Cathedral - Japanese Albums Collection (1991-2013, 13CD)

It's universally agreed that the originators of the doom metal genre are Black Sabbath, but there were several bands of the '80s/early '90s that kept the style alive (during Sabbath's "lean years"), such as Saint Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass, and, especially, the U.K.-based Cathedral. When singer Lee Dorrian jumped ship from grindcore godfathers Napalm Death during the late '80s, he sought to form a new outfit that would focus on the plodding sounds of Sabbath, rather than the all-out assault of his former band. As a result, Cathedral was formed in early 1990, with a lineup consisting of Dorrian, guitarists Mark Griffiths and Gary Jennings, plus drummer Andy Baker. Almost immediately, however, the new group experienced some personnel fluctuation (a sign of things to come). Baker was replaced by Ben Mochrie after only several rehearsals, Griffiths switched over to the bass, and a second guitarist was added, Adam Lehan. 1991 saw the release of a self-produced demo, In Memoriam, issued via Dorrian's own label, Rise Above Records (the album would be reissued on CD almost ten years later, with an expanded track listing).

Cathedral were signed by renowned U.K. metal label Earache shortly thereafter, resulting in the release of their full-length debut, Forest of Equilibrium, in 1991. With many figuring that grindcore would become the next globally preferred sub-genre of heavy metal, U.S. major labels began signing such outfits as Entombed, Carcass, and Napalm Death. As a result of their ties to the genre, Cathedral signed on with Columbia Records, even though they displayed little resemblance musically to the aforementioned acts. Lineup instability failed to derail Cathedral, as they delivered arguably the finest album of their career, The Ethereal Mirror, in 1993. A year later, Cathedral got to open a European tour for their heroes, Black Sabbath (albeit the Tony Martin-fronted version).

By this time, Dorrian and Jennings were the only members left in attendance from their early days, but more importantly, the group was dropped by Columbia after only a single album. The group has persevered nonetheless – returning back to the Earache label, and throughout the remainder of the '90s and early 21st century issued such strong releases as 1995's The Carnival Bizarre, 1996's Supernatural Birth Machine, 1998's Caravan Beyond Redemption, and 2001's Endtyme. In 2002 Cathedral signed on with Spitfire in time for the release of their seventh full-length overall, The VIIth Coming. The band signed to Nuclear Blast in 2004, and two years later released The Garden of Unearthly Delights. In 2010 the band released its ninth album (and first double album), The Guessing Game. Despite all of their ups and downs, Cathedral can be credited with opening the door for other subsequent doom bands, as countless groups (who had obviously studied Dorrian and company) cropped up during the mid- to late '90s: Orange Goblin, Electric Wizard, Spiritual Beggars, and more.

Along with the early material chronicled on In Memorium, Forest of Equilibrium remained an artifact of Cathedral's early gloom sound before they eventually evolved into one of the more exciting heavy metal bands of the mid-'90s. Still fresh from his infamous stint as the looming vocalist for the original and most notorious grindcore band ever, Napalm Death, vocalist Lee Dorrian teams up with the guitarist duo of Garry Jennings and Adam Lehan to create some of the most lumbering heavy metal ever heard. The group takes the grinding guitar tones of grindcore and slows them down to a nearly unbearable pace capable to either hypnotizing the listener or inducing sleep. While the two guitarists churn out their doomy guitar riffs, Dorrian does his best to balance the delicate line between singing lyrics with hints of harmony and emanating deathly growls from the depths of his dark soul. Besides the guitars and vocals, the songs themselves actually deserve some recognition despite their tendency to creep along at a sometimes tedious pace. "Ebony Tears" and "Funeral Request" in particular still stand as two of the group's more memorable songs even if this early sound has since been abandoned. In addition to these two songs, "Soul Sacrifice" deserves some notice as the one song to actually up the album's tempo towards mosh-friendly levels – though it is much better performed on the succeeding Soul Sacrifice EP. The ultra-murky sound quality of Forest of Equilibrium also makes it a unique album far different from any of the group's other releases. Like the dense layers of compressed distortion that transform the group's guitar tones into monolithic waves of bone-shaking sound, the poor sound quality gives the album a surreal sense of dense, dusty murk that nearly eclipses the music with a shroud of disorientation. This album doesn't compare to later Cathedral albums such as The Carnival Bizarre in terms of artistry or consistent style, but it does possess an undeniable aura of dark gloom that these later albums can only hope to emulate with their increasingly clean sound and hints of joy.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Guitars : Adam Lehan
Bass : Mark Griffiths
Drums : Mike Smail

