In Memoriam

When Cathedral singer Lee Dorrian first released In Memoriam on his Rise Above label in 1994, it was an EP containing four rare studio tracks from October 1990: "All Your Sins," "Ebony Tears," "Mourning of a New Day" and "March" (all of which had been recorded before Cathedral signed with Earache). Then, in 1999, In Memoriam became a full-length album when five live tracks from 1991 shows in Holland and Belgium were added. The concept was still the same; Dorrian was looking back on Cathedral's beginnings, and the addition of the live material (which includes performances of most of the abovementioned songs as well as "Neophytes for the Serpent Eve" and "Commiserating the Celebration") made In Memoriam all the more attractive to Cathedral's diehard fans. To be sure, this CD was assembled with the diehard fan in mind. Not for casual listeners, In Memoriam doesn't contain Cathedral's more essential work. But if you're seriously into the Black Sabbath-influenced doom metal band, it's an interesting collection that's worth picking up. ~ Alex Henderson|