In Memoriam

Calling the work created by Lee Dorrian and Gaz Jennings over the course of Cathedral’s long and incredible run a monumental feat makes sense in more ways than one. The band’s several full-length albums and EPs constitute a biosphere of wacky 70s-esque prog buzzing freely over the bleak terra firma of doom metal running to the horizon and beyond. Like a lot of folks, I find my fancy most tickled by “Forest of Equilibrium,” which stands irreplaceable among the Cathedral gallery as a depressive tableau of doom metal perfection, and is rightfully hailed as one of the sound’s cornerstone pieces. Before giving birth to what is Cathedral’s magnum opus, there was this four-song demo—the very first piece of Cathedral’s music, put out in 1991 with mournful hands and a love for the riff.

“In Memoriam” serves almost as a probing period of the doom metal style that is found both here and the perfection of its most celebrated endeavor. “In Memoriam” shows the “Forest of Equilibrium” aesthetic budding, though here it has yet to reach fruition. This is especially evident in “Mourning of a New Day,” the eight-minute bulldozer which starts the upheaval of doom. It carries the bloodline of “Forest of Equilibrium” down to the finest detail, moving slower than a sloth on a bender before jumping up a notch in tempo. The gap in quality between demo and album is clear; the track is decent, just not excellent. A Pentagram cover (“All Your Sins”) is thrown in afterwards, appearing more like Cathedral’s own child than the actual source to which it pays homage. It is heavy, gloomy, destructive; this is how cover songs should be executed. “All Your Sins” given the Cathedral treatment is a real gem.

The occasional oddball who calls Cathedral’s early stuff doom/death metal doesn’t look like such a pants-pissing loon hearing Lee almost growl the vocals. The form reflects much of his stint in Napalm Death, and it’s obvious that some of that death metal design, although later trimmed, has prominence here. “Ebony Tears,” arguably Cathedral’s apex anthem, appears here in all its dejected glory and outshines the other songs, but that isn’t too surprising. It is a tremendous example of Cathedral’s scope during these nascent days, and surely outshines the others. No surprise it would later make the jump to “Forest of Equilibrium” and serve as one of its prime moments.

The style is superb, but I still can’t shake the fact that “March” is kind of shitty in its own little way. Whereas “Mourning of a New Day” and “All Your Sins” come close to the level of quality found throughout “Forest of Equilibrium,” “March” just farts around for seven minutes without doing much. The song serves its purpose—shuffle bit by bit in what could be called an organized and rhythmic movement of feet—without doing much else, I’m afraid. Yeah, it’s slow and heavy, but the Cathedral magic is absent. Part of this stems from Lee never once croaking during its seven-minute trot, as it is an instrumental. “March” at least has the atmosphere of the demo nailed down, although its music just isn’t absorbing.

The bonus live set added to “In Memoriam” is stellar, as it was recorded in the band’s early days and features three-fourths of the demo played live (no room for “March”) along with “Commiserating the Celebration” and “Serpent’s Eve,” both of which would later appear in “Forest of Equilibrium,” of course. The death metal aesthetic is especially flourishing in Lee’s growling grunts, adding ample might to the lively yet gloomy performances and a sound quality which pours out in crispy bites. The quality and package that has become “In Memoriam” is superb; a zygote from which the seeds of a masterpiece had been fertilized. Cathedral, a wonderful group, were compelling even in its embryonic stages. I suppose coming back to the demo after Cathedral’s expiry makes a frightening amount of sense: life may still linger in aspects unseen through death and beyond.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

When doom stalwarts Cathedral threw in the towel back in 2013, they left behind a legacy of crunching tunes and hard rocking grooves. It had been 24 years since their formation, and their morbid tales originated with a self-published tape bearing the title In Memorium. This four-track demo featured the vocal talents of ex-Napalm Death frontman Lee Dorrian, as well as Acid Reign’s Gaz Jennings on guitars, both of whom would helm Cathedral until its final breath. In 1999 the debut was repackaged as In Memoriam, on Dorrian’s own Rise Above Records, adding five live cuts from the band’s early days. With Cathedral now a thing of the past, this 25th-anniversary reissue is fitting both in name and content, providing another gaze towards where it all began.

During the course of their career, Cathedral branched out from the doom metal label, into more stoner, progressive and gothic stylings. Fresh out of Napalm Death, however, Dorrian and the lads carried a more traditional death metal touch to their debut. With a crunching and rough sound comparable to US contemporaries Winter, In Memoriam laid the foundation for a band that were actively trying to break away from the death metal and crust scenes from which they had emerged. With the sub-genre of death-doom still in its infancy, Cathedral burst out from the vault with a handful of intense hymns of death and sorrow. Tracks such as “Mourning Of A New Day” and “Ebony Tears” chug steadily along, with Jennings’ guitars only occasionally rearing his now legendary leads, and Dorrian’s vocal performance mainly consists of tormented death growls. As a sign of things to come, the Pentagram’s classic “All Your Sins” receives the cover-treatment, slowing it down to a gloomy trudge. A far cry from what Cathedral would eventually become, In Memoriam remains a beast of old school doomy death metal, a sound that would endure into the classic Forest Of Equilibrium.

The added collection of live tracks constitute the bulk of In Memoriam, and features versions of the first three songs as well as a couple of cuts from the band’s second demo. Recorded at three shows in Holland and Belgium early in 1991, these songs exhibit the live prowess of Cathedral mrk. 1. The sound quality is more than adequate for almost 25 year old bootlegs, giving a glimpse of the good old days. In addition to these tracks, the retail version of In Memoriam includes a DVD featuring some early live material, but this was not included in the distributed promo. Needless to say, whatever the quality of the video material, this compilation stands perfectly fine on its own.

With a hefty running time of 72 minutes, In Memoriam gives hardcore fans significant bang for your bucks. More than a time-capsule or mere curiosity, these early demos are remarkably solid in their own right. A sometimes overlooked doom metal landmark, it’s a substantial testament to how Cathedral emerged from the womb clawing and screaming.


Written for The Metal Observer

Pain is the best way to describe the music contained within Cathedrals 'In Memoriam' album. This is one depressing thrill ride delivered to you at the speeds of slow and crawl! This is by far one of the best Doomdeath albums of all time.

The production is weak, but this only adds to the misery of the music. The guitars are tuned low (possibly to 'A') and hit the listener with a thick wall of sorrow and suffering. There are leads and a few solos, along with some "faster" parts. The atmosphere they create with their mixture of crunch and open chorded/noted dirge is astounding!

The bass does very little creatively and mostly follow the guitars. The drums are very good given the nature of the music. Fluid, interesting and spot on are the best ways to describe them.

The only real downside of this would be the song 'March' as its rather pointless. The live bonus material is also a fine addition to this reissue. One could say it shows the band in their prime. The recordings, while raw, are still pretty good given the time this was recorded.

The vocals are tortured and wretched. Lee's delivery only adds to the desperation of the overall sound that is captured here. This is seriously an intense listen and not for all. This album is the essence of hopelessness and despair.