Endtyme - Cathedral

Advantages: Back to form
Disadvantages: It took them 4 albums !

If, like me, you thought the last 4 Cathedral studio albums ("The Ethereal Mirror" until "Caravan Beyond Redemption") were allright in principle, but just not as good as "Forest Of Equilibrium", then "Endtyme" should come as a very pleasant surprise. Having said that, it'll come as the sort of very pleasant surprise that jumps on your head and stays there. With the aid of Billy Anderson's excellent production, Dorrian and his troops of doom have ...
...the crushing doom of their seminal debut. Why they have seen fit to do this right now is probably something to do with the generally high quality of recent doom output, particularly from the likes of Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin and Goatsnake on Dorrian's own Rise Above label. But, cunning as they are, Cathedral have produced an album so good that any cynical thoughts residing in your skull will dissipate the moment "Melancholy Emperor" comes racing ... Read review

Advantages: Very interesting start to a great career
Disadvantages: Slow, depressing and very extreme

...Cathedral are one of the most underrated bands in metal history, and it’s time someone redressed the balance. Their new album, Endtyme, is being released on the 26th of February, and so I have decided to review their entire back catalogue before then. Cathedral began life way back in 1990 when vocalist Lee Dorrian left death metal legends Napalm Death behind him. Him new band, Cathedral, couldn’t have been more of a departure. Their first release was an EP called In Memoriam, and it was pretty groundbreaking stuff for its time. Cathedral played doom metal, in the vein of Saint Vitus, but much slower and heavier. This was certainly the heaviest music being released at the time. Since then, this EP has been re-released with four live tracks. This very early material is thoroughly unpolished, but has a strange charm all... Read review

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