The end is near for legendary British doom metal band, CATHEDRAL, who have announced plans to disband after their next studio album, which they plan to release in 2012. Vocalist Lee Dorian provided the following statement:

“It’s simply time for us to bow out. Twenty one years is a very long time and it’s almost a miracle that we managed to come this far!

“We’ve had a great time during CATHEDRAL’s existence and it has literally been our life. It’s just time to move on and leave our recorded legacy to linger.

“Our latest album The Guessing Game is exactly where we wanted to be after all this time. Staying in one place, being repetitive and predictable is something we wanted to avoid right from the off.

“We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to those special people who have supported CATHEDRAL over the years. It may sound like a cliché but it’s certainly true - we simply wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, thanks!”

Earlier this year, CATHEDRAL celebrated their 20th anniversary performing their entire debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, with the original lineup.

The band are scheduled to make several final live appearances 2011, including dates in Japan and at the Maryland Death Fest. More dates will follow including a farewell London show later in the year.