Recorded at Workshop Studios, Redditch, between July and August in 1991.
Produced and mixed by PBL, assisted by Lee Dorian and Gary Jennings.
Engineered by Mark Tempest

Track List:

01. Picture Of Beauty & Innocence (Intro) - Comiserating The Celebration [11:15]
02. Ebony Tears [7:45]
03. Serpent Eve [7:39]
04. Soul Sacrifice [2:55]
05. A Funeral Request [9:16]
06. Equilibrium [6:08]
07. Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain [9:07]

Cathedral's second full-length album, The Ethereal Mirror, finds the group experimenting a bit with new sounds on their path to discovering the patented sound they would polish on succeeding releases. Hints of their lumbering doom sound from Forest of Equilibrium characterize songs such as "Phantasmagoria," but for the most part Cathedral picks up the pace and instills a welcome sense of groove into their monolithic guitar riffs. Two songs from the album in particular stand out due to their up-beat tempos: the anthemic opener, "Ride," and the metal-disco of "Midnight Mountain." These two songs aren't up-tempo in the sense of death metal or grindcore, but they actually owe a lot to late '60s and early '70s hard rock anthems such as Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" and Black Sabbath's "Supernaut." Singer/lyricist Lee Dorrian's background as a member of the U.K.'s grindcore movement in the late '80s and the ultra-heavy guitar tones of the group elevates songs such as "Ride" above generic proto-heavy metal recycling. Dorrian's voice sounds unlike traditional rock vocalists as he tries his best to sing despite the grave darkness remaining from his past as a growling madman in Napalm Death. Furthermore, his lyrics feature more fairytale-inspired nightmarish qualities than Ozzy Osbourne ever came close to writing. But for as important as Dorrian is to Cathedral as their undeniable leader, the epic guitar riff-laden soundscapes of Garry Jennings and Adam Lehan drive these songs and set perfectly gloomy moods for Dorrian's black magic poetry.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars, bass : Gaz Jennings
Guitars : Adam Lehan
Drums : Mark Ramsey Wharton

Recorded at Manor Studios, Oxford
produced by David Bianco, engineered by Shaun DeFeo
Front Cover Artwork: Dave Patchett

Track List:

01. Violet Voltex [1:56]
02. Ride [4:47]
03. Enter The Worms [6:06]
04. Midnight Mountain [4:55]
05. Fountain Of Innocence [7:13]
06. Grim Luxuria [4:47]
07. Jaded Entity [7:53]
08. Ashes You Leave [6:22]
09. Phantasmagoria [8:44]
10. Imprisoned In Flesh [1:45]
11. Sky Lifter (Japanese Bonus Track) [3:27]
12. Funeral Request 1993 (Japanese Bonus Track) [7:33]

Cathedral are some sort of the doom metal equivalent of Sigh, they write some of the most out there, bizarre and what-did-they-smoke-I-want-some type of music. They started out as a more or less usual doom metal band, but really, here, Statik Majik is their pinnacle of their now weird and fucked up style of (stoner) doom.

"Oh yeah! Oooeeewh, come on now!" Indeed I come, as the long ep - which is 40 minutes long - starts off with "Midnight Mountain" from their The Ethereal Mirror album. "Wooooaaahh, can you feel the groove? Grooving all night!" I too can feel it my dear Lee, your particular groovy stoner metal at display here as well as your vocals that sound as if you were on hallucinogens. It's a very fun song which has some very unusual riffing and drumming, making it almost danceable - Well Lee Dorian is sure to dance on it. There are even handclaps at some point, all sounds varied and trippy to say the least.

Follows a lot of feedback from "Hypnos 164" and the trip continues. While still having some groovy moments, they're not as much as on the preceding song, here sounding similar to the rest of The Ethereal Mirror. Some parts sound a little more serious, a little like the more traditional doom found on their debut. Though it doesn't take much for the band to lose some seriousness, particularly when Lee introduce a riff with something like "boochie boochie aw aw aw!". The following "Cosmic Funeral" starts off rather seriously with slow doom metal riffs accompanied by some keyboards, plodding through the sadness of the chorus, going into further despair. Though as you would expect from Cathedral at that time, there's the imminent twist making them go further in stoner territory using some strange instrumentations, rhythms as well as prog-styled keys. So far it's some really entertaining and well put stoner doom, the most unique of its kind.

