Cathedral (band)

Cathedral
Cathedral performing live at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2009
Background information
Origin	Coventry, England
Genres	Doom metal heavy metal stoner metal progressive rock
Years active	1989–2013
Labels	Columbia/Sony Dream Catcher Earache Nuclear Blast Rise Above Southern Lord Ultimatum Spitfire Relativity
Associated acts	Napalm Death Acid Reign Firebird Pentagram Place of Skulls Chrome Hoof The Crunched Black Sabbath
Website	www.cathedralcoven.com
Past members	Lee Dorrian Garry Jennings Brian Dixon Scott Carlson Adam Lehan Mark Griffiths Ben Mochrie Mike Smail Mark Ramsey Wharton Leo Smee

Cathedral were a doom metal band from Coventry, England. The group gained attention upon release of its debut album, Forest of Equilibrium, which is considered a classic of the genre. However, the band's sound evolved quickly and began to adopt characteristics of 1970s metal and hard rock. After releasing ten full-length albums and touring extensively for over two decades, Cathedral broke up after the release of The Last Spire in 2013.

In 1989, Lee Dorrian left Napalm Death because he was reportedly tiring of the punk scene and did not like the death metal direction which Napalm Death was taking. Cathedral was formed after Lee Dorrian and Mark Griffiths (a Carcass roadie) met and discussed their love for doom bands like Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Pentagram, Trouble, and Witchfinder General. The band was founded in 1989 by Dorrian, Griffiths and Garry Jennings (formerly of thrash metal band Acid Reign). Dorrian was the only founding member to remain with Cathedral for its duration, although Jennings' departure ultimately proved to be temporary.

Cathedral released The Forest of Equilibrium through Earache and then signed with Columbia. Cathedral's experience on Columbia was described by Dorrian as "surreal". As Dorrian explained,

We weren’t deliberately trying to be pop stars or anything like that, so playing that game just felt very surreal. We weren't exactly comfortable with it. We were an underground band one minute and the next minute they were trying to present us as the next Black Crowes. Can you imagine recording Forest of Equilibrium and a major label wanted to sign you on the strength of that? It was fairly bizarre. I guess heavy music was reaching some kind of pinnacle back then. Death metal had reached its pinnacle back then – at least its creative pinnacle so maybe they saw us as being the next step after that.