As one of the pioneers of the doom scene right from its veritable emerge, CATHEDRAL - having common members with other British acts from the likes of NAPALM DEATH and CARCASS - are revisiting the best crop of their career through reissuing "In Memoriam", a compilation of tracks extracted for the most part from their debut album "Forest Of Equilibrium" which is considered a classic of the genre.

Still, when asking "Doomheads" what drew them into the realm of the low-key, be certain you won't receive two responses alike. The very same enigma will pop into your head as soon as tracks like "Mourning Of A New Day" and wonder what differs between a studio version and a recorded live take the way of the golden era classic rock bands. Bleak and ominous, this is what one can reap out of a set of chords, bare bass root notes and a basic drum groove that the low tempo actually spares the space that created depth instead of intensity, engendering a genuine sedative effect that makes it even more thrilling to swing from being immersed in pseudo-hypnosis to an abrupt speed up to a higher octave guitar transitions in a higher octave or killer arpeggios and promising solos - though short, exhibiting the hidden technical power of the band which instead would rather stick to its guns. On the other hand, "All Your Sins" is a better vocal parade for Lee Dorian with his signature voice - somewhere in between cleans and growls, more deadening than actual growls you guess - coupled with seemingly so old school harmonics overdubs. More filled with chords beats than other tracks, "All Your Sins" also boasts more enhanced hi-hats and crashes which fit doom like a glove, as well as mini guitar transitions here and there, rarely heard elsewhere mostly for not so doom fans as the guitar play of CATHEDRAL may be considered quite developed by the genre standards, which is further proved not only by the bends of "Ebony Tears" contributing to the dim atmosphere (the core of what doom is about) but also by its rich fourth bars making your thoughts fly to the blues yet soon retrieved to chromatics in a heavy cluster like a 70s riff-based track but with chords rather than arpeggios, something that makes soloing to such a backing rhythm the absolute pleasure for any guitar player - concreted best in the instrumental "March" with a continuous base covered with a guitar strolling as it pleases, all within the same chordal approach ornamented with vibratos, bends and harmonics resulting in a track - to my amazement - unaffected by the absence of vocals though how contributing they are.

In opposition, drums primarily take things to a whole new level in "Commiserating The Celebration" betting on intensity and tempo (with rides and bells this time) as the rhythmic crescendo on this compilation. Crudely processed, the lead guitar isn't presented en avant-plan on purpose as drums have taken the lead on this track. More melodic overdubs, more echoed fingering and consequently a guitar play which is definitely much more adroit than most of what you can hear from other doom bands overtly relying on solos yet but not incorporating technique along the basic chords throughout the track. But CATRHEDRAL achieved that sense of unity of the whole body in a way seemingly influenced by earlier Rock, till a point that at a second there's a BLACK SABBATH ghost roaming on your head and the right next second all unpredictably leans towards the thrash metal of those days. A definite ace track.

A doubtlessly winning card of the doom genre is that it's one of the best ones to duplicate live. And given the additive-free content of the early 90s, "In Memoriam" is barely different than the live takes recorded in studios for real studio albums with only necessary overdubs laid without needless preoccupation. That said, "In Memoriam" enjoys the advantage of offering the newer generations of fans a fair glimpse of what attending a CATHEDRAL concert would be like. Actually, the selected three live performances "Mourning Of A New Day", "All Your Sins", and "Ebony Tears" performed in a faster tempo - as a universal practice - are tuned up, with the live noise even enriching the menacing allure like echo instead of the punctuality on the studio version, making it even more pleasurable and clearer to hear semi-growls hitting on melodies. Just as much as the crashes on "All Your Sins" are a spectacular bang, the last instrumental part of "Mourning Of A New Day" was an awesome display of aptness, differently played from the original version and even outperforming it, telling enough about what the fans who were there actually experienced!

Although the reissued "In Memoriam" offers a better sound quality than its first 1999 issue as well as the original "Forest Of Equilibrium", it's still far from covering the entire catalogue of the band, but rather paying tribute to one sole album. Still, "In Memoriam" is best recommended for listeners with no prior knowledge of the band as a shortcut to the band at its best.<