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Rating:
THE REVIEW
This is my fiftieth review; I have almost always written about unreleased albums on Debaser.
Not today.
I am awaiting the arrival of the new work by With The Dead, a band created by Lee Dorrian from the ashes of Cathedral.
To stay on theme, it seems good and right (amen) to deal with Cathedral's debut full-length album.
The DOOM Word.
Lee has recently left Napalm Death; differences over the Death Metal shift led to an irreparable split.
He heads in a completely different musical direction. A morphine version of the Black Sabbath; the stifling heaviness of the early Black Sabbath is taken to the extreme. It makes the sound of the album even more gloomy, slow-paced, oppressive.
The only pleasure is suffering; listening to these unbearably slow sounds is a way of the cross that costs pain to confront. Even today as at the time of its release in December '91.
A melancholic and depressive work like no other; with a rotten and dark production.
Acoustic guitars and a flute in the introduction to the first track; slowly a dirty and cursed riff generated by Garry Jennings' electric six-string takes over for the remaining ten minutes of "Comiserating The Celebration."
There are still more than forty minutes of such sounds; a swamp of despair.
They would never again be able to replicate such icy peaks.
A true cornerstone that will point the way for hundreds of bands.
The image I chose is not the cover; I preferred to capture the band in a shot that needs no comments...A FUNERAL REQUEST...
Diabolos Rising 666.
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Summary by Bot
This review celebrates Cathedral's debut album Forest of Equilibrium as a foundational doom metal work. It highlights Lee Dorrian's shift from death metal to a slow, oppressive sound inspired by Black Sabbath. The album is praised for its melancholic atmosphere, dark production, and long, heavy riffs that create a painful yet rewarding listening experience. The reviewer considers it a lasting influence and a musical milestone in metal history.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Cathedral
Cathedral were an English doom-metal band founded by Lee Dorrian after his departure from Napalm Death. Their early releases are described as extremely slow, oppressive doom, later expanding toward seventies-rooted hard rock, psychedelia, prog touches, and stoner rock nuances. The band’s run is repeatedly framed as spanning roughly 1990 to 2013, ending with the final release “The Last Spire.”20 Reviews
Other reviews
By lexus
Forest of Equilibrium by Cathedral is THE DOOM ALBUM PAR EXCELLENCE.
A pachydermic anthem to the most visceral Sabbatism, combining unique albums like Masters of Reality and Paranoid, and death influences typical of early DEATH and CARCASS.
