Review Summary: Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain…
Line up:
Lee Dorrian - Vocals & Effects
Mike Smail - Drums
Adam Lehan – Electric & Acoustic Guitars
Mark Griffiths – Bass
Garry Jennings – Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Additional Musicians:
Reverend Wolski - Keyboards
Helen Acreman - Flute
We seek not life’s beauty but cherish its funeral aspects
In 1971, a pressing necessity forced Tony Iommi to abandon the ways of the old, as the increased tension on his fingers finally got the best of him. Iommi knew that he had to come up with a solution. He knew that he had to explore some alternative tuning methods. So, for the recordings of
Master of Reality, Iommi decided to downtune his guitar to reduce the string tension, thus making the guitar less painful for him to play. What Iommi didn’t know at the time was the aftermath. He couldn’t foresee that this simple necessity would unleash an army of ambitious riff-worshippers trying to take that “Sabbath Sound” to new extremes, trying to sound like Sabbath but more than…Sabbath themselves ! Of course, along with the resemblance of the sound, came the willingness of each generation to put an effort to be even more extreme than the previous one. Then, 1984 arrived. It was the year when the debut albums by Trouble and Saint Vitus were released. Those issues are now widely considered to be the first genuine Doom Metal records. Not just heavy-slow-downer Rock ‘n’ Roll with an apparent Sabbath influence, but Doom Metal all and out. But while these two bands praised dread, depression and bleakness like no one else, they did little to raise the genre to new heights. Sure, they made Doom Metal an official label, but they never escaped from the cynical point of view expressed by some critics who decried them as rip-offs. All those events took place before 1986. Because when that year came, Candlemass arrived. The originators of Epic Doom reintroduced the powerful power chords to an entire new generation of metalheads by adding operatic vocals, structural progressiveness and massive, epic riffing combined with beautiful, melodic lines. Candlemass was the breath of fresh air the genre needed. The Swedes had set very high standards and their competitors had to try a lot if they wanted to outclass
Epicus. With that album, the first step of progress had already been made and history was waiting to be re-written.
In 1991, the musical baton of Doom would return to the Midlands. The place where the genre was first spawned by Sabbath, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean on its way to America and then it went to Sweden to get a smooth finish before finally returning to its birthplace where a new band, Cathedral, was waiting to give it new twists and turns. Cathedral’s members literally worshiped the aforementioned bands but fortunately, decided not to proceed with a copy-paste philosophy. Yes, their background was pretty obvious and quite frankly, choosing to wear their influences on their sleeves was something that didn't intimidate these guys. But, they also choose to incorporate their own personalities into the music and delve at unreachable depths, deeper than any of their contemporaries had gone at that point.
When I first heard of Cathedral I used the internet as my main source of information and learned all I wanted to know about their sound. But after a couple of listens I was reminded of the truth about the net: As much as this tool can provide you with a hell of a lot of useful information, so it can also fill you with nothing but misinformation or worse. I remember reading that Cathedral sounds like Candlemass!!! It reminded me of the same unthinkable comparisons I had read a while ago between Candlemass and Black Sabbath. Now let me tell you that Cathedral sounds NOTHING like Candlemass or Trouble, or Vitus whatsoever. The only two things that Cathedral may have in common with the Swedes are their lyrics (a correlation reflected only in their debut) and the philosophy concerning the songwriting. The lyrical content of both albums is written in such a profound and delicate way, the only words I can use to describe the work, is poetic or even romantic if I may say so. As for the resemblances in the songwriting, both bands compose long songs in duration but trying to keep things interesting by adding different dynamics. They also avoid writing a song around one main riff and they build upon that reintroduction by utilizing different rhythms. In short, both Candlemass and Cathedral have a talent at gradual progression.
Now let’s proceed with the description of the album’s sound. Before I begin let me share with you a little secret: No review can describe 100% the sound of this album. To find out, you have to listen and experience it for yourself.