So the ep closes with the 22 minutes mammoth "Voyage of the Homeless Sapien". Holy funken shit! Now if everything before was trippy, this is the real acid trip, Alice in Wonderland style. Hell the whole song could be compared to that movie, going through some of the most bizarre arrangements, intermingling their usual stoner passages, groovy ones, doomy as well as even some huge and menacing old school death metal riffs, ones that you swear came off the masters of the genre. Both writers surely took the same foul stuff. It opens with a very tranquil mood, birds are singing, accompanied by acoustic guitars and a relaxed in his couch, strangely happy Lee Dorian singing. Then, there's this really heavy doom/death riff being played with some appropriate drumming, until it continues in a darker Forest of Equilibrium fashion. Some more peaceful moments briefly come back, then being interrupted with some almost death metal riffs, going through tons of different sounds while keeping the pace more or less down. There was even at some point, this fucking heavy, slower death metal riff being played, one that made me scratch my head as I was sure I heard it from some other band. Entombed? Or was it Asphyx? It mesmerized me so much, I did a quick survey over the latter's first two albums but to no avail. So after some other ballady moments and one strangely similar to what can be found on Sleep's Holy Mountain, the song ends on some church-like organ and some weird talk – sounds like Lee Dorian saying absurdities. It’s a rather weird track, some moments not being as good as others though you'll want to come back to it just because of some riffs.

Statik Majik is a really interesting ep. It's probably Cathedral biggest mindfuck, taking the most bizarre track of their sophomore coupled with some more or less similar ones, and with their biggest acid trip as a closer. It's not essential, though if you can't get enough of Cathedral and/or are interested in hearing some more of their most wacky songs, you'll definitely want to give this a listen.

~ www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars, bass : Gaz Jennings
Guitars : Adam Lehan
Drums : Mark Ramsey Wharton

Produced and Mixed by Gary Jennings, Lee Dorrian and Paul Johnson
Recorded at Rhythm Studios (16-23 Aug. 1993)
Mixed at Rhythm Studios (10-14 Jan 1994)

Track List:

01. Midnight Mountain [4:55]
02. Hypnos 164 [5:43]
03. Cosmic Funeral [7:00]
04. The Voyage of the Homeless Sapien [22:42]
05. Autumn Twilight (Japanese Bonus Track) [5:50]
06. Frozen Rapture (Japanese Bonus Track) [6:08]
07. Golden Blood (Flooding) (Japanese Bonus Track) [8:11]
08. Grim Luxuria (Live in Japan) (Japanese Bonus Track) [4:51]
09. Sweet Leaf (Live in Japan) (Japanese Bonus Track) [5:42]

The Carnival Bizarre finds Cathedral nailing down their neo-Black Sabbath sound consistently from beginning to end with no filler, setting them apart from nearly every other band in the mid-'90s heavy metal scene. The album's consistency arises most likely from the band's streamlined lineup with only vocalist/lyricist Lee Dorrian and guitarist Gaz Jennings remaining from proceeding releases. These two collaborate on each of the ten songs, perfecting their formula for gothic fairytales set to monstrous grooves of castle-sized guitar riffs. The album's title track serves as a perfect example of how Cathedral has grown and polished its unique style more easily explained by what it isn't than what it is. On this particular song, Jennings breaks off almost immediately into the song's central riff as Dorrian begins to map out his fantastic motifs: "Ride with me on a shooting star/Through galaxies of death we chase/Skeletal king of paradise." The song has a catchy chorus that has Dorrian changing the pitch of his voice from his deep, dark gravely tone to a juxtaposing high-pitched voice nearly as rough. Several tangents make this song more than just a standard rock tune in the style of "Ride" from the group's preceding album. It is at these moments that Jennings proves just how amazing of a guitar player he has become, moving through an ambient section of psychedelic-phasing guitar tones to a contemplative guitar solo with an overdubbed backing riff that takes the song on a journey to its post-eight minute conclusion. Nearly every one of the other ten songs makes small alterations on this same template, with Dorrian's mapped-out lyrics keeping the songs within the confines of traditional rock structuring and Jennings' ever-mobile guitar serving as the musical equivalent to the otherworldly lyrical topics.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Produced by Kit Woolves
Engineered by Doog Cook
Recorded at Park Gate Studios, Nr.Battle, May 29th - June 14th, 1995
Mastering - Noel Summervile, Trasfermation

Track List:

01. Vampire Sun [4:06]
02. Hopkins (The Witchfinder General) [5:19]
03. Utopian Blaster [5:41]
04. Night of The Seagulls [7:00]
05. Carnival Bizarre [8:36]
06. Inertias Cave [6:39]
07. Fangalactic Supergoria [5:55]
08. Blue Light [3:27]
09. Palace of Fallen Majesty [7:43]
10. Electric Grave [8:27]
11. Karmacopia (Japanese Bonus Track) [5:06]

Heh, this is a funny little EP from the doom metal legends Cathedral. Mind you I'm not familiar with their old material, but on this release it's less doom metal and more stoner metal I imagine.(although there is a doomish tone to the guitars).

