Cathedral – The Guessing Game

• Country: United Kingdom
• Style: Doom metal / Progressive rock
• Label: Nuclear Blast
• Release date: 26 March 2010

A double album that would almost fit on one CD is an odd statement of intent, and the split is the first problem with The Guessing Game. Producer Warren Riker gives Cathedral a warm, round sound, with Mellotron drifting over the fat riffs, but the sequencing sags, and short interludes like “Immaculate Misconception” break the momentum rather than build it.

When it works, it really works. “Funeral Of Dreams” and “The Casket Chasers” marry seventies prog and folk to proper doom weight, and “Requiem For The Voiceless” is a slow, patient crusher. Trim twenty minutes and this would be essential. As it stands, Dave Patchett’s cover is easier to love than the whole running order.

Best tracks:

Funeral of Dreams
The Casket Chasers
Requiem for the Voiceless

Author’s rating: 7.2/10