Cathedral - The Carnival Bizarre

Amazing album. The best i've heard from Cathedral so far. ''The Carnival Bizarre'' and ''Hopkins'' are the greatest songs to me.

Blue Light is very cool also, very ''carnivalesc'' song

Written by Uirapuru on 28.01.2010 at 20:17

Amazing album. The best i've heard from Cathedral so far. ''The Carnival Bizarre'' and ''Hopkins'' are the greatest songs to me.

Blue Light is very cool also, very ''carnivalesc'' song

it's probably my favorite record of theirs as well. i prefer the revved up stoner sabbath worship to the slowed down doom exhibited in some of their other albums.

it's also coherent and cohesive, a nice improvement from "The Ethereal Mirror" (which i also really dig) but not as zany and out there as some of the tracks on their singles.

i remember the riffs from the first couple tracks were just stuck in my head for a couple weeks. whenever i picked up my guitar and was bashing something out, after a few cycles of whatever riff i was fiddling with, i realized i had pretty much copped it straight from the album.

Good Stuff

This is a very good, even great album in places. although I've always preffered "The Ethereal Mirror" over it. And I definitely don't see it as the band's magnum opus in the way that many familiar with the band seem to do.

However, tracks like the groove-tastic single "Hopkins: Witchfinder General", and stoner doom classics like "Vampire Sun" and "Utopian Blaster" show the band at their most accessible, with irrepressibly catchy hooks and riffs, which are highly memorable. Elsewhere, the majestic and crushing doom flourishes of "Night Of The Seagulls" and the wonderfully whimsical "Blue Light" show different sides to the band, and wonderful they are too!

On The Ethereal Mirror songs was a bit better, but this one have a better studio production and drums skills than predecessor.

I haven't listened to the two albums beforehand, but I think this being my favorite might stand. We'll see...

This album completes the trilogy of classic albums from one of Doom Metal's most inspiring bands. Although I prefer "The ethereal mirror" musically, "The carnival bizarre" sees the band pursuing more groove-based structures and rhythms which have more of a stoner rock vibe than ever before. Though Doom Metal influences are still apparent-as on the zombie-like pace of 'Night of the seagulls'-the band here sound driven by faster-paced instrumentation and more simplistic, straight-to-the-point songs. Unfortunately after this album the band would sort of lose their magic and spirit, they regained on the more recent releases.

Awesoe album, not so good as previous, more rock as metal, but one song stands out , mainly because it was about real person. I like it somehow I cant judge this band again, last time many years ago I checked IMO this was last album what I liked, well I will soon try next ones, we will see, but still amazing album

First two albums are too slow and plodding for my liking. Fast, trippy Sabbath-worship Cathedral is best Cathedral.

My personal Top 3 songs from the album:

Electric Grave
The Carnival Bizarre
Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)