Cathedral officially found it's start in Coventry England in 1989 when Lee and Griff ,who were sitting drinking beer and discussing their love of old doom metal acts, decided to form their own band. During the same year Gaz Jennings had played/sang/produced the doom-thrash demo Sorrow's Epitaph under the moniker Morbid Doom. The fickle gods of fate brought the trio together later that year. Then entered Adam Lehan and because they couldn't find a bassist, Griff went to bass. A revolving door line-up of percussionists. (Andy Baker started with the original line-up on the drum kit, but left the band early on. Ben Mochrie was the drummer on their demo In Memorium only to be replaced by Mike Smail and then Mark Ramsay Wharton [on the albums...there were tour drummers as well]).When Cathedral first came onto the underground scene they were churning out the slowest and most pain filled dirges the world had heard. This in itself was a surprise considering that it's members Gaz Jennings and Adam Lehan (as well as Mark Ramsay)had both been a part of the comical thrash outfit Acid Reign and vocalist Lee Dorrian had just departed from grind-core kings Napalm Death. Their first release, In Memorium, was a self produced demo released through Lee's then beginning Rise Above Records label and it gained them underground world attention. The following year and one drummer less, Cathedral were picked up by Earache UK and released Forest of Equilibrium. As with their demo, Forest of Equilibrium was well received by the underground metal scene. It also attracted the attention of Columbia Records in the states. In 1992 Cathedral recorded an ep that first began to show the direction their music was headed in. That direction being the retro '70s or "stoner doom" if you will. Soul Sacrifice, their first with Columbia, paved the way for the monumental Ethereal Mirror
(which originally had the pre-release studio title Decadence, although I have a magazine where it was advertised as Journey into Jade). By this time Cathedral began to discover the woes of big recording labels. Also, just prior to this lp, Mark Griffiths, the original bassist for Cathedral, headed out on his own (but still on good terms with the band). With poor label backing and the unknown beginning of a long string of line-up changes to ensue (both on tour and in the studio), Cathedral forged ahead. Testing Columbia's promise of 'free creativity' Statik Majik was released in 1994 in the UK. This 40 minute ep featured the epic "Voyage of the Homeless Sapien". This track alone took up half the ep's time. It also featured a vast variety of musical instruments and objects, plus Lee's tripped out ad-lib in its closing with a flushing toilet no less! The Columbia label released the ep as Cosmic Requiem in the states. It featured different cover art and one alternate track to the UK equivalent ("A Funeral Request-Rebirth" instead of "Midnight Mountain"). Cathedral also fought tooth and nail when Columbia tried to omit "Voyage of the Homeless Sapien" in favor of "Fountain of Innocence" because "Voyage of..." wasn't the kind of song that could be easily marketed to the metal buying public (Columbia had released a cassette demo with the name Innocence Requiem without the bands knowledge). This ultimately was the breaking point and Columbia dropped cathedral and many other Earache acts. It was also in this time that Cathedral was touring with doom legends Trouble. Somewhere in the middle of this tour Trouble decided they couldn't go on as a group and vocalist Eric Wagner left the band. Trouble ended the tour and Cathedral, too poor to carry on themselves (and with little help from their label) were stranded in the USA. Also at this time Lee and Gaz found themselves alone, as the other members of the band quit (Adam Lehan for medical reasons). Returning to the UK to recharge, the two founding members decided Cathedral was too important to just give up. They continued with the Earache label after the disastrous Columbia incident (who screwed up a lot of bands besides Cathedral by the way).
