Search - Cathedral :: Forest of Equilibrium

Their absolute best

M. Kinney | japan | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Cathedral's punishing and crushing debut effort and it's still, in my opinion, the best thing they've ever put out. I just bought this today used. I had it before, but had to pair down my CD collection when I moved to Japan a few years ago. So today was the first time I've heard it in about 3 years, but when I put it on, it sounded even better than I remember.



The only other Cathedral album that I've really liked since this one is ENDTYME. ETHEREAL MIRROR had its' moments, most of their other stuff was pretty mediocre, although I confess to not hearing anything after ENDTYME. I think one of the things I really like about this one is Lee Dorian's vocal style, which was doubled to great effect. Some of the most eerie, depressing and drunken doom vocals I've ever heard. Sadly, that eerieness was never captured quite as well on subsequent releases. Lee tried to sing after that, and well, he can't. Some of Lee's vocals on later Cathedral stuff is actually pretty embarrassing at times, sounds like he's trying too hard.



I would rate this one of my top ten Doom releases of all time. Too bad they never reached this high again. Go and grab a copy."

Soul Sacrifice

Patrick Stott | Rolleston, Canterbury, New Zealand | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Lee Dorian announced the formation of Cathedral, no one quite knew what the hell to expect. Dorian had been part of the first legendary line up of Napalm Death, so a Doom Metal band seemed like the polar opposite. Add to that a guitarist from one of the UK's leading Thrash bands of the time, and it seemed like a very odd proposition. Would this be the first ever high-speed Doom band?



The first few notes of "Comiserating The Celebration" showed what was in store. Cathedral was slow, heavy and well, doom-laden. The rhythm guitar came straight from the Tony Iommi school of riffs. Discordant guitar lines played counter to the rhythm, seemingly out of tune, but fitting perfectly. Dorian's psychotic screech was gone, replaced by a deep, soulful moan. Like a mammoth struggling for it's life in a prehistoric tar pit, the whole effect is one of sinking, a hopeless inescapable fate.



And basically, that was the tone for the entire album. The band explores the plummeting depths of despair repeatedly. There is not an element of cheer anywhere on the album. "Soul Sacrifice" picks up the pace a little, and apart from a final flourish, hardly raises the tempo beyond a slow march. "Equilibrium" also rumbles like a rolling shockwave of an earthquake across a continent.



Lee Dorian's vocals were something of a revelation. Until the release of this album, Doom vocalists basically emulated Ozzy Osbourne's high-pitched tenor. Some like Trouble's Eric Wagner favoured the tripped out, stoned Ozzy, while others like Candlemass' Messiah Marcolin went with full operatic pomposity. Paradise Lost predates `Forest Of Equilibrium', with Nich Holmes employing a similar vocal technique, but there was a large Death Metal component to Paradise Lost's sound. Cathedral was pure Doom. Dorian sounds like he's on the ultimate downer trip, all life and energy sapped from his body, his voice the croak of a man who has seen his own demise and has accepted it resignedly. The lyrics are tales of mysticism and natural majick, but Dorian would inspire dread no matter what the subject matter.



Guitarist Adam Lehan was also treading new ground. He'd formerly been a member of UK Apple Core nutters Acid Reign. It might have been tempting to play old Acid Reign riffs at half pace, but there is nothing here which even hints at Thrash. The odd ropey riff is excusable in Thrash, because playing at high speed mean it's gone again fairly quickly. However, playing at the leaden pace of Cathedral Lehan and fellow guitarist Gary Jennings had to deliberately place every note, or it would hang there rotting like a corpse in a gibbet.



`Forest Of Equilibrium' helped relaunch Doom Metal into the general Metal conscious. It attracted notice because of the band members' previous gigs, but kept the interest because of it's own musical merit. It was also Cathedral's only pure Doom release. From `The Ethereal Mirror' and beyond, a large Stoner Rock component was added to the sound. `Forest Of Equilibrium' stands alone as a dread monolith in Cathedral's career."

666 BILLION ''STAR's'' is not enough for this!!

INFESTER | Not Germany circa 1930's! | 10/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"FOREST OF EQUILBRIUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1991!!!!!!!!!BUT NO TIME..It's TIMELESS!!

EARACHE!!!!!!!!!!!!



Some of the most BEAUTIFUL artwork ever is on this album! AN ALBUM COVER THAT MATCHE's it's MUSIC..100%%%!!



If you played a MILLION copies of this all at once..THE EARTH WOULD EXPLODE!!!!! IT's LIKE TEN MILLION BOULDER'S..ALL FALLING ON YOUR HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEAVEEEEEEYYYYYY..CANT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THIS HELL!!!!!



This is one of the best DOOM album's..it's also near DOOM DEATH..it's just not as DEATH like as WINTER and disEMBOWELMENT!!!! CATHEDRAL's first EP..was more DOOM DEATH..but this is close!!



This is just one of the ALBUM's that I will always BLAST!!! A TOTAL MASTERPEICE..and also one of the very few album's that SCARE's me!!! the feeling on this is so ERIE that you get shiver's when this hit's the CREEPEY part's..the ENDING of this album come's to mind!!!!!



EVERY FUKKING SONG..IS A MASTERPEICE!!!!!! I BLEED FOR THIS ALBUM!!!! THIS OF COURSE INFLUENCED TON's just like CANDLEMASS,SABBATH,KING CRIMSON and WITCHFINDER GENERAL before them!!



I HAVE NO MORE WORD's..MAYBE THE BEST ALBUM EVER MADE..IN ANY FORM OF MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DOOM PERFECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



''ALL LOVE IS BROKEN SOMBRE IN DEVOTION, THE HEARSE OF SELFISHNESS HAS DROVE IT ALL AWAY''-REACHING HAPINESS, TOUCHING PAIN lyrcis by DORIAN!"