Cathedral - The Last Spire
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the music of Cathedral. Sure, I love the bleak, warped atmosphere of 1991’s legendary debut Forest of Equilibrium. Who doesn’t? But I hated 1993’s major-label follow-up The Ethereal Mirror at first. I would warm up to the album years later, as my contempt for those slick, cheesy grooves seemed to recede right along with my hairline. 1995’s The Carnival Bizarre was an instantly addictive success. Still to this day, some of Lee Dorrian’s finest storytelling and Gaz Jennings’ best overall riffs. Comparatively speaking, their next two LPs —Supernatural Birth Machine (1996) and Caravan Beyond Redemption (1998)— were garbage. However, 2001’s Endtyme was a total triumph. In my opinion, the darkest and most depressive material of Cathedral’s career. Sadly, they’ve laid three more eggs since then, and now they’re calling it a day. That’s right, The Last Spire will reportedly be the last hoorah for these UK Doom pioneers. How will they go out on their swansong? The love boat? The hate tank? Ironically enough, it’s really a bit of a mixed bag. On the musical side of things, the band sound like they could go another 24 years. Jennings’ playing in particular is truly inspired as he waxes nostalgic on the Forest-like dirges of “Cathedral of the Damned” and “Tower of Silence.” Meanwhile, drummer Brian Dixon seems as though he’s found his rhythm section soulmate in new bassist Scott Carlson (Repulsion, ex-Death). Dorrian’s vocals are another story altogether. On the contrary, he sounds more than ready to throw in the towel. It’s not like the man has ever possessed the most gifted singing voice, but unique and clever go a long way with the right amount of dedication. On The Last Spire, his patterns simply refuse to sink in. Whether trudging lifelessly through the muck on “An Observation” and “This Body, Thy Tomb,” unleashing his inner tone-deaf drunken pirate on “Infestation of Grey Death,” or going batshit wacky all over the place on the career-encapsulating “Pallbearer,” his delivery is consistently hookless, robbing this final chapter of a much-needed anthem. (In other words, I just don’t feel the groove.) I have a ton of respect for the former Napalm Death frontman —not only as a vocalist but as a label head and all-around decent human being— but he definitely didn’t save his best for last. In summary, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for these guys. Looking back at their body of work, the good far outweighs the bad. I won’t recall any of their forgettable slop years from now. I’ll only remember how high the highs were. Unfortunately, The Last Spire isn’t one of them.
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