Forest is one of those rare albums for which you won’t find a completely accurate description. You can use adjectives and metaphors, but sometimes simple words are not enough to describe human suffering. And, rest assured, this album contains a lot of pain. Lee Dorian has admitted that the reason the band altered their style in the future was because they never felt again the same way. I don’t know what exactly happened in their lives during that time, but it is obvious that the birth of this masterpiece came because it was recorded under certain conditions and circumstances. The members almost weighted all the *** they went through upon themselves so they could make the album as much convincing and passionate as possible. And they succeeded. Twenty three years latter no one has managed to record something similar.
So, with the danger of being irreparably exposed, I will try to give you an accurate description of this album’s sound. Now, what
Forest sounds like? Let’s try to use the power of our imagination and let the images speak instead of words. Think of this album as a ride offering you a bleak, damnable journey to the depths of a painfully nihilistic abyss. As you descent you get a final glimpse of the fading sunlight. You embrace the oblivion. You realize that there is no life in the void. It is a place where darkness and nothingness reign. Then, out of the silence, you hear a voice preaching some words:
Lost in the battlefield of opposite extremes
I ponder on the embankment that stands in between
The monochrome and color entirety I see
The beauty and chaos of fate and destiny
Along with the words, you begin to feel the force of gravity. Your body begins to crumble under the weight and slowly, your spirit departs, leaving you to your impending doom. Yes,
Forest offers this kind of experience. The casual auditor would use the word “heavy” to describe what he is listening to but the album transcends in every possible way the thick walls of distortion and goes far beyond that. Thus, using simple words like” heavy” doesn’t really reveal what this album is all about and it’s a narrow-minded way of describing its content.
You really have to pay attention to the details. Because it’s thanks to those details that this album has such a special flavor. For example, look up for the soloing duel on the first track, a moment that gives the song a 70’s Heavy Metal vibe. Check out the intro of
Serpents Eve, the way it builds up before the vocals kick in. Pay close attention to the way Cathedral utilize their instruments and combine the guitars with the keyboards to create a haunting, desperate phrase. Allow yourself to sink within the musical vortex of
Soul Sacrifice, the only track in this catalog that raises the tempo up a little bit. Make amends and feel the catharsis with the following
Funeral Request a hulking, Sabbathian juggernaut which is the embodiment of Doom Metal and the most appropriate tribute I have ever heard for the fathers of the genre. Listen to that guitar tone. It is so thick and so vivid you can actually taste the hatred. Check out the outro of
Equilibrium. The careful approach taken by Jennings as he plays a very simple, but effective, guitar line that somehow evolves into an almost human-like howling wail, absorbed by distortion and slowly fading away. Just like the character on the artwork that will be soon consumed by the forest, no matter how fast he runs trying to escape. But as the main theme of the album suggests, it is pointless. He can’t escape his fate. With that song, Cathedral offered one of those rare moments in life when time stops and you feel goosebumps coming up your spine.
Lee Dorrian had an extreme metal background with Grindcore fathers Napalm Death. During his first years with Cathedral he almost adopted the same brutal vocals but quickly moved on and changed his style. Along with the early material presented in the first two demos,
Forest is a document that futures Dorrian’s last moment as a death growler. Dorrian tries to walk the thin line between clean singing and growling with the result being very unique and quite beneficial for the music because it’s so fitting with the whole atmosphere and the negativity. Frequent listening is definitely required since most listeners will encounter a difficulty with the vocals. It will take some time to get acquainted with Dorrian’s mournful, moaning growls. At the end, you will either love or continue to dislike and even hate his grunts. That being said, the vocals are most certainly of an acquired taste.
