Anathema Discography: #6 Alternative 4 (1998)

"I'm coming to an end
I've realized what I could have been
I can't sleep so I take a breath and hide behind my bravest mask
I admit I've lost control"

Anathema's fourth full-length sprang up during the band's darkest period: drummer John Douglas had been replaced Shaun Steels due to his drug problems, and there were several disagreements between the band members, especially principal songwriters Duncan Patterson and Danny Cavanagh, who were also going through private problems of their own. Patterson would leave the band soon after the recording sessions to pursue a different musical path.

This tension is clearly audible in the depressive and minimalistic sound of Alternative 4. While there's violin on two of the most popular classics on the album ("Fragile Dreams" and "Lost Control") and some drum loops on "Empty", the album is less layered than its precedessor Eternity (1996), and the guitars are no longer tuned down. There's also less lead guitar work going on, probably because Danny Cavanagh only contributed three songs to the album while Patterson did most of the songwriting work.

My personal favorite song in the whole Anathema catalog, "Lost Control", embodies the album perfectly: it's got piano, subdued yet emotional vocals, both distorted and acoustic guitars, and lyrics about depression: "I've let your tiny minds magnify my agony / and it's left me with a chemical dependency for sanity". Danny Cavanagh's songs "Fragile Dreams", "Regret" and "Inner Silence", the latter of which deals with the death of the Cavanagh brothers' mother, are very melancholy in tone as well, but there's also plenty of anger on the album, especially in "Empty", which ironically is a danceable tune with a recurring guitar/keyboard hook.

There's also some experimenting going on in the apocalyptic title-track and Vincent Cavanagh's sole contribution, "Re-Connect", which is very progressive in its feel and goes from major key clean guitars straight to a ferocious scream. The Hammond-driven "Feel", on the other hand, gives off a classic rock vibe.

The reissue includes four cover songs as bonus tracks. The Pink Floyd covers are rather redundant, as they're almost identical to the original versions, but the rendition of Bad Religion's punk song "Better Off Dead" is one of the best cover songs I've ever heard. Guest vocalist Michelle Richfield makes the song's "f*ck you" attitude more sophisticated, and the piano-driven arrangement makes the melodies sound deceivingly beautiful.

Alternative 4 is a brutally honest album, both musically and lyrically. There's not a single filler track in its 45-minute running time and the album has a strong atmosphere without getting monotonous at any point, thanks to the different styles of the band's songwriters. Anathema prove that there are probably even more shades of gray than 50! While I don't agree with the Cavanagh brothers' view that it's the beginning of the "real" Anathema, I do consider Alternative 4 the band's magnum opus and the first of their two bullseyes.

Rating: 5/5

Anathema Discography: #5 Eternity (1996)

"Trapped in time
A mirage of hope and change
A swirling mass, no mercy now
If the truth hurts prepare for pain"

Anathema's third full-length album was their first not to include growls or death metal elements. Instead, the album focuses more on atmosphere enhanced with keyboards and acoustic elements, although the guitars are still heavy.

"Sentient" is a beautiful piano-driven intro for the album before the fan-favorite "Angelica" gets the album started for real. The song itself is great, but the guitars sound unnecessarily heavy and right from the start it's clear that Vincent Cavanagh's singing is very shaky compared to his screams on The Silent Enigma (1995). "The Beloved" is an atypically upbeat Anathema song with a little bit of double-bass drumming, but doesn't offer anything special. "Eternity Part I" starts a trilogy by Duncan Patterson that asks the listener whether they believe in forever. It's also fast-paced, but instead of sounding metallic it reminds me of the post-punk vibe of "Sleepless" from the first album. "Eternity Part II" is an ambient instrumental anchored by Patterson's bass playing that works as a break from the fast tempos. It's followed by a cover of Roy Harper's "Hope", which works surprisingly well as part of the album.

"Suicide Veil" is the doomiest song on the album and contains Vincent's strongest vocal performance and a beautiful acoustic outro. "Radiation" feels like a filler despite the pretty female vocals, but "Far Away" raises the bar again, including clean guitar arpeggios and thought-provoking lyrics: "Sometimes I feel myself going under / Sometimes I envy the dead". "Eternity Part III" closes the trilogy and is clearly the best song on the album, full of great melodies and culminating in a powerful climax. The album could've ended here, because while "Cries on the Wind" has a cool bassline and a Pink Floyd vibe that I enjoy, it's not a song I find myself listening to very often. "Ascension" is an instrumental ending, but doesn't come close to "Black Orchid" from last album and has a slightly cheesy power metal vibe.

