CATHEDRAL — Hopkins (The Witchfinder General) (review)

CATHEDRAL — Hopkins (The Witchfinder General) album cover EP · 1996 · Stoner Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)" is an EP release by UK doom/stoner metal act Cathedral. The EP was released through Earache Records in April 1996. It bridges the gap between the band´s third and fourth full-length studio albums "The Carnival Bizarre (September 1995)" and "Supernatural Birth Machine (October 1996)". The title track is culled from "The Carnival Bizarre" but the EP features 4 other tracks which are exclusive to this release. So you get 5 tracks and a total playing time of 26:24 minutes on this EP, and that´s arguably a lot of quantity for an EP release.

"Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)" opens the EP and it´s an energetic and powerful stoner/doom metal track and definitely one of the standout tracks from "The Carnival Bizarre". Next up is "Fire", which is a cover of the 1968 "hit" song by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. "Copper Sunset" is an instrumental track and "Purple Wonderland" is a psychedelic doom/stoner metal track featuring tripped out synth effects. The 9:25 minutes long "The Devils Summit" closes the EP in great eclectic style, featuring elements from stoner rock, doom metal, soul, funk, and even a bit of jazz (saxophone too). It fully showcases the playfulness of Cathedral and the adventurous nature of their music and the way they choose to perform it. Lead vocalist Lee Dorrian performs his usual odd shouting vocals and weird lyrics with great conviction and passion.

Along with the 1994 "Statik Majik/Cosmic Requiem" EP, "Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)" is probably the most unusual and adventurous release in Cathedral´s discography, and it´s a mandatory listen for those who enjoy the most eclectic and psychedelic parts of the band´s sound. Overall it´s more in stoner metal territory than in doom metal ditto, and while I usually prefer Cathedral at their heaviest and darkest, this little EP release is such a great gem loaded with intriguing material and a band who obviously are having fun playing something that´s a bit different from what they normally do. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.
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