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Supernatural Birth Machine

 
Album Review: Supernatural Birth Machine

  • Artist: Cathedral
  • Rating: StarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: October 08, 1996
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Having ridden out the initial explosion of grindcore to the point where stoner rock became its own revived genre, due credit for longevity has to go to Dorrian and his compatriots, not least because Dorrian helped out said genre with his Rise Above label and such signings as Sleep. As for his own band, on Supernatural, Dorrian leads everyone through more semi-tributes to the Black Sabbath sound; Dorrian's own ghost-of-Ozzy vocals often get as close to outright mimicry as possible, though generally he avoids straining for the high notes when possible. Drummer Dixon and bassist Smee do their business with relatively little fuss; if nothing else, having better production standards than the original Sabbath did allows their work to always bust forth pretty well. Jennings, meanwhile, is as monstrous and crunching as always, while wise enough to let in lighter moments from time to time, as with the mid-song break on "Stained Glass Horizon." If the subject matter and delivery is a little more self-conscious than, say, that of the Melvins, Cathedral at least has the courage of its convictions, right down to the neo-prog inner sleeve art (dragon heads, historical figures, demons, and angels in a Bosch-style landscape, and so forth). Highlights: Well, if one likes Sabbath, liking the whole album (or alternately dismissing it out of hand for the real thing) will pretty much be the end result. Though a few stand out even more, such as "Cyclops Revolution," with appropriately distorted monster-doom vocals at points, and the appropriately spooked-out vibes of "Nightmare Castle." One thing's for sure: if one wants classically pulpy SF/horror/fantasy scenarios for lyrics combined with brain-melting sludge, this is the place. Thus, song titles like "Urko's Conquest," "Birth Machine 2000," and the "can it be any more appropriate" metacrunch of "Suicide Asteroid." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Cybertron 71/Internal Countdown (Intro) Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (1:18)
Urko's Conquest Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (4:02)
Stained Glass Horizon Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (5:29)
Cyclops Revolution Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (7:07)
Birth Machine 2000 Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings, Leo Smee Cathedral (8:59)
Nightmare Castle Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (6:31)
Fireball Demon Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (4:12)
Phaser Quest Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings, Leo Smee Cathedral (3:42)
Suicide Asteroid Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (4:13)
Dragon Rider 13 Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (5:52)
Magnetic Hole Lee Dorrian, Garry Jennings Cathedral (6:32)

Credits

Garry Jennings (Mellotron), Kit Woolven (Percussion), David Patchett (Paintings), Lee Dorrian (Vocals), Leo Smee (Bass), Doug Cook (Assistant Engineer), Antz White (Art Direction), George Chin (Photography), Antz White (Design), Garry Jennings (Guitar), Brian Dixon (Drums), Noel Summerville (Mastering), Garry Jennings (Piano), Kit Woolven (Engineer), Kit Woolven (Producer)
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Wikipedia: Supernatural Birth Machine
Top
Supernatural Birth Machine
Studio album by Cathedral
Released November 12, 1996
Genre Doom metal
Length 57:57
Label Earache
Producer Kit Woolven
Professional reviews
Cathedral chronology
The Carnival Bizarre
(1995)
Supernatural Birth Machine
(1996)
Caravan Beyond Redemption
(1998)

Supernatural Birth Machine is Cathedral's fourth album released on November 12, 1996 by Earache Records.

Track listing

  1. Cybertron 71/Internal Countdown - 1:18
  2. Urko's Conquest - 4:02 (in reference to General Urko from the Planet of the Apes TV series)
  3. Stained Glass Horizon - 5:29
  4. Cyclops Revolution - 7:07
  5. Birth Machine 2000 - 9:00
  6. Nightmare Castle - 6:31
  7. Fireball Demon - 4:12
  8. Phaser Quest - 3:42
  9. Suicide Asteroid - 4:13
  10. Dragon Rider 13 - 5:52
  11. Magnetic Hole - 6:32

The Japanese version comes with a bonus track:

  • 12. Tuckers Ruck

Credits

  • Lee Dorrian - Vocals
  • Garry Jennings - Guitar/Keyboards
  • Leo Smee - Bass
  • Brian Dixon - Drums

Produced and engineered by Kit Woolven
Recorded and mixed at Parkgate Studios



 
 
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Cathedral (Rock Band, '90s, 2000s)
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Supernatural Birth Machine" Read more