The Ethereal Mirror (The Ethereal Mirror - Cathedral)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	The Ethereal Mirror - Cathedral
Date:	24/04/08 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Progressive touches hint at more interesting directions.

Disadvantages: Ineffective mainstream touches weaken the album as a whole.

As early as their second album, Cathedral start to display worrying signs of mainstream awareness, evidently seeking to sweeten their major record label deal with a couple of inappropriate cheery anthems that distract from the otherwise uncompromising seventies-style stoner doom. These offending songs, chief among them the frankly embarrassing 'Midnight Mountain' with its hand claps and upbeat drum rhythm, rob the album of much of its doom credibility as well as atmosphere, though even the more traditional material pales a little in comparison to the more consistent debut album.

Lee Dorrian's vocals are more adventurous now, which is a good sign, even if he still sounds like an ex-grindcore vocalist who's learning to sing. Adam Lehan's guitars are the strongest feature, mixing supremely heavy dirge riffs with lighter solos and really getting a chance to shine in the short and sweet instrumental intro 'Violet Vortex,' but as the album plods on, the songs become increasingly samey and less notable, the first half containing the best offerings such as the excellent progressive doom piece 'Fountain of Innocence.'

1. Violet Vortex
2. Ride
3. Enter the Worms
4. Midnight Mountain
5. Fountain of Innocence
6. Grim Luxuria
7. Jaded Entity
8. Ashes You Leave
9. Phantasmagoria
10. Imprisoned in Flesh

Summary: Cathedral's second album (1993).