The reissue contains acoustic versions of "Far Away" and "Eternity Part III", which add great value, as they are the best songs on the album and the stripped-down approach suits them better than the layered production and heavy guitars of the album versions. The live version of "Angelica", on the other hand, sounds like a crappy bootleg and it puzzles me why the record label would allow such a recording to be released.

Eternity is the sound of a band in a transitional phase and feels like a stepping stone in between two great albums: some of Duncan Patterson's contributions are among the best Anathema songs ever, but a lot of the tunes are rather forgettable. Both the album's production and the vocals sound unrefined, the heavy arrangements don't do the songs justice and some of the keyboard sounds are quite dated. On the other hand, going from The Silent Enigma straight to Alternative 4 (1998) would've been impossible and would probably have been too drastic of a change for the fans at the time, so Eternity's place in the Anathema discography is justified, even though it's the band's weakest full-length album to date.

Rating: 3/5

Classic Album Anniversary: Dark Tranquillity - Haven (2000)

"If there were words for this

Would I sing or should I scream?"

Mikael Stanne chose the latter option when Dark Tranquillity recorded their fifth album Haven 15 years ago. The previous album Projector (1999) had been an experimental and divisive record that incorporated a huge dose of clean vocals and an increased amount of keyboards into their sound. Haven was originally meant to continue in that direction, but the band decided to speed things up and cut down on the clean singing. However, the addition of full-time keyboardist Martin Brändström meant that this was not going to be a back-to-roots record by any means.

According to setlist.fm stats, "The Wonders at Your Feet" has been played live more often than any other song in the Dark Tranquillity catalog. This isn't surprising, as it's a compact, punchy 3-minute track with a great tapping solo by Niklas Sundin and infectious keyboard melodies - in fact, newcomer Brändström recycled the main melody of the song from a tune he had written for an old pop project of his. His playing is a big part of atmospheric songs like "The Same" and "Ego Drama", but he's also prominent on up-tempo tracks, such as "Not Built to Last" and "Rundown".

The bass played by the other newbie Michael Nicklasson is the leading instrument on the mid-tempo "Indifferent Suns". The addition of Nicklasson allowed founding member Martin Henriksson to switch to guitar. Henriksson wrote the majority of the material on the album, while Niklas Sundin didn't make any musical contributions.

Mikael Stanne does more of growling than his classic high-pitched screaming on Haven. He was going through a rough period vocally, but his performance is stronger than on Projector or the follow-up Damage Done (2002). However, he also makes use of some comical mannerisms, like the James Hetfield-like "alright-ah!" at the start of the album or the random "ugh!" shouts, especially in "Fabric". Call me immature if you want, but I can't help being amused by his "SUCK IT IN!" screams in the chorus of that song, or the line "we don't need no host", which I keep mishearing as "hoes".

On a serious note, I wish Stanne hadn't shied away from employing his clean voice more, because the only track to feature it, "Emptier Still", is my favorite on the whole album and I like its gloomy yet experimental vibe. One of the bonus tracks, "In Sight", is a ballad in vein of "Auctioned" and shows what a great singer he is. The more mellow sections on the album could've benefited from real singing instead of the half-growl-half-speech style he uses on them.

The songs on Haven are relatively short and straightforward, the exception being the epic closer "At Loss for Words", which ends with an instrumental outro and guitar feedback. It would pave the way for later Dark Tranquillity album closers like "Ex Nihilo" and "Iridium". The album is also more subdued and atmospheric than most of the band's releases, though not as mellow as Projector. Haven is very accessible and its atmosphere is a big part of its charm, but at the same time it feels like the song structures could've been more adventurous and the album would've benefited from having a little more edge. To use a Rush comparison, I'd say this is DT's Signals (1982): an album on which the opening track has overshadowed the rest of the material in terms of live play and the band hadn't found the right balance between keyboards and guitars yet, which makes the music a little sterile at times. However, the strong songwriting makes Haven a brilliant album and one of my favorites from Dark Tranquillity, even though it may not have stood the test of time as well as, say, Fiction (2007).

Rating: 4/5

Dream Theater Discography: #2 Images and Words (1992)

"And water can't cover her memory
And ashes can't answer her pain
God give me the power to take breath from a breeze
And call life from a cold metal frame"

After the debut album didn't exactly set the world on fire, Dream Theater were in limbo for a while, writing new material, auditioning singers and looking for a new record label. Finally in 1991 a tape arrived from Canada and James LaBrie was chosen as the new vocalist, and soon the band had a deal with ATCO Records on their hands. Images and Words was released in 1992 at the height of the grunge boom, yet surprisinly enough the opening track "Pull Me Under" became a hit on the radio and MTV. The album itself received acclaim and sold well, going Gold in the US.

