Saturday 20 June 2009

CATHEDRAL - FOREST OF EQUILIBRIUM (Cd Review)


01.Picture Of Beauty & Innocence (Intro)/Commiserating The Celebration
02.Ebony Tears
03.Serpent Eve
04.Soul Sacrifice
05.A Funeral Request
06.Equilibrium
07.Reaching Happiness Touching Pain
BONUS EP
01.Soul Sacrifice
02.Autumn Twilight
03.Frozen rapture
04.Golden Blood (Flooding)

DVD
01.Return To The Forest (Documentary)
02.Ebony Tears (Music Video)

Lee Dorrian (Vocals)
Gary Jennings (Guitar)
Adam Lehan (Guitar)
Mark Griffiths (Bass)
Mike Smail (Drums)
Helen Acreman (Flute)
Reverend Wolski (Keyboards)

"Reject the elation of blissful tranquility, Obsessions they lay with the bleak and sinister", so goes a lyric in the opening doom masterpiece.

Perhaps those words sum up Lee dorrian's musical philosphy, this is not "Happy" music and it is of such a high quality that only a deep obsessional understanding of the roots of all things dark and underground in music from the late sixties to mid seventies could produce Cathedral.

This was their debut album released in 1991 and it has always set the standard by which all subsequent "Doom Metal" produced in the UK would be measured by.

In March 2009 the album was remastered and it has brought out a clarity to the music that serves to enhance every 'top end' chord and death like howl that these long, slow and heavy songs really deserve.

The repackaging with a poster,fold out case,the addition of the debut "Soul Sacrifice" ep and a great DVD with interviews and a music video, is superb!

To understand where this music comes from is something for a very long conversation in a darkend corner of an old pub and not for the written word here, but suffice to say if you know 'Necromandus','Plus' or 'Jacula' you will love this.
There are of course more obvious reference points with early 'Black Sabbath','Witchfinder General' and 'Candlemass'.

Rating 10/10

For Fans Of : Electric Wizard, Sunn 0))), Reverend Bizarre

STU

No comments: