Cathedral - The Ethereal Mirror / Statik Majik (1993/94, DualDisc 2009)

Limited expanded edition of Cathedral's breakthrough doom masterclass "The Ethereal Mirror" in Dual Disc format. "The Ethereal Mirror" was the second Cathedral album originally released in 1993, which spawned two hit MTV videos in "Midnight Mountain" and "Ride". This Limited edition also features a bonus disc with 3 additional songs from the long deleted "Statik Majik" EP with a total running time of 35 mins. DVD side features 40 min brand new documentary with key early band members including long standing core duo Lee Dorrian and Garry Jennings, plus an interview with famed cover artist Dave Patchett. This new limited edition features deluxe packaging and exclusive content - the dual disc comes housed in a multi panel digi-pak with amazing artwork and with free artwork poster.

Ethereal Mirror was almost as drastic a departure from Cathedrals slow and meloncholic doom drenched debut, "Forest Of Equilibrium", as was Lee Dorrain fronting Cathedral after playing in Napalm Death! This album ushered in the Cathedral we know and recognise today with their doomy sabbathesque riffs mixed with more groove laden rock!

The Ethereal Mirror is the second full-length album by British doom metal band Cathedral. Released in 1993, this album sees the band experiment a wider scale of sound than on their debut album Forest of Equilibrium. The songs are not as doom-laden and grinding as on the first album. Some of the songs contain the first hints of a musical change, which led to embracing stoner rock style on later records.
Statik Majik is a 1994 EP album recorded at Rhythm Studios and released by British doom metal band Cathedral under the Earache Records label. It was released on 12" vinyl and CD format in March 1994. The original 12" featured three tracks: "Hypnos 164", "Cosmic Funeral", and "The Voyage of the Homeless Sapien"…

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Cathedral - The Ethereal Mirror / Statik Majik (1993/94, DualDisc 2009)

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Cathedral's second full-length album, The Ethereal Mirror, finds the group experimenting a bit with new sounds on their path to discovering the patented sound they would polish on succeeding releases. Hints of their lumbering doom sound from Forest of Equilibrium characterize songs such as "Phantasmagoria", but for the most part Cathedral picks up the pace and instills a welcome sense of groove into their monolithic guitar riffs. Two songs from the album in particular stand out due to their up-beat tempos: the anthemic opener, "Ride", and the metal-disco of "Midnight Mountain". These two songs aren't up-tempo in the sense of death metal or grindcore, but they actually owe a lot to late '60s and early '70s hard rock anthems such as Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" and Black Sabbath's "Supernaut". Singer/lyricist Lee Dorrian's background as a member of the U.K.'s grindcore movement in the late '80s and the ultra-heavy guitar tones of the group elevates songs such as "Ride" above generic proto-heavy metal recycling. Dorrian's voice sounds unlike traditional rock vocalists as he tries his best to sing despite the grave darkness remaining from his past as a growling madman in Napalm Death. Furthermore, his lyrics feature more fairytale-inspired nightmarish qualities than Ozzy Osbourne ever came close to writing. But for as important as Dorrian is to Cathedral as their undeniable leader, the epic guitar riff-laden soundscapes of Garry Jennings and Adam Lehan drive these songs and set perfectly gloomy moods for Dorrian's black magic poetry.

~ Jason Birchmeier, all media guide

CD Side - The Ethereal Mirror
1993. Length: 54:32 min

01. Violet Vortex (Intro)
02. Ride
03. Enter The Worms
04. Midnight Mountain
05. Fountain Of Innocence
06. Grim Luxuria
07. Jaded Entity
08. Ashes You Leave
09. Phantasmagoria
10. Imprisoned In Flesh

Produced, Recorded & Mixed by David Bianco. Engineered by Shaun Defo
Recorded at The Manor Studios, Oxfordshire, UK. Remastered by Shawn Joseph at Optimum Mastering, March 2009.

• Lee Dorrian – vocals
• Garry Jennings – guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, bass guitar
• Adam Lehan – guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar
• Mark Ramsay Wharton - drums



Bonus CD - Statik Majik
1994. Length: 35:31 min

01. Hypnos 164
02. Cosmic Funeral
03. The Voyage Of The Homeless Sapien

Produced & Mixed by Garry Jennings, Lee Dorrian & Paul Johnson
Recorded at Rhythm Studios 16-23 August 1993. Mixed at Rhythm Studios 10-14 January 1994

• Lee Dorrian – vocals
• Garry Jennings – guitar
• Leo Smee - bass guitar
• Brian Dixon - drums



DVD Side - New Documentary
= Ethereal Reflections = ~ 49 minutes

01. Musical Progression
02. A Major Deal
03. Manor Studio
04. The Artwork
05. Tension Rising
06. Fashion Sense
07. Disco Doom
08. Exit Adam
09. Where Are You Now?
10. Reflections
11. Bonus: Ride (MV)
12. Bonus: Midnight Mountain (MV)

40 min brand new documentary with key original band members, filmed in Coventry in 2009, and also featuring interviews with infamous cover artist Dave Patchett. An in depth exploration of the formation of Cathedral, the recording of "The Ethereal Mirror" and the growth of the band from humble beginnings to a major label deal.





Originally Released: 1993/March 1994
Re-Release Date: July 7, 2009
Number of Discs: 2 (DualDisc + Bonus CD)
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Label: Earache Records (UK)
Catalog No.: MOSH-077CDD


See also:
The Ethereal Mirror (original japanese pressing)