CATHEDRAL - FOREST OF EQUILIBRIUM(1991)
A bizarre, surreal nightmare. This band is really heavily praised by groups like Electric Wizard, and it's clear why: this album takes the fuzzed out dad rock doom of Saint Vitus to an altogether more massive, dark place. Sabbath on bad acid. Sabbath with schizophrenia.
Lee Dorian, previously of Napalm Death, has an odd vocal style. He kind of bellows. There's moments where he nears growls without actually breaking into them. Either way, I find it pretty convincing within the aesthetic of the album.
The riffs on this are good consistently, and I think the songs are fairly distinct on repeat listens. Ebony Tears is an absolute death hym with a massive, droning riff.
You're going to find some dad rock type guitar shredding on this thing, which is all pretty solid, and never goes into masturbation territory. They also have strong guitar melodies at times, such as on Serpent Eve, generally before going into a crushing riff. It's well integrated into the otherwise evil sounding recordings. Definitely an extreme metal vibe here without straying too far from rock and roll.
I think fans of Electric Wizard and Sleep have got to check this band out. I don't see them get as much praise but this is easily as classic as Dopethrone or Dopesmoker. It's just so huge and mysterious and druggy.
Utterly grotesque.