power metal. By its second studio album, King of the Dead (1984), it had solidified its power metal style while gravitating toward a much "darker" sound, with many considering the album among the first doom metal releases.