asauldm | Music

Cathedral is a unique multimedia project by legendary filmmaker, screenwriter, and composer John Carpenter, created in collaboration with his longtime musical partners—his son Cody Carpenter and nephew Daniel Davies.

The album was released on August 7, 2026, via Sacred Bones Records as the official soundtrack to Carpenter’s graphic novel of the same name, published a few days earlier by Storm King Comics.

John Carpenter himself described Cathedral as “our first heavy metal album.” Departing from the clean synthwave and minimalist electronic darkness that defined projects such as the Lost Themes series and his Halloween soundtracks, the album places Daniel Davies’ crushing guitar riffs at the forefront, seamlessly intertwined with John and Cody Carpenter’s signature ominous synthesizers.

The story behind both the graphic novel and the album originated from a vivid dream Carpenter experienced in 2024. The dream was so cinematic and emotionally striking that he decided to transform it into a fully realized narrative accompanied by its own original soundtrack.

Each of the album’s 14 instrumental tracks corresponds to a specific chapter or scene from the graphic novel. The vinyl and CD booklets include listening guides indicating exactly which track should accompany particular pages, allowing readers to experience the story as Carpenter intended.

The narrative unfolds in modern-day Los Angeles, centering on an abandoned cathedral, a gruesome murder, and an ancient supernatural entity awakened beneath the city’s underground catacombs.

The lead single, “Lord of the Underground,” was released alongside the album announcement and established the musical direction of the entire project. The mid-tempo heavy metal composition combines Daniel Davies’ downtuned guitar riffs with the dark, pulsating synthesizer textures crafted by John and Cody Carpenter. Serving as the musical theme of the graphic novel’s primary antagonist—an ancient supernatural creature awakened beneath Los Angeles—the track evokes the relentless and inescapable advance of an overwhelming dark force.

While John, Cody, and Daniel were responsible for the music, the graphic novel itself was developed alongside Carpenter’s wife and longtime producing partner Sandy King, together with artists Federico De Luca and Luis Guaragna.

The album artwork embraces the dramatic, high-contrast aesthetic of classic horror comics. Set against the backdrop of a towering yet partially ruined Gothic cathedral stands the ominous silhouette of an ancient monster shrouded in dense fog and shadow. Both the Cathedral logo and the John Carpenter name are rendered in a retro-inspired style that pays homage to iconic 1980s horror movie posters.

Cathedral is a bold and atmospheric instrumental work that fuses crushing heavy metal guitar work with John Carpenter’s signature analog synthwave, creating a complete audio companion to the graphic novel of the same name. The album is an ideal listen for fans of dark instrumental music, cinematic darksynth soundtracks, and the unmistakable horror aesthetic of the 1980s. It will appeal equally to admirers of Carpenter’s legendary filmography and to heavy music enthusiasts seeking a conceptual, immersive, and cinematic listening experience.