Cathedral - Endtyme
Holy fucking Hell on fire! The disc-opener, “Cathedral Flames,” is an unbelievably heavy throwback to the Forest of Equilibrium days that had me ready to change my entire rating scale so that I could give this album an 11. When the second track started, I knew this was still a classic, but my venerable rating scale was in no danger of rearrangement - although just barely. Lee seems to understand that a somewhat more restrained vocal style can be a big plus, and these songs see him going back in time to an approach similar to that used on the Soul Sacrifice EP. Some complete assholes will probably say that this album represents a “step back” for the band, but that’s pure insanity, and anyone who would say otherwise is an idiot. Endtyme is clearly the result of a look back over the years to see what worked the best for this band, and a synthesis of those styles and influences into a sometimes depressing, sometimes rocking, sometimes groovy, sometimes retro sound. Personally, I have always liked the Doom elements of Cathedral the best, and this is their heaviest since their flawless debut. It’s also a more individual sort of heaviness, and likewise for the “groovy” parts. The rather obvious Black Sabbath worship of the past is mostly gone, and their sound is more entirely their own. I understand that they have various styles that they like and want to include, and of course also fans of the different facets of their musical personality, but as far as I’m concerned, if all the songs had been as brutally heavy as the instrumental first track, or even the oppressive Doom slow-motion suicide of “Requiem for the Sun,” or the beyond-heavy bits of “Ultra Earth,” this would have been as easy 10. The less Doomy songs, such as “Whores to Oblivion,” are also improved from past releases, making this, I guess, the most complete and versatile Cathedral album yet.
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