Monday 3 August 2015

Cathedral - 'In Memoriam' Reissue (Review)

By: Jack Taylor

Album Type: Demo (Remastered)
Date Released: 10/07/2015
Label: Rise Above Records


‘Mourning of a New Day’, is fairly typical of what one would expect from this band – the trudgy, monolithic Black Sabbath-inspired riffage,

‘In Memorium’ CD//DVD//LP track listing:

1). Mourning of a New Day
2). All Your Sins
3). Ebony Tears
4). March

Live Holland/Belgium 1991

4). Comiserating the Celebration
5). Ebony Tears Neophytes For Serpent Eve
6). All Your Sins
7). Mourning of a New Day

DVD Live in Groningen (NL) May 1st 1991

1). Comiserating the Celebration
2). Ebony Tears
3). Neophytes For Serpent Eve
4). All Your Sins
5). Mourning of a New Day


Cathedral were on this recording:

Lee Dorian | Vocals
Adam Lehan | Guitars
Mark Griffiths | Bass
Ben Mochrie | Drums
Gaz Jennings | Guitars



The Review:

The late, great Cathedral left us two years ago, but their very first imprint on the music scene has been re-released –  ‘In Memorium’.   Originally a four-song demo released in 1990, it has now been remastered and repackaged – with a bunch of rare live songs stuck on the end.

Like many underground metal acts that were given fantastic record deals at the start of the 90's, Cathedral started off wonderfully, suffered somewhat from late 90's blues, and then picked up again, before bowing out of the scene entirely. This first effort by the band offers no surprises to listeners in 2015, but back in the day, it served as a blueprint for the band's entire career.

The first song, ‘Mourning of a New Day’, is fairly typical of what one would expect from this band – the trudgy, monolithic Black Sabbath-inspired riffage, and the more up-tempo passages that are obviously a nod to the great American doom act, Trouble. ‘All Your Sins’ is another decent slab of doom, but all on this short release is eclipsed by their subsequent albums – particularly ‘Carnival Bizarre’ and ‘The Ethereal Mirror’. It's a great insight into the origins of the band – and the music isn't half bad either – but unless you are a hardcore fan of the band, it's probably worth passing over.

‘In Memoriam’ is available here

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