Forest of Equilibrium
Forest of Equilibrium makes slowness uncomfortable. Cathedral are not playing relaxed music that happens to be heavy. The guitars drag, the drums seem to arrive from a distance, and Lee Dorrian's voice sits somewhere between singing and a low, painful moan. The atmosphere is dense enough to make a small change matter.
The opening acoustic guitar and flute briefly suggest something different. Once the distorted guitars enter, they swallow that lighter beginning. The contrast works: the softer sounds make the weight more pronounced and give the album a strange, almost unreal setting. Rough production contributes to the effect, although it does not always make the music easy to follow.
Ebony Tears is one of the tracks whose riffs also hold up as a song. Its slow movement has a recognisable melodic line, making it more than an extended exercise in heaviness. Soul Sacrifice provides a rare increase in speed. Its shorter form and direct approach give the album some air without turning into a cheerful interruption.
Equilibrium uses a clear lead melody above the heavy chords to change the tension. That small contrast gives the slow music a stronger sense of direction.
That is also the limitation. Several long passages sit close together in mood. Without patience for the sound and pace, the album can become exhausting rather than absorbing. Forest of Equilibrium is therefore no easy introduction to doom. It is, however, a convincing exploration of a particular mood: suffocating, distinctive and heavy enough to leave a strong impression with very little movement.