The aforementioned hit single "Pull Me Under" is a great opener and an accessible gateway track (despite its 8-minute length!) that sums up what Dream Theater is about without getting too crazy for the average listener. It includes all the facets of the Dream Theater sound: high-pitched vocals, heavy and rhythmic riffing and flashy solos and drum fills, but also atmospheric clean guitars and a catchy chorus.

"Another Day" is an 80s-style power ballad with a saxophone solo by guest performer Jay Beckenstein (who was in Spyro Gyra, right?). It may sound dated now, but the melodies and John Petrucci's solo are beautiful, and so are the lyrics about his father's battle with cancer. The inclusion of sax also proves that DT weren't afraid of fusing unusual elements into their sound, which is something they sadly don't do as much anymore. The funky bass and LaBrie's almost rap-like delivery in the first verse of "Take the Time" is another example of this bold genre-blending. The rest of the song is more typical prog metal full of time signature changes and intricate instrumentation, but the instrumental section is fun and compelling, not pointless noodling. The sing-along chorus and Kevin Moore's brilliant keyboard solo top off it all.

"Surrounded" is another ballad, but it's more upbeat and synth-driven than "Another Day". Moore's beautiful playing and spiritual lyrics combined with LaBrie's impressive vocals make this song one of my all-time favorites in the DT discography. "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper" is arguably the most pretentious song title of all time, but according to Petrucci it was a joke and there were no plans for a sequel, at least until the song became a fan-favorite and the fans started asking when they would release Part 2. "Metropolis" is famous for its crazy instrumental section, and while it's not one of my favorite songs, I understand its popularity, as the musicianship is incredible in it. By the way, "Metropolis" has just been confirmed for the upcoming Rock Band 4 video game, so you'd better start preparing your fingers if you're a fan of plastic instruments!

"Under a Glass Moon" is the heaviest song on the album with dissonant keyboards and punchy riffage, but also has plenty of those Alex Lifeson-influenced arpeggios and chords that I love. The centerpiece of the song is Petrucci's solo, which can be found on numerous "top x guitar solos" lists and involves numerous techniques that I know nothing about, as I'm a crappy guitarist. "Wait for Sleep" is a total change of pace, only including piano, synth strings and vocals. You'd think that a 2½-minute piano ballad is the most simple song out there, but even this Moore-penned beautiful little tune includes some time signature shifting that makes it challenging to play. Despite its complexity "Wait for Sleep" is a touching song about mourning the loss of a loved one and searching for answers.

"Learning to Live" is the longest song on the album at its 11½-minute length. It's less chaotic than "Metropolis", which makes it more enjoyable for me. James LaBrie's famous F#5 note in the middle of the song, followed by Petrucci's melodic solo is pure heaven - not even the hilarious goat edition can destroy its magic! John Myung's prominent basslines and thoughtful lyrics, as well as the brilliant "Wait for Sleep" reprise and one of the best fade-out outros I've heard are also moments worth mentioning - this is a top 5 Dream Theater song for sure!

Time may not have been kind to the production of Images and Words, but it's hard to imagine the album without those synth sounds and the triggered drum sound that Mike Portnoy hates. They're part of the album's charm, and it's amazing that an album as layered and polished as this became so big in the grunge era. However, the success was definitely deserved, as the band had worked really hard for years. All the little details are well thought-out and you can hear that the album was written carefully over a long period of time and not rushed in a couple of weeks. When I hear the words "progressive metal", the first album that pops into my mind is Images and Words - take that as you will!

Rating: 5/5

Anathema Discography: #4 The Silent Enigma

"Fulfillment lost in a lifetime of regret
Ornate peace would cover me
As I would die now...
For one last wish"

Anathema entered the studio in 1995 with ideas for just a few songs. The rest of the album was written during the recording process, and the band went through a change of singers, as rhythm guitarist Vincent Cavanagh took over the vocals from ex-frontman Darren White. In other words, The Silent Enigma was born in circumstances that were turbulent to say the least, but how did the album turn out in the end?

"Restless Oblivion" opens the album with atmospheric keyboards and clean guitars before one of the greatest metal riffs I've ever heard kicks in. The song becomes a mid-tempo rocker after the doomy start, and Vincent Cavanagh makes a convincing debut behind the microphone - his harsh vocals have a lot more passion and anguish to them than his precedessor's static growls. Overall, "Restless Oblivion" is a masterclass in doom metal and a great mission statement for the new four-piece line-up. "Shroud of Frost" continues in the same vein, but also includes a spoken word section and a hypnotic outro that unfortunately outlasts its welcome, as the rest of the song is great.

