Metal Reviews
Metal Reviews
CATHEDRAL |
  Cathedral are : |
CATHEDRAL |
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Tracklisting: Live in Holland '91 Previously released as a limited edition 4-track EP on purple vinyl and CD, "In memoriam" features the absolute original Cathedral lineup (there have been 13 lineup changes since). Ben Mochrie - Drums Recorded in 1990 prior to the band signing with Earache, the master tapes remained in a box under Lee Dorrian's bed, forgotten about, subsequent demo's had already been recorded which finally led to a deal with Earache. While the live section of this album was not discovered until the summer of 1999 when Garry was having a clear out. Now those of you, who like me, already has the original "In memoriam" EP, may well be asking yourself "Do I really need to buy it again, just for some old live recording" Well, the answer to that is yes, you do because the live recordings because they are of remarkable good quality and feature the absolute stonking "Commiserating The Celebration", a song that reminds me more of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', the more I hear it, and secondly "In memoriam" is simply a superb insight into the early years of one of today's most highly regarded metal bands. Overall, "In memoriam" is still a valid purchase especially to those who know the band. Released by Rise Above. 333
Latimer Road, London, W10 6RA |
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Cathedral |
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A discordant tale of the bizarre and unimaginable, soaked in darkness and doom, "Forest of Equilibrium" is a not so pleasant journey to the other side… and whoever said you can't see the forest for the trees, well forget it! Five paces in either direction only gets you more lost. Very dampened, even at full volume, the primitive and ungodly sounds that emanate from beyond cast a foreboding shadow of dread and as the fear within you grows to infinite levels, there'll be no refuge… no rest from this evil lurking presence smiling off in the distance. "Commiserating the Celebration" and "Ebony Tears" begin the nightmare in a tedious and torturous fashion… the doom-ridden notes, akin to a sly devilish grin as the stake's driven deeper and deeper into an already possessed body that's slowly begun to numb the all too familiar pain… Anyone who's ever familiarized themselves with Cathedral knows about pain… a writhing unintelligible force that overtakes you, quickly dissolving your mental faculties as quickly as physical decay sets itself in to finish the job. Very reminiscent of early Tiamat, Cathedral's bent on reinventing a Sabbath revolution of sorts… or de-evolution when the truth is revealed and eternal darkness descends upon all creation-this is like the ultimate slow track to Hell, where revolutions per minute are quickly swallowed up by Satanic slurs and turntable reversals… With the exception of a few choice endings, "Serpent Eve," where early signs of "Trouble" are revealed, variety knows not of the setting sun, nor is its presence required anywhere within this forest of the damned! Damned for all eternity and marked only by lyrical depth that parallels Biblical proportions, "Forest of Equilibrium," taken at face value is all of that-a truly underground phenomenon that painfully slowly in its measures, revealed one of the true talents soon to emerge from the edge of darkness… Released by Earache Records
Limited. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |
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Endtyme Cathedral |
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Just a few notes in and already my eyes are filled with tears… not joy of course though for many fans of Cathedral's a brand new record would be just cause but what I'm hearing is such a doom-driven drone that I can't help but be consumed with sorrow and mental anguish for all the sins of my past… And could it be that the end is near, as the title might indicate? I loved their "Caravan Beyond Redemption" release from a couple years back-that was them at their peak of astral intensity, though less so of the death crawl more associative with their troublesome past. The Sabbath riffs pour out like a blood spurt splattering over the ghostly image that appears within this somber respite… "Endtyme" is a return to the beginning of sorts for Lee Dorian's once and again doom machine, plodding, and preaching for the nether-worldly and disturbed… Not full circle by any means and no need to be, this is more a culmination of the brooding early style, which borrows from a measure of their middle-year progression, spitting the psychedelia with a raging fury that burns reality quickly into ash. I resist the Stoner-Rock personification that's often overused yet it exists, only in a much more darkened state-when I say "dread" I'm not going lightly. Shivering and cold, the down-trodden measures and grinding choral attributes clench tighter around this near lifeless genre they helped create and spawn for the many wintry tales that would follow-yet there's a more exciting aspect to where "Melancholy Emperor," or "Whores to Oblivion" are concerned, musically dynamic without the sacrifice of heritage. "Endtyme," 2001, let thy spatial descent begin… Released by Earache Records
Limited. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |