Doomsters Cathedral took the doom-world by storm with their rejuvenated sound in '93. Although I was a big fan of the monstrous sludge-pit that was to be 'Forest Of Equilibrium', 'The Ethereal...' promised far greater mystery, Dorrian's lyrics a bizarre menagerie of psychedelia and '60s horror weirdness, the band take on Sabbath at their own game but add even more surreal grooves and unexpected twists, 'Midnight Mountain' is a hand-clapper far removed from the quagmire of the gloomy debut episode, 'Ride' clunks along as Dorrian bellows out a more clearer, throaty roar. The weight is still there though, there's just so much more going on. 'Fountain Of Innocence' bleeds you dry then takes us back to 1969 with it's watery, textured flounderings, the band somehow creating a new sound within a genre that for so long had relied on Sabbath influence. There is an almost sexiness to the sound, there's plenty of bluesy hip-shakings and Dorrian dares to throw in the occasional, "OOOoohhh", and you can just see the demonic minions from some Hammer Horror film shuffling along in the background as damsels in distress undress themselves and clap along amongst the swirling nightmarish images and leadweight riffs.
This is certainly Cathedral's world that only the mighty Trouble had previously occupied. However, although many have salivated over the band, I've almost become accustomed to the imagery and find myself still reaching for the Sabbath and Trouble albums.
7.5/10
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