Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Cathedral
Label: Delta Records
Released: 1978
Runtime: 45:25
Rating: 4/5
Cathedral are one of those cult American prog bands that got blindsided in the late seventies by the music trends of the day, with interest in progressive rock tanking before they could build any kind of lasting presence on the scene. For the obscure American prog scene of the seventies, that was a pretty hefty blow, because these weren’t just exceptionally gifted musicians but one of the few American bands to cultivate a thoroughly European approach to songwriting and sound, which is why plenty of people wrongly assume they’re an English band. In terms of complexity they were right up there with the seriously experimental Yezda Urfa, and they often outdid the improvisational freak-outs of better-known American prog peers led by Kansas, Happy The Man, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and Ambrosia.
In the seventies the members of Cathedral managed to release just one album, »Stained Glass Stories«, before vanishing into history for a very long time. »Stained Glass Stories« was one of the finest achievements of the American prog rock scene of the seventies, and every single composition on it wears the influence of the leading phalanx of British prog, headed by Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP and Gentle Giant. So Cathedral can’t be written off as just another typical American symphonic prog band like Starcastle, who swore by melody and often sounded like a near-perfect Yes copy. Cathedral could sound dark and obscure at times, even cacophonous, and between the individual rhythmic shadings they loved to throw in polyrhythms, much like Gentle Giant did in their day.
Guitarist Rudy Perrone had a playing style very close to Steve Howe’s (Yes), while bassist Fred Callan was clearly under the spell of Chris Squire (Yes), which is why certain sections of the songs recall select moments from the Yes classics »Relayer« (1974) or »Going For The One« (1977). Paul Seal’s baroque vocals are a bit reminiscent of Derek Shulman (Gentle Giant), which makes for a very rare vocal model. The only thing Seal lacked was Derek’s charisma, so emotionally his singing often comes across a little cold. Keyboardist Tom Doncourt, who swears mostly by the Mellotron and the synth technology of the time, was the most unique member of the band in terms of arranging and improvisational approach, while the drummer, who boasts one of the weirdest names ever, Mercury Caronia IV, was practically a pure jazzer.
The production of the album was excellent, especially for its time. »Stained Glass Stories« consists of two longer pieces that could loosely be called mini-epics and three compositions of average, run-of-the-mill length (under ten minutes) for a progressive rock band. The opener »Introspect in its opening section contains a lengthy instrumental stretch with plenty of scattered improvisations where you can hear a jazz rock fusion approach, though Doncourt’s dynamic synth passages and Perrone’s unpredictable guitar variations quickly add a symphonic rock seasoning. In the calmer sections, when the Mellotron waves roll in, Seal reaches some relatively high vocal registers, but otherwise his kinship with Derek Shulman is more than obvious. The transitions between mellow and paranoid sections, with plenty of chaotic improvisational inserts, are frequent and completely unexpected. The acoustic ending is a pretty big surprise and one of the few subtle moments of the opening piece.
Crowned with an ominous atmosphere, »Gong« is another total detour, off to some ‘seventh dimension’, where the band, between waves of Mellotron, doesn’t skimp on wild improvisations, fractured rhythmic variations and sudden time changes. A bit of subtlety comes from mighty synth swells, the sound of little bells and pastoral acoustic guitar chords, where you can tell at every step that Perrone almost fanatically idolized Steve Howe. »The Crossing« opens with sacred-flavored choral harmonies that fit the band’s name, followed by a shift into a witty section with mischievously upbeat vocals and plenty of pastoral arrangements. The jazzy drum transitions and combative guitar improvisations complement the flowing keyboard curtains beautifully, while the band simply can’t make up its mind whether to steer this very interesting composition into epic or chaotic ambient waters. In the end they do go for an epic, Mellotron-based finish.
»Days & Changes« opens with Seal’s proclaiming a cappella, which sounds like he sang it in the shower, then a subtle guitar arrangement kicks in, followed by ethereal keyboard textures and thickened bass lines, while the drum dynamics are once again at the level of some jazz rock fusion outfit. This time keyboardist Doncourt really lets loose, laying down epic Mellotron curtains and creating a truly majestic atmosphere, while the combative rhythm duo keeps pushing toward more chaotic spheres. Perrone, with his guitar acrobatics, stays torn between ‘both worlds’ the whole way, but eventually becomes an important factor in the increasingly melodic direction of the closing part of this turbulent composition.
The closing, melodramatic epic »The Search«, which is also the most ambitious achievement on the album, opens with epic arrangements on Mellotron and guitar, with mighty choral harmonies in the mix as well. The whole thing is quite reminiscent of the ambient pulse of some fantasy saga. The moment Seal’s theatrical vocals come in, a short folk section takes over, and from there to the end of the piece Cathedral crank up the tense ambient drama, as the rhythm section, grinding away with thrilling intensity, gets properly ‘unleashed’ amid all-around symphonic grandeur and the reign of inventive guitar improvisations.
At the peak of their powers, Cathedral were fully on par with the best of European prog rock. The proof is »Stained Glass Stories«, one of the most often forgotten and lonely relics of the obscure American prog rock scene. Few records this complex, unpredictable and lucid came out of the ‘forges’ of American prog bands in the seventies, so the members of Cathedral can still be proud of this rare achievement today. When interest in progressive rock started growing again toward the end of the 20th century, Cathedral slowly began to ‘wake up’ too. After getting back together, but with new guitarist David Doig in place of Perrone, they finally released their second studio album in 2007.
Lineup
Paul Seal – vocals, percussion, bass pedals
Tom Doncourt – keyboards, percussion
Rudy Perrone – 6 and 12-string guitar, backing vocals
Fred Callan – bass guitar, bass pedals
Mercury Caronia IV – drums, percussion
Production
Cathedral
Track list
1. Introspect (12:35)
2. Gong (7:00)
3. The Crossing (5:55)
4. Days & Changes (8:35)
5. The Search (11:20)
