Sometimes all we ask for in life is a little more consistency. With the arrival of each new CATHEDRAL album, our hope is restored in knowing that some things in life are pretty much guaranteed. The band’s eighth masterwork, The Garden of Unearthly Delights, is another romp through prime doom metal powered by the spirit of SABBATH. The tone of the album just has a meaner, heavier, and invigorating feel than its predecessor. CATHEDRAL sound like a band that with the vitality and hunger of wide-eyed teenagers but with the execution of seasoned veterans. Opener, “Tree of Life & Death,” sets the foundation with giant, ugly riffs that come bludgeoning forth with plenty of energy. “North Berwick Witch Trials” revisits their motif of witch hunting and could’ve easily come from The Carnival Bizarre writing sessions. The sweet rocker, “Corpsecycle,” rivals anything on SABBATH’s Volume Four or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The charging “Oro the Manslayer” features an awesome jam session where they just decide to go off! However, everything comes down to the 27-minute monster, “The Garden.” Needless to say, it’s a mini-album onto itself that showcases everything that makes CATHEDRAL great. The bottom line is the day they release a bad album is the day reality crumbles for us all. What further convincing do you need? (Nuclear Blast Records)