Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium (Deluxe Edition)

Usually when a masterpiece like this is re-released its usually a cash in for the record company and offers nothing for the fans.This time its different as this one has a 40 minute documentary DVD and while its a basic one or two camera shoot,it is still essential viewing for any fan of Doom Metal or Cathedral.On the DVD the band talks about how the band formed,the reasons behind taking the Doom Metal approach and the this the first album.While this could have been longer with more footage,i know most Cathedral fans are getting sick of watching their bootleg concert DVD's which range from poor to average quality at best.It would have been great to get some decent quality versions of some of that stuff but what we have here is still essential,relevant and unreleased.The audio portion of the release includes the 'Soul Sacrifice" EP which in some ways is just as a important release than "Forest Of Equilibrium"All of the 4 songs on the EP are landmark Stoner Doom tunes and its pretty cool to have it on here as a bonus.Now the "Equilibrium" album is one of the most important albums in Doom ever and still is properly my favorite Doom album.I bought it when first released and still gets played on a regular basis,no other Doom album has stood the test of time quite like this one.Some people have complained over the years that Cathedral didn't continue on in the same snail-paced Doom Metal style but i honestly think changing styles was a good thing in the long run.Reason being is that album just can be repeated,recycled or cloned,it deserves to be a one off album.It stands on its own on the world of Doom Metal and will always be a touchstone for Doom fans and bands alike.Just from reading the titles like "Commiserating the Celebration", "Ebony Tears", "Funeral Request" or "Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain" you can understand that these guys aren't the happiest lot around. But I promise, your expectations for oppressively slow, heavy and gloomy music will be superseded by what you'll hear.The 58 minutes of this album delivers painfully sluggish and crushingly heavy riffs,the solos are sparse and chaotic and Lee Dorrian's vocals are a tortured, low, moaning growl that gives off a atmosphere of cold inevitable depression. No other album so thoroughly defines the genre of Doom Metal like this so if you haven't got it yet then this re-released with bonus DVD is a essential purchase.10/10