Review Summary: This album truly captures the essence of horror and decay found in the most foul and putrid of cemeteries.
Forest of Equilibrium marked the debut of Cathedral after Lee Dorrian left Napalm Death and decided to explore a radically different sonic direction.
Instead of grindcore extremity, Dorrian embraced the slow, oppressive weight of doom, drawing unmistakable inspiration from Black Sabbath and the darkest, heaviest sounds ever forged in Birmingham. The result is one of the most important doom metal albums of the early nineties!
The opening track, Picture of Beauty and Innocence, sets the tone with mystical flutes that carry a medieval aura before collapsing into painfully slow, dragging riffs that define both Cathedral’s identity and doom metal itself. Around the six minute mark, however, the tempo unexpectedly accelerates, adopting a more rock oriented feel reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s faster material. This section anticipates much of what would later become stoner metal. Even though the album is fundamentally doom, these passages reveal the early seeds of a movement that was just beginning to take shape. Cathedral would later explore that direction more explicitly, but its foundations are already present here.
Ebony Tears and Serpent Eve plunge the listener into suffocating darkness. Their extremely slow tempos, crushing guitars, and Dorrian’s cavernous, almost sepulchral vocals evoke imagery of decay and funeral processions. Few bands have captured the sensation of stagnation and impending death so convincingly. These tracks represent some of the purest expressions of doom metal ever recorded.
Soul Sacrifice breaks the spell with a faster, more rock driven approach. The downtuned guitars still echo Black Sabbath, but the increased momentum reveals clear stoner undercurrents. Bands such as Spiritual Beggars would later build upon this bridge between doom and stoner, and Soul Sacrifice stands as early evidence of Cathedral’s influence.
A Funeral Request is one of the album’s highlights. Beginning like a solemn funeral march, it gradually gains energy and evolves into a dynamic doom stoner hybrid filled with rhythmic shifts. Within the album’s oppressive framework, it feels almost playful by comparison.
The title track Equilibrium returns to suffocating slowness, constructing a genuinely terrifying atmosphere. Its eerie music box ending transitions seamlessly into the mysterious flute that introduces Reaching Happiness Touching Pain. These subtle folk tinges would remain part of Cathedral’s identity throughout their career.
Conclusion: Cathedral were fundamental in bringing doom metal into the 1990s, helping evolve the genre while simultaneously laying groundwork for stoner rock and stoner metal, styles they would explore more deeply on later records.
Forest of Equilibrium is not an album I would listen to every day. Its weight demands patience. Yet it stands as a seminal work, full of personality and conviction, and it launched the career of a band whose discography remains fascinating and influential.
Best tracks: A Funeral Request, Picture of Beauty and Innocence, Soul Sacrifice.
