26/9/05

CATHEDRAL / GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS

Dull, boring and immature, three of the most inappropriate synonyms to start off a review of a new Cathedral album. You can never call Cathedral dull, even when they do a straight Doom album (Endtyme) they are still interesting and they are not boring, you never know where the songs are going next or what they will come up with and don’t confuse there sense of fun or youthful like, fertile imagination for immaturity, they never take themselves too seriously or pay attention to rules, styles or formats.

So what about the music I hear you say, well ;it’s a mixture of all that has gone before and not as safe as VIth Coming, when I say there is absolutely everything on this album, there is another song about the terrible crimes that were committed against women in the name of religion in the form of "North Berwick Witch Trials", which re evokes the classic "Hopkins", track the genesis (that’s the book of, not the band) inspired track "The Tree Of Life And Death", that is Cathedral at their best and the out and out rocker "Corpsecycle" where they let rip in classic style. The track "Upon Azrael’s Wings" is pure class and breaks down in the middle into a slow, smooth Jazz groove before storming back into some great Metal. The 26 minute epic track "Garden" that finishes the album off is one hell of a ride and pulls in everything, from female singers and is a total trip just listening to it.

This is the best Cathedral album for a long while but like wine gums there is no such thing as a bad one, just some are preferred more than others and this one is a total stunner, a hell of a ride and lets face it, you don’t listen to a Cathedral album you experience it. BUY.

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 71 mins + 10 TRACKS