JOHN CARPENTER - Cathedral

John Carpenter has a dream: an abandoned cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, an elevator descending into the unknown, and a supernatural entity dwelling in the catacombs. From this dream, Uncle John has drawn both a graphic novel (written together with his wife Sandy King and Sean Sobczak) and a soundtrack that stands as a work in its own right while also being a piece of a much larger universe.
"Cathedral" is his fifth album of original material for Sacred Bones, and the first not to carry the "Lost Themes" title. It's no longer an exercise in style built around imaginary films, but a sonic grammar for a story that actually exists, with its own characters, places and shadows. Carpenter, together with his son Cody and his godson Daniel Davies, pushes toward a heavier, more metallic sound, closer to the heavy metal his music has always flirted with, but which here takes center stage in a way.

The opener "Primeval" is pure Carpenter: insistent synths, scraping guitars, and that sense of already being trapped in a nightmare. It's the perfect overture, setting the stage for what's to come. "Lord Of The Underground" is the single that preceded the album, and it's easy to see why: a riff that could belong to Metallica, a menacing angelic choir, and a rhythm section that barrels forward like a freight train. This is where the album unleashes itself, where the cathedral becomes a true temple of metal.
But "Cathedral" isn't just power and terror. "Elevator" is a blues-metal explosion that recalls the Carpenter of the Nineties more closely, while "The Ferryman" descends into darker tones, with synths that writhe like serpentine shadows. "Abandoned Cathedral" and "Identity", meanwhile, play with strings and organ, conjuring a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of the finest moments of "Prince Of Darkness" and "In The Mouth Of Madness" — a small delight for devotees of the Carpenter sound. The final stretch of the album is a crescendo: "Back To Ruins" blends industrial rhythms with western touches, "Revenge" rides its urgency like a nighttime chase, while "Resolution" closes things out with an almost melancholy elegance.

If the graphic novel doesn't fully draw you in and a few tracks feel less incisive, the album still proves just how capable Carpenter remains of conjuring whole worlds to imagine, in a horror-tinged synesthesia, even without his beloved camera. The fact remains that this 78-year-old gentleman keeps doing what he's always done: telling us stories. Whether through images or notes, his sound is unmistakable, and his gift for building tension remains intact over time.
"Cathedral" isn't Uncle John's definitive statement and it doesn't reinvent his sound, but it pushes it into heavier, darker, more physical territory without breaking the spell that has followed us for 50 years. It's further proof that, when it comes to atmosphere and dread, Carpenter still has something to teach. Thank you John!

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21/08/2026