British doom legends CATHEDRAL will release their final studio album, “The Last Spire”, on April 30 via Rise Above Records. Recorded at Orgone Studios in London, produced by Lee Dorrian and Garry Jennings with assistance, mixing by Jamie Gomez Arellano, and art by Dave Patchettand Arik Roper, “The Last Spire” will stand as the band’s final effort.
CATHEDRAL recently filmed its final music video, “Tower Of Silence”, which was inspired by classic cult British film institutions such as“Amicus” and “Hammer House of Horror”. The clip was shot on location during the British Winter of 2012 at Gunnersbury Park Tower, London. It features a guest appearance from PURSON‘s Rosalie Cunningham, who places a symbolic black orchid on the tombstone of each member in the clips closing scenes.
Directed by U.K.-based Paraffin City Productions, the “Tower Of Silence” clip can be viewed below.
“The Last Spire” track listing:
01. Entrance To Hell
02. Pallbearer
03. Cathedral Of The Damned
04. Tower Of Silence
05. Infestation Of Grey Death
06. An Observation
07. The Last Laugh
08. This Body, Thy Tomb
And lo, Lee Dorrian, mouthpiece of CATHEDRAL for 23 years, doth solemnly intone the death rites of this mighty British metal titan. Born in the dying days of Thatcher‘s Britain, bonding over then-unfashionable, obscure names like SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, TROUBLE and DREAM DEATH, CATHEDRAL‘s sole ambition was to record a demo tape. In fact they revolutionized doom metal, first pushing their influences into new avenues of grinding extremity, then pioneering groovier forms of ’70s-indebted stoner doom.
Lee Dorrian says: “When the last mix was finally done, there was a massive sense of relief. I think this was partly due to the fact that it meant CATHEDRAL could finally be put to rest but also because we felt we’d done something that we were all very pleased with. I feel comfortable leaving ‘The Last Spire’ as our legacy.” Dorrian continues, “The funeral of CATHEDRAL has been a long but gratifying process. Deciding to end the band wasn’t an easy decision to make but we knew deep down in our hearts that it was the right thing to do.”
“The Last Spire” was recorded by:
Lead Vocals – Lee Dorrian
Guitars – Garry Jennings
Bass – Scott Carlson
Drums – Brian Dixon
Hammond, Mellotron, Moog & Synths – David Moore
Guest Vocals on ‘Cathedral Of The Damned’ – Chris Reifert
Backing Vocals – Rosalie Cunningham
CATHEDRAL recently released its first new recorded material in three years exclusively via Decibel magazine’s subscriber-only Decibel Flexi Series. The song, “Vengeance Of The Blind Dead”, can be heard in the flexi included in the February 2013 issue. The track is also streaming onDecibel‘s SoundCloud page. Limited quantities of the issue with the flexi can be ordered on DecibelMagazine.com.