Every track is cool, mid-paced doomy stoner metal with very vivacious vocals and lyrics that deal with the Salem Witch Trials, Hell, and other related topics. How much more metal can you get there? Each song is about average length, except for The Devil's Summit, and isn't too impressive technically; however, every thing is very catchy and fun to listen to.

The obvious highlight of this release is The Devil's Summit, which is an almost-ten-minute jam of funk, doom, and jazz. Can we say awesome? This is where Dorrian's energy reeally penetrates through the speakers and the band's creativity reaches its zenith(at least on this release). You just can't beat the improvisational nature of this, with the wild saxophone, guitar, keyboard, and other solos.

Anyway, I'm sure this EP doesn't reach anywhere near the brilliance of many of their full-length albums, but it's a very exciting listen. I highly recommend it.

~ www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Guest musicians:
Hammond Organ : Paul Johnston
Saxaphone ; Brian Love Bucket, Howell Babe Magnet

Produced by Cathedral
Engineered by Paul Johnson
Recorded and mixed at Rhytm Studios, Bidford Upon Avon

Track List:

01. Hopkins (The Witchfinder General) [5:37]
02. Fire [3:31]
03. Copper Sunset [3:06]
04. Purple Wonderland [4:45]
05. The Devils Summit [9:26]
06. You Know (Japanese Bonus Track) [4:47]

Having ridden out the initial explosion of grindcore to the point where stoner rock became its own revived genre, due credit for longevity has to go to Dorrian and his compatriots, not least because Dorrian helped out said genre with his Rise Above label and such signings as Sleep. As for his own band, on Supernatural, Dorrian leads everyone through more semi-tributes to the Black Sabbath sound; Dorrian's own ghost-of-Ozzy vocals often get as close to outright mimicry as possible, though generally he avoids straining for the high notes when possible. Drummer Dixon and bassist Smee do their business with relatively little fuss; if nothing else, having better production standards than the original Sabbath did allows their work to always bust forth pretty well. Jennings, meanwhile, is as monstrous and crunching as always, while wise enough to let in lighter moments from time to time, as with the mid-song break on "Stained Glass Horizon." If the subject matter and delivery is a little more self-conscious than, say, that of the Melvins, Cathedral at least has the courage of its convictions, right down to the neo-prog inner sleeve art (dragon heads, historical figures, demons, and angels in a Bosch-style landscape, and so forth). Highlights: Well, if one likes Sabbath, liking the whole album (or alternately dismissing it out of hand for the real thing) will pretty much be the end result. Though a few stand out even more, such as "Cyclops Revolution," with appropriately distorted monster-doom vocals at points, and the appropriately spooked-out vibes of "Nightmare Castle." One thing's for sure: if one wants classically pulpy SF/horror/fantasy scenarios for lyrics combined with brain-melting sludge, this is the place. Thus, song titles like "Urko's Conquest," "Birth Machine 2000," and the "can it be any more appropriate" metacrunch of "Suicide Asteroid."

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Produced and Engineered by Kit Woolven
Assistant Engineer: Doug Cook
Recorded and Mixed at Parkgate Studios, near Battle, May/June 1996
Pre-Production: Slack Cottage, Garsdale
Mastered by Noel Summerville

Track List:

01. Cybertron 71/Eternal Countdown (Intro) [1:18]
02. Urko's Conquest [4:03]
03. Stained Glass Horizon [5:30]
04. Cyclops Revolution [7:07]
05. Birth Machine 2000 [8:59]
06. Nightmare Castle [6:31]
07. Fireball Demon [4:12]
08. Phaser Quest [3:43]
09. Suicide Asteroid [4:13]
10. Dragon Ryder 13 [5:52]
11. Magnetic Hole [6:31]
12. Tuckers Ruck (Japanese Bonus Track) [4:59]

