Cathedral - Forest Of Equilibrium (1991)

Now this is slo-mo doom rock at its finest. Created by ex-Napalm Death frontman Lee Dorrian, Birmingham’s finest since Sabbath were certainly how (or low) on many influences, but this record set the standard for much of the early ‘90s gloomy rock ‘n’ roll bands, and this trudges all over the supposed leadweight teachings of Saint Vitus and the likes, Dorrian paying homage to his roots but opting for a more slightly psychedelic sludge which would eventually filter away on the bands later and certainly more groove-based recordings.
‘Forest…’ is quicksand, a deep grumbling record that will never stand alongside the work of Sabbath or Trouble, but instead carves its own murky niche, and never wrenching itself out of a pummelling standstill, but the record rocks, and it’s the authenticity of its origins that make it an essential purchase for any doom fan.
Don’t let anybody call this ‘stoner rock’, it’s more prehistoric and grey than anything else around, and never once does it really attempt to be anything else than a fetid cesspit of entangled soil. ‘Ebony Tears’ drowns the listener in Dorrian’s yawns, and ‘Serpent Eve’ conjures images of some twilight jaunt.
All in all, ‘Forest…’, in all its lumbering glory, and very impressive artwork, remains a cult classic.

8/10