Cathedral-The garden of unearthly delights re-issue

Metal Mind
2012

"The garden of unearthly delights" was eighth album from veteran doom mongers Cathedral and was released in 2006. The band had been around for over a decade and a half at the time when this album came out so their sound was well established. In their early days I really wanted to like Cathedral, but the first few albums were so slow and frequently dull. I think the band loved the idea of playing slow, but it took them a few years to really get a direction going. This album certainly had their tones, but they sure picked up the pace and even made their sound a bit nastier in places. Although there are some experimental bits in places as well as the usual sound effects and horror movie outtakes. There are some oddly paced pieces on certain songs, but most them just add to the mood. "The Garden" is around 27 minutes so it will get the label "epic" right away. It's a bit disjointed in spots, but it's no small task to make one song last almost half an hour and keep the listener's interest that whole time. Largely it's an intriguing song that has enough quirky blasts and interesting surprises tossed in. My favorite songs on this album include "Corpsecycle", "Upon Azrael's Wings", "North Berwick Witch Trials". This re-issue form Metal Mind includes a lyrics booklet and some brief notes about the band's history.