Two early EP's (though "Statik Majik" lasts for roughly 40 minutes) from those funky, post-Black Sabbath doomsters that make up this re-issue are overflowing with massive, grooving riffs and Lee Dorrian's oozing, gritty "ooh yeaaah" vocals.

"Soul Sacrifice" has already been reviewed, so I'll just leave it at that, although I actually like all the tracks there.

"Statik Majik" starts off with "Midnight Mountain," which is an all out happy-go-lucky party tune. It provides the lightest moment of the disc. The follower "Hypnos 164" begins with slow doom riffs, but then gradually picks up the similar upbeat pace, but in a less funky way. "Cosmic Funeral" is a different story. It immediately slow things down, switches the mood into a darker mode and clears the path for the final, staggering 22-minute epic called "The Voyage Of The Homeless Sapien." This song is divided into several themes on the course of which Cathedral throw out everything they have to offer, from fine Black Sabbath-style rifforama to weird interludes, tender vocals and soothing, ultra-mellow segments.

© 2000 boris