The VIIth Coming is a huge sigh of relief! Anyone who heard CATHEDRAL’s last album, Endtyme, was probably left wondering why they bothered recording an album of long, slow, boring crap (especially having previously released their best and most ambitious album to date, Caravan Beyond Redemption). Whatever the reason, The VIIth Coming is a serious return to form capitalizing on CATHEDRAL’s strong points, heavy SABBATH-rock touting their own magical blend of vertigo-inducing melodies. But where VIIth differentiates itself from Caravan is that the overall sonic landscape is much darker. The VIIth Coming barrels forward with thunderous bowel-shaking riffs producing epic heavy metal in a not-so-song-like manner that Caravan exemplified. But never fear, their always-delightful hippie grooves are still intact despite their previous “soul searching” Endtyme. Even Lee Dorrian’s anti-melodic vocal plodding recalls the mysticism of The Carnival Bizzare. Let’s rejoice! (Spitfire Records)
