Cathedral - The Ethereal Mirror (1993)^{Release ID: 4933}

English doom merchants Cathedral absolutely blew me away with their 1991 debut album "Forest of Equilibrium". I'd picked it up on cassette shortly after release after reading the guys from Napalm Death raving about it in a tour interview & could immediately see the attraction to what was one of the doomiest records I've encountered before or since. That triumph would then see me seeking out a copy of Cathedral's amazing 1990 "In Memorium" demo tape, a release that I'd connect with on just as deep a level. But that affection started to drift just a touch with 1992's "Soul Sacrifice" E.P. which saw Cathedral moving towards a groovier stoner metal sound & left me wondering whether my unquenchable thirst for the Coventry doomsters would end up being fairly fleeting, dissipating as quickly as it had ignited. "Soul Sacrifice" certainly had its moments (particularly the epic doom monster that is "Frozen Rapture") & I do have some time for it but I would hardly say that it's essential listening with the groovier material dominating proceedings. This blip on the radar wouldn't stop me purchasing a CD copy of Cathedral's 1993 sophomore album "The Ethereal Mirror" as soon as it hits the stores though & I'd race home to see whether it would alleviate any concerns I may have harbored following my mixed reaction to "Soul Sacrifice".

"The Ethereal Mirror" certainly looked & sounded the goods. The psychedelic imagery that adorns the cover is very much in line with that of "Forest of Equilibrium" & makes for an accurate depiction of what you can expect from the music conatined within. The production job would be handled by 38 year old David Bianco who had engineered releases from bands like Danzig, Wolfsbane & Trouble in the past (the latter being a major source of inspiration for Cathedral) & the recording would take place at Manor Studios in Oxfordshire which was a new venue for Cathedral. The resulting album would possess a newly invigorated shine that was not present on "Forest of Equilibrium" which sported its own unique character with an unusually bass-heavy, retro aesthetic. "The Ethereal Mirror" would sound much brighter & would make use of a much greater frequency range. That's not to say that I rated the brand new Cathedral sound more highly than the old one because that wasn't the case but there's no doubt that it made for a more accessible listening experience.

The album kicks off with a belter of a psychedelic doom metal intro piece in "Violet Vortex" which is real favourite of mine & saw my hopes of a revitalized Cathedral starting to swell but things take a drastic dive for the worse immediately after that when the record veers sharply intro stoner territory with the popular "Ride", a song that I've always struggled with. The clean vocals of former Napalm Death front man Lee Dorrian were never the most accomplished but his pitch issues had somewhat of a charm that was built around his ability to portray sheer misery & woe but here we see him summoning up a much less miserable atmosphere as the ring-leader charged with getting the listeners hips moving. He sounds positively silly at times & I struggle with him on the majority of the groovier material. The remainder of the A side is fairly hit & miss too with a trio of stoner metal numbers largely being held back by the God-awful "Midnight Mountain", even though I do quite like the doomier "Enter the Worms" & the deeply psychedelic "Fountain of Innocence". The B side is much more effective in my opinion with the vast majority of the stronger material being found there & the only dip in quality being the fairly flat acoustic folk outro piece "Imprisoned in Flesh". Things get progressively doomier following the solid stoner number "Grim Luxuria" with a couple of guitarist Gaz Jennings' (Death Penalty/Acid Reign/Lucifer) old numbers from his previous band Morbid Doom having been rehashed to great effect. "Jaded Entity" is an excellent example of what can be achieved by blending stoner & doom metal elements while the epic doom monster "Phantasmagoria" is the clear classic of the ten pieces on offer & goes a long way to justifying my purchase. The excellent "Ashes You Leave" which is positioned between those two tracks is probably my second favourite selection & rounds out a much stronger B side that is a lot heavier on the doom component.

As I mentioned, Dorrian's contribution can be a struggle at times. At best, he sounds intentionally whacky & unhinged. At his worst though, he simply comes across as ridiculous & can take away from the more serious moments so I can't help but feel that Cathedral were held back by his presence for much of their career. The instrumentation is often top notch though with the psychedelic component being executed with a clear pedigree in this style of music. The loss of bassist Mark Griffiths (Blackstar) doesn't seem to have left too big a hole with Jennings filling his spot with aplomb. I have to admit that I do find "The Ethereal Mirror" to be a frustrating release though because, even though I find myself to generally like the album when looking at it holistically, I can't help but feel disappointed because I know full well what Cathedral were capable of so I'm left with a fear that I'd never again feel the depths of despair that "Forest of Equilibrium" inevitably takes me to. There are certainly hints at that dark place on "The Ethereal Mirror" but they have a habit of almost taunting me, as if to show that they've still got it in them, only to snatch it away from me when I reach out to grab them. This sees the appeal in Cathedral's sophomore album being capped out at largely the same level as the "Soul Sacrifice" E.P. although I do enjoy "The Ethereal Mirror" a little more, mainly due to the greater doom metal component on offer.

Cathedral would proceed to further tarnish their early reputation with their next few releases & I'd eventually have to let go of my hopes of them returning to their "Forest of Equilibrium" sound. They would, however, produce another excellent doom record very late in their recording career in their 2013 swansong "The Last Spire" but it came a bit too late to reinspire my adulation to the same levels as I'd experienced in my youth. Still, "The Ethereal Mirror" seems to be Cathedral's most popular release these days so it would seem to be as much a matter of taste as anything else, although I admittedly know a few people that feel very similarly to myself so I'm hardly on my own in this position.

For fans of Electric Wizard, Trouble & Sleep.

Cathedral’s sophomore album is a slight transition from their purely Doomy debut. Never thought I would say this, but the Stoner tinge added here definitely improves the album. The riffs and energy here is awesome, and some tracks, namely the first half, are just great fun. Even so, they retain that Doomy delivery and aesthetic, with interesting lyricism that dances between abstract psychedelic madness and gloomy pessimism. The songs are much more energetic and eclectic, with the rhythm section especially picking up in interest factor.

On the other end of the spectrum, some of the tracks here are much more gloomy, passionate and serious than anything on the debut. A great example of this is “Jaded Eternity” which is pure Paradise Lost in style, monumental riffs and passionate chorus taking it as far as the band can go. The second half of the album in general sticks pretty close to true Doom, though retaining some of the newfound energy the band picked up.

This juxtaposition of energetic grooving and dark gloom work wonderfully on the album, at times kept separate and others intertwined. The vocals can be an acquired taste, but they definitely appeal to me, especially in the places where his roar is tinged with sorrow, a gruff bellow still wonderfully able to hold notes and melodies. Awesome album that offers a great mix of moods and styles.