Perfect for fans of Pink Floyd!
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Anathema moved away from their doom metal style pretty much with "The Silent Enigma". Alternative 4 sounds like a band enjoying their art, mastering their playing style and defining their own sound. Really, Anathema sound like no-one else. This is a great example of their evolving sound. Gone are the doom laden metal riffs and in comes melodious yet dark vocals, great atmospheric epic songs like "Empty", "Alternative 4" and best of all "Lost Control", all three stemming from the excellent yet sombre songwriting talents of bassist Duncan Patterson, who left after the great "Judgement" album (only to form the equally wonderful Antimatter). Track listing 1. Shroud of False - dark, menacing, melancolic 2. Fragile Dreams - this is their "Comfortably Numb", a great song 3. Empty - has a faint hint of the rave scene about it but it still rocks 4. Lost Control - another one for the suicide watch. Eerie piano, dark lyrics, top stuff 5. Re-Connect - another dark one, hints of early Black Sabbath meets Radiohead 6. Inner Silence - the most beautiful song ever written by a one time doom metal band. This is a beautiful and haunting song about the passing of love. 7. Alternative 4 - my least favourite song on the CD. It reminds me of the Doctors of Madness (remember them?) Richard "Kid" Strange's 70s glam punk purveyors of doom! It's a great song live but doesn't work for me on CD. 8. Regret - another sombre melancholic look at lost love and lonlieness. Lots of Richard Wright-type organ playing. This could easily be a track from Floyd's "The Wall". Lovely song. 9. Feel - has a REM feel about this. Great catchy chorus. The special edition (2004) release contains four extra tracks - Your Possible Pasts (another song which The Doctors of Madness should have recorded), One of the Few, Better Off Dead (string quartet time with female lead vocal) and Goodbye Cruel World. Anathema albums are not for the light hearted. But they are certainly feel good CDs. Buy this CD. Make Anathema richer, they deserve it.Read full review
Released in 1998,this album sent Anathema in a new direction musically. Out with the real heavy doom laden stuff, and in with a more subtle progressive slant. There is a definate nod to Roger Waters running through this album with the deep melancholy, even depressing lyrics similar to those found on Pink Floyd`s "The Wall" and "The Final Cut". Even with these influences, Anathema still create a sound all of their own using varied sprawling soundscapes that surround the lyrical content to create superb pieces of music. Lose yourself in this album by listening with headphones in a darkened room!!
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