Caravan Beyond Redemption is a captivating album for all of its 70-plus-minute running time. Starting from their usual brand of doom metal, heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, but boasting an original, individual style at the same time, Cathedral throw in various surprises this time to make things interesting. While the "stoner" rock style dominates the sound, '70s funk infects the rhythms – most of these songs feature a (more or less sublime) groove that is irresistible. Sometimes insidious wah-wah guitars recall "Shaft" ("Freedom," "Revolution"), while on other occasions a bongo section adds spice ("Voodoo Fire"). Various voice recordings appear, and "Captain Clegg" is a Hammer Horror homage, complete with movie samples. "The Caravan" is an affectionate nod to Cathedral's idols (remember "Planet Caravan"?). All of these elements are integrated organically into the music, which nonetheless is a crushing fest of heavy yet melodic riffs. Vocalist Lee Dorrian's voice is cleaner this time (actually intelligible), going with the harmonies instead of fighting against them – though he doesn't give up his growling shouter persona. The lyrics mostly reward investigation, with a lot of social commentary and inspired madness; the words of "The Omega Man" (greetings from "Iron Man") are truly eerie, presenting a mixture of paranoia and apocalypse. After the last song (which surprises the listener by getting slower instead of faster) is over, there's five minutes of silence (Cathedral's extended version of "4'33"?), followed by some senseless crowd noises. Never mind this hidden "track"; the 12 songs on Caravan Beyond Redemption are inspired and intelligent and definitely worth seeking out.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

roduced by Andy Sneap
Assistant Engineers: Steve Clow and Danny Spriggs
Recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire UK (June/July 1998)
Mixed at DP International, Birmingham UK (July 1998)
Pre-Production: Crash Studios, Liverpool

Track List:

01. Voodoo Fire [6:12]
02. The Unnatural World [4:05]
03. Satanikus Robotikus [5:01]
04. Freedom [5:06]
05. Captain Clegg [6:07]
06. Earth Messiah [5:18]
07. The Caravan [3:01]
08. Revolution [7:08]
09. Kaleidoscope of Desire [4:46]
10. Heavy Load [6:08]
11. The Omega Man [6:02]
12. Dust of Paradise [7:25]
13. Black Sunday (Japanese Bonus Track) [7:09]

Pain is the best way to describe the music contained within Cathedrals 'In Memoriam' album. This is one depressing thrill ride delivered to you at the speeds of slow and crawl! This is by far one of the best Doomdeath albums of all time. The production is weak, but this only adds to the misery of the music. The guitars are tuned low (possibly to 'A') and hit the listener with a thick wall of sorrow and suffering. There are leads and a few solos, along with some "faster" parts. The atmosphere they create with their mixture of crunch and open chorded/noted dirge is astounding!

The bass does very little creatively and mostly follow the guitars. The drums are very good given the nature of the music. Fluid, interesting and spot on are the best ways to describe them.

The only real downside of this would be the song 'March' as its rather pointless. The live bonus material is also a fine addition to this reissue. One could say it shows the band in their prime. The recordings, while raw, are still pretty good given the time this was recorded. The vocals are tortured and wretched. Lee's delivery only adds to the desperation of the overall sound that is captured here. This is seriously an intense listen and not for all. This album is the essence of hopelessness and despair.

~ http://www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Guitars : Adam Lehan
Bass : Mark Griffiths
Drums : Ben Mochrie

Recorded at Sermon Held at Rhythm Studios, 6th and 8th October 1990
Engineered by Paul Johnson. Produced by Cathedral.
Track 1 & 3 by Jennings/Dorrian, track 4 by Jennings. Track 2 by Liebling/Griffin
Tracks 5-9 are bonus tracks recorded live.

Track List:

01. Mourning Af A New Day [8:00]
02. All Your Sins (Pentagram cover) [5:54]
03. Ebony Tears [8:21]
04. March [7:04]
05. Commiserating The Celebration (Live) [9:55]
06. Ebony Tears (Live) [11:13]
07. Neophytes For The Serpent Eve (Live) [7:53]
08. All Your Sins (Live, Pentagram cover) [4:57]
09. Mourning Of A New Day (Live) [9:02]