In 1995 they held UK auditions for a bass player and drummer, as Earache couldn't afford the travel expense of the USA natives they had originally planned to hire, bassist Leo Smee and drummer Brian Dixon were welcomed to the coven. Within two weeks this now doom foursome released the gargantuan Carnival Bizarre. An album that merged the free rockin' 70s spirit with the doom they lived for. One of the tracks on this release, "Utopian Blaster", even features a bit of guitar work from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. Getting deeper into the seventies vibe Cathedral released another ep the following year. Titled Hopkins (The Witchfinder General), the ep featured one song (the title track) from their previous release. It also had a cover of "Fire", an old '60s Arthur Brown tune. The surprise which people should have come to expect from this innovative band, was the disco influenced "Purple Wonderland" and the funky blues rocker "Devil's Summit" (which featured a saxophone among other things). Returning to a more metal oriented sound later that year with the release of Supernatural Birth Machine, Cathedral set off for a long tour (which unfortunately didn't include the states). This lp release sparked criticism in that some felt it below Cathedral's usually well produced standards (the album was written and recorded rather quickly, even by the Cathedral's usually quick recording habits), while others praised it as one of the bands best. The American version further complicated things when Earache USA completely changed the albums packaging in an attempt to cash in on the so-called "stoner sound" (when will record label suits learn to leave the bands alone?!). The band knew nothing of Earache Record USA's decision to do this and in an interview, sent apologies to anyone "ripped off" by this "inferior package". With a seemingly steady line-up, coming off a major tour of the UK and Japan, and an ever growing fan base, the Cathedral machine came to a grinding halt. Lee had no choice but to wait for the label suits to decide what they would or wouldn't release next (contracts and shit), while the other members took side jobs. For three years almost nothing was heard from this now legendary band. Many feared this was the end. I even heard a rumor that Lee was broke and an alcoholic. but these were all unsubstantiated. Then in late 1998 it was announced that a new Cathedral lp would hit the streets early the following year. Caravan Beyond Redemption was that lp. Gathering all the various elements of the previous lp's and ep's and adding a twist of it's own, Caravan Beyond Redemption was the turning point to a heavier sound the band had lost on the last few lps, but still rooted in the retro 70's sound. It was then announced that the Cathedral home video Our God Has Landed, originally released in Japan would be re-released with all the bands prior promotional videos as a bonus. Further more, In Memorium was to re-surface as In Memoriam. Still on the original Rise Above label, the re-released demo was repackaged. Tacked on to the end of the essential ep was a five track live recording from 1991 (originally a bootleg called Echoes of Dirges From the Nave). Not satisfied with a mere re-release of their demo, Cathedral also have re-released the rarities Soul Sacrifice and Statik Majik ep's as a two-on-one cd deal in the USA. One ep has been long out of print and the other available only as an import to the USA (and were very welcome by the many fans who missed them the first time). Cathedral then return a couple of years later in 2001 with the release of Endtyme. It was Certainly their most heavy to date since the early '90s. The lp forged new ground in the ever evolving Cathedral. Also, in early 2001 Cathedral saw their first dvd release. That being the Our God Has Landed video package. Southern Lord records have also brought into existence a 7' ep with two rare tracks from the Endtyme sessions. The Gargoylian ep featured the Japanese only "Gargoylian" and the unreleased b/w "Earth in the Grip of A Skeletal Hand". The ep came on standard black wax and ultra cool blue wax.
Cathedral had a parting of ways with their longtime label Earache earlier in 2002, but were picked up by Dream Catcher records. They went into the studio in July 2002 to record their seventh album. Called "The VII Coming", the new lp saw yet another side to this multifaceted band. A heavy record like endtyme, but more melodic and less plodding. Leo Smee left the band following the lp's release. Cathedral went on tour without him. This tour brought the band to the USA after many years since the last tour to the states (This was the first time I got to see the band live myself). It was however to be the only release with Dream Catcher. Following this tour the band was once again lable-less.
Whomever said you can never go home again didn't know Cathedral. In 2004 Cathedral with Their old label mates Earache released The Serpent's Gold. This massive 2 cd set featured many of Cathedral's classic songs From In Memorium through to 2001's Endtyme. In addition, to sweeten the deal, the second disc includes unreleased demos, live tracks and other morsels for fans old and new. It was a triumph in retrospectives and an example of how a good one should be done.
in 2005 Cathedral sign with Nuclear Blast. Following the signing Nuclear Blast announced the release date of Cathedral's 8th studio lp Sowing the Seeds of Decay to be that summer. Its release was delayed and saw a title change, not to mention the return of bassist Leo Smee! The Garden of Unearthly Delights was the title decided upon of what is surely to be one of the bands highest musical points. The albums title track is a 27 minute journey through a surreal doom landscape. Featuring feminine vocals of Lo Polidoro and the violin skills of Puscal Roggen the Garden rivals the bands Voyage of.. in sheer magnitude. This track has also become the highlight of the bands European tour with Grand Magus, being performed in its entirity. The other tracks on The Garden of Uneartly Delights while not as long are equally impressive. The Record lable released a special digi version of Garden that is said to smell like apples when the disc is rubbed or gets warm in you cd player.The follow up to Garden of Unearthly Delights is expected for a late 2008 release. There is no official word if there will be a new lp this year however. Where will the cosmic horsemen of doom will take their sound from here?! We can only wonder and wait. Doom.
