The legacy of Cathedral is a complicated one. On one hand, they largely influenced – and some say created – the doom/death style with debut Forest of Equilibrium. They also crafted a couple classics in the groovin’, stonerish doom style with both The Ethereal Mirror and The Carnival Bizarre. On the other hand, they have extended periods of their career that are ignored by many, with quality ranging from underrated (The VIIth Coming and Endtyme) to uninspired (Supernatural Birth Machine) to just plain unfortunate (the mess that was The Guessing Game). In fact, the only thing they’ve released since 1995 that even approaches their classic material was 2005’s The Garden of Unearthly Delights.
So when the band announced that their tenth long player, The Last Spire, would also be their finale, it was of little surprise that the general public reaction was one of “eh… okay.” Despite releasing some purely monstrous metal in their career, their fan base had grown apathetic at best, especially after the bloated, dancing minstrel bullshit of The Guessing Game. To cap off their legacy with less than a whimper, Cathedral had to deliver.
The Last Spire more than delivers, and it does so by being the heaviest album of their career.
And by heavy, I mean HEAVY. But do not be fooled into thinking that this is a throwback to the band’s debut. It may share similarities in the riff and tempo department, but it doesn’t have that same tone of “extremity.” Instead, this is traditional doom intent on applying the pressure of the deepest oceans. (By the time I’d finished taking notes on these tunes, I’d run out of ways to write the word “heavy” with special emphasis. It’s that. Fucking. Huge.) The material is largely stripped down, particularly in comparison to the two previous albums, and only occasionally adds touches of keyboards or prog. The production is colossal on all fronts, giving depth to every touch of the bass and each thud of the drums. Finally, there is zero (read: ZERO) sign of the band’s goofier side. You may or may not lament this, but here it is essential in order to maintain the vibe of pure doom.
But what makes The Last Spire heavier than discs like the debut or Endtyme isn’t necessarily the album’s mood or any one person’s performance, but in how it all comes together. For a band that even at their best could lose focus, The Last Spire feels honed in, as if Cathedral was on a mission and everyone had to be at top of their fucking game. They are. Gaz Jennings absolutely crushes on this album, offering simplicity where necessary and little flairs at opportune times. The former includes a heap of riffs that can only be described as “bottom feeding,” and the latter the likes of his tasty trills – both fast and slow – during “Pallbearer.” Bassist Scott Carlson offers up a surprising amount of variety, even improvising in the background with a beastly buzz of a tone, while Brian Dixon keeps the tempos interesting even when the music is at its slowest. Finally, Lee Dorrian has completely reined in his rock-star side. Granted, long time fans will always associate his voice with the HUGGY BEAR OH YEAHs of the past, but it’s hard to deny that the dude sounds pretty darn committed to the menace here.
If the heaviness of The Last Spire is what gets your attention, the casually clever and memorable songwriting is where the album earns its stripes. From the addictive, evilly groovy chorus in “Cathedral of the Damned” and similarly molasses-drenched “Tower of Silence,” to the complex structure and synth soloing in “An Observation,” there is as much distinctive material here as on any Cathedral album released in the last decade and a half. Fittingly, the album ends with its strongest track, the gargantuan “This Body, Thy Tomb.” Everything about the song – lyrics, flattening riffs, and overall tone – fits the model of a career finale. The track’s coda is even a mini jam of sorts, letting the guitars, organ, and bass give off the impression that Cathedral is riding off into the sunset, having achieved their mission.
All of this being said, Cathedral didn’t necessarily solidify their legacy with a classic – The Last Spire feels like merely the fourth or fifth best album in their catalog – but by crushing any notions that they were washed-up. This is a far-more-than-solid, occasionally brilliant, eternally listenable, fuckheavy album that really feels as if it will only grow with age, something no one was expecting from the band at this juncture. Regardless of whether or not it was expected, it should be welcomed with open arms by fans of any Cathedral era. With The Last Spire, we can now celebrate this legacy, however muddled it seemed at times. So to the band, I say “farewell,” and while their presence will be missed, they’ve left us a good goddamn amount of doom that will never fade. Let us wallow with them in eternity.