Upon its release, Cathedral's Endtyme was heavily touted as a "back to basics" album for the British doom originators – but this isn't exactly true. After taking its neo-hippie metal as far as it could, Lee Dorrian's combo certainly seems bent on revisiting the slothful, post-Sabbath dirge that characterized its earliest releases. But unlike its record company, the group doesn't seem nearly as convinced about taking such a large step backwards. Instead, while Endtyme certainly boasts an inordinate amount of plodding down-tuned anthems, even the slowest grinds contained here ("Requiem for the Sun," "Ultra Earth") manage to retain some of the energy and diversity displayed (even if in haphazard fashion) on the group's late-'90s albums. More disappointing is the fact that, once again, Cathedral falls well short of delivering a truly consistent album – something the band only came close to achieving with mid-era releases like The Ethereal Mirror and The Carnival Bizarre. In fact, Endtyme only boasts two or three truly excellent tracks, including the gloomy "Melancholy Emperor" and the sullen "Alchemist of Sorrows." Sabbath-isms abound throughout the album, and work both to its advantage (the "Orchid"-like guitar intro to "Sea Serpent," for instance) and disadvantage (the unoriginal "Planet Caravan" takeoff "Astral Queen"). Downright weird experiments like the silly "Whores to Oblivion," on the other hand, could hardly be classified as true doom metal. Yet, despite its air of forced excess (driven home by 13-minute monster closer "Templars Arise [The Return]"), most fans are bound to agree that Endtyme offers a more focused and satisfying experience than Cathedral's recent efforts – but a doom classic it is not.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Produced by Cathedral
Engineered by Billy Anderson, assisted by Euan Davies
Recorded and mixed at Chapel Studios, South Thoresby, England, 17th July - 6th August 2000

Track List:

01. Cathedral Flames [2:00]
02. Melancholy Emperor [5:32]
03. Requiem For The Sun [6:55]
04. Whores To Oblivion [6:32]
05. Alchemist Of Sorrows [7:16]
06. Ultra Earth [9:23]
07. Astral Queen [6:39]
08. Sea Serpent [5:48]
09. Templars Arise! (The Return) [13:40]
10. Gargoylian (Japanese Bonus Track) [7:48]

Having been called behind the times for much of its existence, it comes as no surprise that even after the revivalist movement of Stonehenge rockers came and went faster than you can say Man's Ruin, Cathedral neither achieved a commercial breakthrough, nor did they decide to call it a day. The former is an unsurprising bit of a shame; the latter is a blessing, since The VIIth Coming is as good a record the band has ever made, one that lacks the filler of many of the band's releases, even if it also is devoid of a signature track that stands out as a keeper. Lee Dorrian has all but abandoned his trademark menacing growl, leaving in its place a less-distinctive but much easier-on-the-ear singing voice that doesn't need to be buried in the mix as on the band's previous releases, and isn't. The musical output has a more subtle charge; sure, the Black Sabbath is still there, but the keyboards layered underneath the riff of "The Empty Mirror" and in the foreground of "Nocturnal Fist" seem a lot closer to Uriah Heep, and there are nods to more modern influences as well, such as on "Iconoclast," which sounds like slowed-down, grunged-out Pantera.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Produced by Kit Woolven and Cathedral
Engineered and mixed by Kit Woolven, assisted by Euan Davies
Recorded at July 2002 at The Chapel, Lincolnshire, England

Track List:

01. Phoenix Rising [3:53]
02. Resisting The Ghost [2:38]
03. Skullflower [5:45]
04. Aphrodite's Winter [5:04]
05. The Empty Mirror [8:38]
06. Nocturnal Fist [3:20]
07. Iconoclast [5:20]
08. Black Robed Avenger [6:47]
09. Congregation Of Sorcerer's [4:40]
10. Halo Of Fire [7:24]
11. Texting (Japanese Bonus Track) [6:03]

Although Cathedral have long been treated as a fireproof doom/stoner institution, the God's honest truth is that, following those first few, legend-building albums, most of their subsequent releases have contained no more than two or three great songs surrounded by copious amounts of filler. And no, this isn't about taking the band for granted either – just admitting a cold hard truth that's made all the more evident by 2005's still flawed but appreciably improved The Garden of Unearthly Delights. If only one could affirm that it was an unconditional return to top-of-the-line, energetic British doom. Starting with its back-to-basics cover art created by longtime artist David Patchett (featuring a suitably disturbing and baroque gothic collage), Cathedral's eighth full album does issue early warnings of a comeback, thanks to the mighty-riffed "Tree of Life & Death," the astonishingly melodic (and cleverly titled) "Corpsecycle," and Gaz Jennings' overpowering six-string tour de force, "Oro the Manslayer." "North Berwick Witch Trials" would have also merited inclusion in this positive balance, were it not for its clear and unapologetic recycling of The Carnival Bizarre's ancient classic, "Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)"; and the best that one can say about lesser lights such as "Fields of Zagara" (a short acoustic interlude) and "Beneath a Funeral Sun" (marked by creepy children's choirs) is that they are, at the very least, interesting in their weirdness. But if there's one damning complaint about The Garden of Unearthly Delights, it's aimed at the chaotic, 27-minute (you read right, 27!) semi-title cut, "The Garden," whereupon Cathedral proceed to sift through a bottomless grab bag of often wonderfully promising ideas, only to jam them together in unexpected and mostly ill-advised configurations, and then, worse of all, abandon many infuriatingly under-explored. For a band that's battled issues of consistency for years on end, such haphazard wastefulness (imaginative, daring, and eclectic to be sure, but still predominantly wasteful) simply won't do. All of which makes this album a better than average Cathedral outing – just inspired and quirky enough to keep you interested, just uneven enough to piss you off.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Recorded at New Rising Studios, Essex, England, May 2005
Recorded and produced by Warner Riker, assisted by Cathedral.

Track List:

01. Dearth AD [1:01]
02. Tree Of Life & Death [4:35]
03. North Berwick With Trials [5:58]
04. Upon Azrael's Wings [5:37]
05. Corpsecycle [5:55]
06. Fields Of Zagara [1:58]
07. Oro The Manslayer [7:29]
08. Beneath A Funeral Sun [5:20]
09. The Garden [26:59]
10. Proga-Europa (Japanese Bonus Track) [5:59]

Cathedral's ninth studio album, their first since 2005's The Garden of Unearthly Delights, is a double disc, and it features some of the most psychedelic, progressive material in the band's entire catalog. Originally formed out of vocalist Lee Dorrian's distaste for the burgeoning death metal sound of his previous band, grindcore pioneers/stalwarts Napalm Death, Cathedral sounded like a pure throwback to the doom of the early '70s on their first few releases, but over the course of their long career, their albums have displayed rock & roll swagger and lysergic experimentation. The Guessing Game is in many ways a magnum opus, offering examples of everything Cathedral does well. "Casket Chasers" is a roaring stoner metal anthem worthy of modern doomsters like Down or any of Scott "Wino" Weinrich's bands, while the eight-minute "Funeral of Dreams" is a multifaceted, retro-psychedelic excursion reminiscent of Uriah Heep. "Requiem for the Voiceless" is pure, creeping Sabbathian horror, while "Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine" shifts from acoustic strumming to a jazz-funk groove. Retro instrumentation (flutes and Mellotron in particular) and production techniques abound. This album lives up to its title in spades; it's impossible to predict, listening to one song, what the next one will sound like, except for the general surety that it'll sound like it could have been recorded (on tape, not into a hard drive) anytime between 1969 and today.

~ allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Leo Smee
Drums : Brian Dixon

Recroded at Chapel Studios, South Thoresby, Lincolnshire, November 2009.
Produced and mixed by Warren Riker. Assistant engineers Ben Rhodes and Ewan Davies.
Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering, California, USA.

CD1 Track List:

01. Immaculate Misconception [2:25]
02. Funeral Of Dreams [8:28]
03. Painting In The Dark [6:18]
04. Death Of An Anarchist [7:13]
05. The Guessing Game [3:09]
06. Edwige's Eyes [7:09]
07. Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine [6:02]

CD2 Track List:

01. One Dimensional People [2:31]
02. The Casket Chasers [6:41]
03. La Noche Del Buque Maldito (Aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead) [5:47]
04. The Running Man [8:46]
05. Requiem For The Voiceless [9:51]
06. Journey Into Jade [10:37]

Cathedral’s end has come. “The Last Spire” is the final album released by this legendary congress of British doom metal, and I must say it’s somewhat of a whirlwind of bittersweet emotions reviewing this mammoth. I bought “The Garden of Unearthly Delights” on a whim when I was but a stranger to the void of metal, and that CD, before discovering classics like “The Ethereal Mirror,” was one of my first CD purchases ever—I doubt I’d be beyond a rudimentary understanding of doom metal had I not bought it. Cathedral has always been a favorite of mine, and I was saddened when they announced this would be the final Cathedral output, yet there’s an unavoidable truth here that is often forgotten: all things must fall. Tragic as it may be, “The Last Spire” concludes the titanic legacy of Cathedral in prime fashion, and I believe they've made no errors pulling the plug on this colossal band.

Cathedral's releases have a definite mark of an excellent group: each one is radically different, yet still pumping with the trademark blood of its creators. "The Last Spire" comes off as a dark, brooding opus most similar to their excellent yet underrated "Endtyme" record, with hints of "Forest of Equilibrium" and trace amounts of the instrumental eccentricity of "The Guessing Game." It puts Cathedral in the grave in a way that honors just about everything Lee and crew have ever made, and it's a fantastic conglomeration of the seasoned doom metal sound—the squad's undisputed strength—and tiny jabs of the occasional experimental element or instrument. No fun, upbeat numbers like "Midnight Mountain" or "Ride," though; it's all sonic, lightless gloom.

However, "The Last Spire" encapsulates its own identity. It's a dark album in that it sounds apocalyptic and nihilistic and evil and bleak, but does not envision isolation or sadness like "Forest of Equilibrium." It's an intense album in that its sound quality is heavy and powerful and authoritative and experienced, but does not steer toward exclusive darkness like "Endtyme." The experimental (or progressive, I suppose) elements are implemented into the picture through some very unpredictable and dazzling mediums, and in the end "The Last Spire" is an organic Cathedral release representing what are pretty much the best aspects of the group's discography. It is both everything and nothing, natural and foreboding, direct and sophisticated. It goes without saying that “The Last Spire” is the most digestible Cathedral album since “The Carnival Bizarre," and it sounds like a band going out on top.

The introduction to the funeral of Cathedral, "Entrance to Hell," is a haunted piece of dark samples that sounds like wandering through a forlorn, foggy graveyard while undead creations circle their prey; it's a proper introduction to the album's atmosphere. The symphony of death truly begins on "Pallbearer," wherein the fierce, crawling doom metal onslaught ignites. The song is eleven-plus minutes of Cathedral at its most diabolical. The riffs slowly churn and boil over drummer Brian Dixon and returning bassist Scott Carlson hammering underneath Gaz Jennings' loyal guitar work and Lee‘s trademark voice, and they all sound twisted and totally into it. Midway through the monolith Cathedral tosses in an acoustic passage-solo combo that comes from nowhere, yet works splendidly; a perfect example of those minor experimental/progressive touches à la "The Guessing Game" coming into fruition.

It circles back to the straightforward Cathedral sound, ending the way it started. “Pallbearer” is an honest illustration of the whole piece: dark doom metal with adventitious influences. More interesting, Carlson’s bass has more of a prominent role in the music than any former bassist or release that Cathedral has ever seen; it’s a much more pivotal factor here. Because each tune remains so loyal to the album’s blueprint yet tilted on its own unique angle, no song is precisely similar. The least ambitious of the bunch, and definitely the most likeable, happens to be “Tower of Silence,” a seven-minute bludgeoning of murky, simple heaviness retching through Lee’s sadistic singing and Dixon beating easy drum patterns into oblivion. Carlson and Jennings both contribute leads during the solo section, and the anthem is a righteous cut of doom from the womb of its masters, debatably one of their finest, ever.

“This Body, Thy Tomb” and “Cathedral of the Damned” likewise depend on more riff-based postulates than the abstract instrumental sections of other songs. Then again, this is Cathedral, and they do quite well exhibiting sunless, pulverizing staples of old-school doom metal. “Cathedral of the Damned” is perhaps the most upbeat number, yet it is countless miles from the speed and velocity of tempo anomalies like “Soul Sacrifice.” Longtime session keyboard specialist David Moore has an incredibly prominent role throughout the album. His arsenal of instruments (Hammond organ, Mellotron, synthesizers, etc.) is more often than not weaving between Cathedral's work, and it at times comes to the forefront of the bombardment, particularly throughout his solo section during "An Observation." It feels so comfortable and right; it’s like coming home for the last time.

"The Last Spire" is straightforward yet dynamic, bold yet loyal, startling yet proud. It is a swansong worth writing home about; not a lot of bands have that privilege. The material within "The Last Spire" runs deep into the intestines of Cathedral, like all of its dark secrets and masks rolled into one superb entity. The spirit of Cathedral has left the autumn's twilight. Its body now rests in the cemetery of the gods. This album is the final goodbye. Cathedral's one final opus envisioned the properties of itself with utmost perfection, and it is a fantastic display of mastery, no matter how painful the parting may be. They'll hopefully make the carnival in Valhalla that much more bizarre, and you know when they reach its gates, the freaks of nature will stand right up, until the circle of time finally closes.

R.I.P. Cathedral. Thanks for the memories.

www.metal-archives.com

Musicians:

Vocals : Lee Dorrian
Guitars : Gaz Jennings
Bass : Scott Carlson
Drums : Brian Dixon

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Orgone Studios, High Barnet, London, Winter 2012, before the farewell tour.

Track List:

03. Cathedral Of The Damned [5:48]
01. Entrance To Hel [3:08]
02. Pallbearer [11:38]
03. Cathedral Of The Damned [5:48]
04. Tower Of Silence [6:53]
05. Infestation Of Grey Death [9:02]
06. An Observation [10:20]
07. The Last Laugh [0:38]
08. This Body, Thy Tomb [8:57]
09. Tombs Of The Blind Dead (Japanese Bonus Track) [5:18]