John Carpenter shares details of immersive project, Cathedral

Cathedral is composed of tracks that align with each chapter of Carpenter's novel, creating an audio/visual narrative. “Lord of the Underground" arrives as the first preview, and is accompanied by a visual that features animated versions of illustrations from the book, which is due for release on 4 August via Storm King Comics.

On the album, Carpenter is joined by longtime bandmates Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, creating what Carpenter describes as their first heavy metal album. The story is inspired by a dream that Carpenter had, centring on an investigation that leads two detectives to face a centuries-old evil within the catacombs of an abandoned church.

“The story informed everything,” Davies says of the heavy, more aggressive sound that they embraced for the project. “John would describe a scene and say, ‘We need a heavy riff here.’ We didn’t set out to make a metal record, but it evolved that way.”

Although the album was made to be listened to while reading the novel, Carpenter has worked to ensure that the songs can be enjoyed independently. “That’s first and foremost, it’s all about making the music work," he explains. "This is somewhat different sounding stuff that we've done, but it's done with the same desire in mind. In other words, put this thing on and imagine you're watching a movie. That’s what we want you to do.”

Cathedral artwork