|
|
|
|
Oh, sure, this was released in Europe in the fall of 2005, but it was revealed across the pond in the U.S. only at the end of January 2006. Nitpicking aside, the mighty and sometimes missing in action, long time scene veterans Cathedral are back, this time with their Nuclear Blast debut. Does it rock? Yes. It even rawks at times. I cannot claim to be a longtime fan of the band, but Lee Dorrian's crew is one that I always felt I should like, and one, too, that I've tried to get into mostly unsuccessfully in the past ("Ethereal Mirror" being the sole previous example of theirs in my collection). I can, however, say that this is a solid album that sounds like the Cathedral you know, though with a few surprises. Sure, Doom is here in spades and dynamics abound, but the band sometimes strays into the realm of Clutch or other decidedly less than Doom practitioners. It's damn near Stoner Rock at times, really. That notwithstanding, The Garden of Unearthly Delights has a lot to offer, including female vocals, acoustic passages (which together recall Folk Metal), and the massive title track that clocks in at 26:58 and could well have been some 4 or 5 songs itself. They've turned over a new leaf and so should you. Check 'em out if you haven't done so in years -- like I did, in fact. You might surprise yourself. Cathedral certainly will. I credit/blame Dave Grohl's Probot project for perhaps re-energizing Mr. Dorrian. Kudos, all around. In a word: epic. [There is a "bonus" 10th track that rings in after some 5 minutes of silence and it is essentially a brief 70s Rock influenced number.]
| Tracklist |
| 1. Dearth AD 2005 |
| 2. Tree Of Life & Death |
| 3. North Berwick Witch Trials |
| 4. Upon Azrael's Wings |
| 5. Corpsecycle |
| 6. Fields Of Zagara |
| 7. Oro The Manslayer |
| 8. Beneath A Funeral Sun |
| 9. The Garden |
| 10. Proga-Europa |
: 65.47
| Buy other Cathedral albums |