One reason citing Cathedral as a different band is that they had a tendency to experiment. In a genre that (hypothetically) only requires two or three Sabbath-esque riffs, slow rhythms and a gloomy mood, Cathedral introduced the use of multiple instruments and a vast collection of ideas, riffs and influences from different genres, all in an entire album. It is well known that the members, especially Dorrian, were keen admirers of the 70's Progressive Rock movement. That admiration is clearly reflected within the band’s stylistic approach. Take the first track of this album as an example. It begins with an acoustic guitar intro that can almost be perceived as a harp. The second accompanying instrument is a flute. Now, it can be alleged that when you are an old school Doom Metal band and you begin your first song of your first record with a flute you know you've got a progressive side waiting to be unfolded. The introductory arrangement, titled very accurately
A Picture of Beauty and Innocence, is a sweet seduction for the ears, beckoning the listener to enter the veiled realm of this dark forest. It is a glimmer of hope and the only joyful moment of this record.
Another aspect of their unique musicianship is that Cathedral had a knack for writing progressive songs. The Englishmen excelled in that area because they had the knowledge to understand what improvement a song needs and if it was appropriate to add even more color by using an additional instrument. They also knew their special effects. And in this record they used reverb. Tones of it. The reason behind this decision was the guitar tuning; For a sixth string, Cathedral used a LOW guitar tuning (A#) and by doing so, they got a very sludgy sound. But, with the reverb overloaded, the sound transformed into something quite ethereal and spacey. The aim was to add atmosphere into an already atmospheric album.
As with every other record out there,
Forest has its flaws too. The most noticeable one is the awful production. Some may suggest that the ultra-murky sound quality enhances the experience and the atmosphere, making the album as suffocating as possible. And from that point of view, it’s true. If you’re expecting to experience oppressing, slow, gloomy music, you will be satisfied. The album is stifling and quite unique since it’s very different from any of the group’s other releases. But, all of these accolades however true they are cannot overshadow certain facts.
So, fact no.1, the production ruins the drums; by making the drums sound completely remote and feeble, the album loses in power. Fact no.2, the production doesn't let the lead guitars enough room to breathe; the melody of the solos doesn't get the required emphasis thus becoming hazy. Fact no.3, the bass, which unfortunately is also pushed back into the mix; it doesn't make its presence felt. Fact no.4, which is arguably the biggest issue of them all; the whole album has no volume. To enjoy it you have to turn your speakers to the maximum in order to get a satisfying result and it’s the only way to feel the heaviness of the music.
The second major issue of this record is that many songs suffer from inconsistencies in the songwriting and may well hypnotize or induce sleep to some listeners. It is undeniable that Cathedral mellowed with their next releases and succeeded their first studio effort with maturity and consistency.
On a final note, some lines must be dedicated to Dave Patchett, the man whose paintings decorated almost every Cathedral album. The paintings can be described as a mixture of disturbing medieval imagery with curious sci-fi settings. These covers are fantastic because they epitomize the mysterious, otherworldly quality of the band. It is hard to think anything that could be better complement to the soundscapes that Cathedral creates. This painting in particular, is incredible because it displays antithesis. Light and darkness collide in order to create an image, displaying creatures illuminated by twilight that coexist with entities covered by an eternal shade. Just as the music which is gloomy and blue but, somehow, can also be uplifting.
Cathedral was a unique band not only because they emphasized atmosphere but also because they reminded us that music is all about emotions. Similarly,
Forest of Equilibrium is a unique album because it sends out a sole morbid message: “There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no hope, no future. Every relationship is destined to fail”. After releasing
Forest, Heavy Metal changed forever. Cathedral suffered the same fate. They were never again the same band. They got improved as musicians but they never matched the aesthetics of this record.
Forest of Equilibrium is an album that displays an undeniable aura of dark gloom which later albums can only hope to imitate with the cheerfulness and the clean-shaped sound they display.
So listen to this album, it can be life changing. It is strong enough to turn a beautiful Sunday afternoon into the saddest day of your miserable life. Metalheads who wish to delve to the vast underworld of the antiquated art form called doom are required to give this a listen. Through its minimalism they will reach happiness. Through its undeniable nihilism, they will touch the pain of its conception.
Recommended tracks:
Serpent Eve
A Funeral Request
Equilibrium
Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain
