Ah, the great Cathedral returneth, for the VIIth tyme. "The 7th Coming" is indeed the band`s 7th studio album (though why they don`t count "Statik Majic/Cosmic Requiem" is beyond me), and while it is not quite as satisfying as last year`s brilliant "Endtyme," it sure does kick arse. The changes from that album are noticable. New label, slightly more upbeat (though nowhere near the comic book absurdity of records like "Supernatural Birth Machine"). Also a different producer--for some reason Billy Anderson, doom/sludge metal producer extradonaire, is absent this time around. It shows. While the production is still top notch, it doesn`t have that organic sweaty-monster sound that helped make "Endtyme" so heavy. Of course, I think Billy Anderson (who also helped make Mr. Bungle`s "California" the best album of the last 10 years) should produce everything, so maybe you won`t notice or care.
But I dwell on the negative. This album is awesome. The songs are actually catchy, and the band sets up a good balance between sludgy doom dirge and sick swing, something that has eluded them since "The Ethereal Mirror." Dorrian`s vocals continue to improve, and some of his melodies (and harmonies!!) are downright surprising. This is not the same guy who could barely rise above a grunt on "Forest of Equilibrium." The first song, "Phoenix Rising," is an awesome balance of heavy doom and tight melody. Other standout tracks in clude "The Empty Mirror," "Congregation of Sorcerers," and "Aphrodite`s Winter." Themes of an icy apocalypse pervade the album. Cool.
In their early days, Cathedral released "The Ethereal Mirror," which is in my opinion one of the most important albums in all of metal. They have since been in the unfortunate position of having every subsequent release held up against it, and albums that on their own would have been regarded as metal masterpieces have instead been found lacking by comparison to "Ethereal." These guys have impressed me throughout their career, even in their sillier moments, by the sheer force of their conviction. It has been a bonus, then, that on the last two albums the material has been equal to the ambition. Not only that, but they have finally chased down the spectre of their past success and I think can now move past it.
But I digress. This record rocks. Everyone should buy 1 for their self and one for someone else for Christmas, or Hanukah or Kwanzaa or whatever. That way, by Valentine`s Day we might just see Dorrian alongside Durst on TRL. Yeah, right. Well, its a nice thought.
...Doom on!
Release Date: 05 November, 2002, Spitfire