Cathedral
Soul Sacrifice

THE REVIEW

1992 EP by Cathedral from Lee Dorrian. The band's first decisive shift after the agonizingly slow, mellifluous, thick Doom of Forest of Equilibrium. The listening experience is inaugurated by Soul Sacrifice which is re-recorded for this occasion, with a more substantial duration, a better auditory quality compared to the version present in the previous year's full-length debut. There is greater cohesion between the two guitars: Gary and Adam interweave their respective notes, creating in this way a more dynamic, less compressed sound. Lee's voice is clearer, declamatory; he recites his sermons trying to be more comprehensible. And the track grows in intensity, with continuous guitar phrasings, dynamic, stormy solos. Heavy-Doom at its highest levels. The EP continues with three other tracks, this time absolute novelties. The duration of the individual pieces offered keeps increasing; Autumn Twilight is an overflowing concentration of Hard-Rock, with that main riff of a very clear Sabbatian matrix; after all, Cathedral are considered the most accredited heirs of Black Sabbath. It is still the guitars that cause turmoil, dominating the scene completely; well supported by the muscular sound wall put into action by a dry drum and a stubborn bass. Frozen Rapture is a return to the leaden, obsessive past of the already mentioned beginnings. Lee sings with a slowness that instills terror, pronouncing the words, the syllables as if possessed by occult demons. A distant keyboard accompanies the other instruments as the minutes go by; weight, gravity. Minutes that never end...and that's what the band wants. We are already in sight of the last track: the eight minutes of Golden Blood (Flooding). But about all this, I will add nothing else; discover its ancient and unsettling beauty for yourself. They rely on Earache Records for dissemination; once again a work of top marks.

Ad Maiora.