Images of Cathedral

Cathedral came to live as the first "real" song I wrote after Henning had left and TSU! was no more. 

Before that,  Sabine, Jörg and me had been going to the Sisters Of Mercy concert in Düsseldorf in 1990 and we were waiting a long time outside in the freezing November coldness. Sabine said: "You should write a song about this. like "It was a cold, dark night" and I went: "Yeah, like...

 It was a cold dark night in the freezing waiting zone, 

waiting for a band that would never, never come.".... 

The line stuck with me and when Olli demanded semi-soundtracks for his Torch-Tape productions I took samples from a movie (the c-Dolph Lundgren-cheapo-SF-epos called "Dark Angel") and incorporated it to the line 

"It was a cold dark night in the lethal urban zone,

waiting for a train that would never, never come,

she said.

Go on"

I was very convinced that it would work and eventually recorded this song called "Lethal Urban Zone " (Bandcamp - bonus song on the Crimson Dance E.P.) with Henning on guitar. Obviously a huge progress had been made in the 18 months since I had recorded "The Burning Town E.P". You can still hear the soundtrack-work in the latter half of the song.

With the year progressing, I recorded versions of this song again and again, eventually lowering my voice after I found out on "Don't Answer" that this sounded better. When finally the decision came to record "The Crimson Dance E.P.", the song was called "Cathedral" and the lyrics were completely different.

They now reflected my feelings about the 1990 war in Iraq, in which I had just semi-participated...as part of the Nato operation ACE GUARD - I had done it for the money and had not liked it at all.  So this is more about who gives the orders and why, and that money is the new religion leading us into wars. "From the Cathedral" is the literal translation of "Ex Cathedra" and means "Told you by the Church". 

"On another Crusade" - In another war

"In another line" - a soldier lined up to be transported

"We're wearing the red shades" - ready to kill

"I'm doing overtime" - much more than should be asked for

"While we're counting the corpses" - this is plain - it happened

"Collecting casualties" - this is plain - it happened

"They're ripping the living" - The mighty exploit us all

"Concerned in loyalties" - "Royalties" - in money

"From the Cathedral" - We are ordered

"Voices giving the call" - We are ordered

"Voices telling it all" - We are ordered

"I will not fall" - I obey, but I do not believe.

Things always flow together and when I got the final form of "Cathedral" recorded at home, I wanted to put it out again and quickly wrote the three other songs. But "Cathedral" always has been the central piece of CREAMVIII.

I did give it to the AI, to see if it would come up with a better version. It does not.. anyway, here it is: