Cathedral--Our God Has Landed (DVD)
Earache 2001
For years, Cathedral have been one of the flagships of doom metal. As underground and unappreciated as that genre is, who would've thought Cathedral were even getting the opportunity to make videos right from their beginning? Thanks to this DVD, Our God Has Landed, all Cathedral's promo videos from Forest Of Equilibrium through the Caravan Beyond Redemption era have been collected in one place for viewing pleasure. Add this to concert footage featuring the five-piece Soul Sacrifice line-up and it makes for a must-own document.
As far as the promo videos go, the earliest ones, especially "Ebony Tears," go a long way in cultivating a doomy, heavy image for the band which suits the music. However, once they started doing theme videos, starting chronologically with "Midnight Mountain," an element of cheesiness crept in. It isn't negligible--more on the same level most metal bands of this era were at videowise. Actually, in the case of Cathedral, this further endures the band to the true fan in that they seem very self-aware of the cheese--it's obvious the band has a great sense of humor. The highlight of these videos is the knockout woman who dances with the band during the "Hopkins (Witchfinder General)" clip. How her inclusion didn't clinch the video heavy rotation on MTV is beyond reason.
On the other hand, the live show from London '92 is pure metal intimidation from top to bottom. The band is bathed in a sea of blue light and look absolutely monsterous as they plow through five classic slabs of doom. The dual guitar lineup of this Cathedral is crushing from the stage. The show is broken up with interview clips showing on of the best bands ever near the beginning of constructing their excellent legacy.
Some hardline doomers may be dissapointed to see Cathedral weren't forlorn every second of their lives but such reasoning is poseur-fied. For true Cathedral fans, Our God Has Landed is a blessing. Sometimes humorous, always crushingly heavy, this DVD is worth every penny spent on it.
Get more info on this DVD directly from EARACHE
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