Talking with . . . Cathedral
Interviewed 4/30/2006 by Brett VanPut
Interview with vocalist Lee Dorian
British doom metallers Cathedral were immediately one of the most acclaimed bands when they released their debut full length, Forest of Equilibrium, back in 1991. They went on to release a total of six full lengths and countless e.p.'s on Earache before leaving the label a few years ago. Their debut for Nuclear Blast, The Garden of Unearthly Delights, is upon us and it's another excellent Cathedral album with the doom and groove fans have come to expect. Here is frontman Lee Dorian for a chat.
Tell me about your tour.
It starts in Holland and goes through Scandanavia, Germany, and France. I don't look at the dates, I just go. It's harder to tour because I've been doing it for almost twenty years. I've got more responsibilities with the record label and I don't like leaving things behind. I always have a panic to get things done before I go out. I still like touring, especially a tour like this because these two bands are among my favorites.
What's it like touring with Grand Magus?
We haven't toured with them before. We played two shows with them, one in Sweden and one in London. They're on my label so we're mates. There's no division in the music we play, we're all buddies.
How are things with Nuclear Blast?
Good, the main thing after all these years is that we're in safe hands. It was a good compliment to be asked to join Nuclear Blast after splitting from Dreamcatcher. They're the biggest metal label in the world so it was very flattering. In many ways they gave us a new found encouragement. They're very professional and on the case.
Was it weird not being with Earache anymore?
Most people encounter ups and downs. I'm not gonna be one of these people who slag off Earache for the hell of it. At the end of the day we're not with them anymore and we're in a situation where we're most happy. To answer your question, it was weird not being on Earache when were free from the contract. That was all I had known. One of the main reasons we were with Earache was our contract. It's a long and boring story but when we signed with Earache Records in the early nineties we should've only signed for four albums but it ended up being eight or something. We did six and they had to let us go due to some technicality.
How are things with your label, Rise Above?
I won't pretend it's easy. It's a lot of hard work. I've never been able to live off of it and I work it like it's a full time job. The satisfaction I get from it is immense. We're in a situation where we can sign bands we like. I spend a lot of time thinking about the label and the creativity- the artwork, vibe, and aura. It's hard work but it's rewarding when an album like the new Witchcraft comes out. There's a lot of record labels that sign bands based on the merit that they'll sell records, but we've never been a label that lives by that law. We only sign bands that we like. It's rewarding knowing that we helped these bands create something. I don't like to sit here and talk about our integrity because that's up to the people to decide. I do what I feel I have to do. If after years of hard work and dedication then it's worth it more.
Was this the first time you worked with Warren Riker?
Yes, he's a great guy. We didn't know who to use, at one point we were talking about producing it ourselves. Not long before we were to enter the studio, Warren sent an email to Nuclear Blast to say he liked some of the bands on the label. It was a coincidence that we were looking for someone. We asked him if he'd like to do the new Cathedral album. He's very laid back. He encouraged all the ideas that might be considered unconventional. He embraced them and made them into something quite strong. He makes you feel like people are listening to you and that we're not clowns. We're taken seriously by him and it makes us feel better and enjoy it.
Are you still excited about creating music?
A lot of musicians in bands say it gets easier the longer you do it, but I see the opposite. The more you do it, the more you have to prove yourself. There is a cut off point to how far we can push our style. There's a boundary that we can't cross. We're a metal band. We're in that realm in the heavy metal where we have varied tastes ourselves which have come through on the records. The more you have to prove, the harder it becomes. Each record you have to consider as life or death. You have to consider the album before, you have consider the album five albums ago- where is this one gonna fit in the picture. Is it gonna be challenging? Will people still listen to it in five or ten years time? It's not something we do lightly. I had a lot of sleepless nights thinking about this albums. There's not much thought and effort that goes into some of the bands these days. There is a lot of generic commercial crap where they don't think about the artwork or the creativity. It's shameful to the bands that give a shit. I hate when labels make promises and they don't live up to. We don't have that money to spend fifty grand on a band and get them on tour. The best thing is to be honest with bands.
Any U.S. tour plans?
Not at the moment. I would guess we might come over this summer or maybe sooner. We have to see what the reaction is and if we get offered a good tour. The last time we were there was three years ago with Strapping Young Lad. It was a breeze for us, we weren't the main band on the bill. It was the first time we toured the States since 1996. Back in 1996 more people were going to shows, but in general things are the same. Fans for this kind of music is not trendy. That audience will always be there for this type of music. We used to tour the States a lot in the early nineties.
Do you still collect vinyl?
Another problem we have right now is the lack of vinyl stores. Ebay's just killed it. Talking about being on tour is every town we search out the record stores and spending hours seeing what you can find. That helps me immensely when we're on tour checking out stores for vinyl. In Germany and Sweden there's still some good record stores. The Japanese record dealers bought all those are U.K. records in the late eighties. If you collect stuff from the late sixties and early seventies it's hard to find. A lot of it is in Asia, it's hard to find.
Discography:
2005... The Garden Of Unearthly Delights (Nuclear Blast)
2002... The VIIth Coming (Spitfire)
2001... Endtyme (Earache)
1998... Caravan Beyond Redemption (Earache)
1996... Supernatural Birth Machine (Earache)
1995... The Carnival Bizarre (Earache)
1993... The Ethereal Mirror (Earache)
1991... Forest Of Equilibrium (Earache)
Current line-up:
Lee Dorian... vocals
Gary Jennings... guitars
Leo Smee... bass
Brian Dixon... drums
Cathedral Coven
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