"...Alone" continues where "Everwake" and "J'ai fait une promesse" left off, this time featuring Rebecca Wilson on vocals. It does its job as an acoustic respite amidst doom metal songs, although it's not as great as the two aforementioned ballads. "Sunset of Age" introduces Vincent's actual singing voice, and although he would improve considerably over the years, his harmonies are well-executed and add color to the music.

"Nocturnal Emission" is a weirder tune, as you may guess by the title! According to Danny Cavanagh, the Duncan Patterson-penned track was influenced by Duran Duran. However, it's far from pop, only including two spoken verses followed by screaming and bursts of guitars that apparently serve as musical equivalents of ejaculation. The song doesn't give me an eargasm, but it's a cool experiment. "Cerulean Twilight", on the other hand, is a totally forgettable song - if you thought the outro to "Shroud of Frost" was long, try listening to this one in full! Luckily it isn't indicative of John Douglas' talents as a songwriter, as he would write some great stuff in later years.

The title-track gets the album back on track, including one beautiful melody after another and a powerful climax. "A Dying Wish" is the biggest classic on the album, with great guitarwork by Danny and a bass break that reminds me more than a little of Pink Floyd's "One of These Days" - the influence of that band would become even stronger on subsequent Anathema albums. "Black Orchid" is an instrumental closer and possibly the heaviest song on the album, culminating in a massive, almost cinematic burst of heaviness.

The bonus tracks on the reissue are worthy too, although they are just alternate versions. The orchestral version of "The Silent Enigma" is in D minor and includes no band instruments, which makes it sound sadder and more beautiful than the album version, and I actually prefer it for that reason. The '96 remake of "Sleepless" is out of place here, as it was recorded in the Eternity (1996) sessions, but Vincent's vocals make it more enjoyable than the original version. However, I wish they would've waited a few more years so they could've recorded it with even better vocals and production.

The Silent Enigma is a much more mature and unique release than Serenades (1993) or the early EPs. Although there's some idling in a couple of songs and the experiments may be hit-or-miss, the highlights of the album are among the greatest Anathema songs of all time and enough to make the album a must-listen for any fan of doom(y) metal. The increased amount of keyboards and Vincent's more diverse vocals make the music more intriguing and paved the way for the band's progression towards a more melodic sound.

Rating: 4/5

Dream Theater Discography: #1 When Dream and Day Unite (1989)

"Likely or not, it's a dream that we keep

and at odds with our senses we'll climb
But if faith is the answer, we're already reached it
And if spirit's a sign then it's only a matter of time"

Progressive metal icons Dream Theater are currently celebrating their 30th anniversary on a European summer festival tour. While waiting for the August 2 show in Helsinki, I'll review all their studio releases this summer. Since the Majesty Demos (1986) are just... well, demos and weren't even released under the DT name, I'll skip them - to be honest I find them unlistenable thanks to Chris Collins' vocals.

When Dream and Day Unite is a release a lot of fans may not have heard, as it was originally released on a small label called Mechanic Records, and there were no official singles or videos released from the album, although "Status Seeker" and "Afterlife" were remixed for radio airplay, which they never received. The album also features Charlie Dominici on vocals instead of James LaBrie, although the rest of the line-up is the same as on the classic Images and Words (1992): John Petrucci (guitars), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums) and Kevin Moore (keyboards).

The strength of When Dream and Day Unite lies in the band's great musicianship and musical ideas. The founding members' Berklee background is clear and the playing is tight, for example in the power metalish "Afterlife" and the five-part epic "The Killing Hand". There's a certain dreamy, atmospheric quality in both songs, as well as "The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun" that I associate with the classic Dream Theater sound. The youthful enthusiasm and energy of the heavy "A Fortune in Lies" and the instrumental "Ytse Jam" also can't be found on some of DT's later, more mature yet mechanical albums, and "Status Seeker" is a catchy and memorable tune, despite the slightly cheesy and out-of-place synth intro. The album's 50-minute running time also makes it an easy listen, as it never really gets boring.

The album isn't without its flaws; the biggest of them is the production. WDADU was recorded in about three weeks with a budget of $30,000 and the band couldn't afford fancy equipment, so it's not a surprise that the album sounds rather dated and muddy. On the other hand, the bass is upfront in the mix compared to the later DT albums, which is nice, as John Myung plays a lot of great, sad (as the band members called them in a DVD commentary) basslines on the album. There are also some quirky transitions and clumsy vocal lines in a couple of songs, most clearly in the Kevin Moore-penned "Light Fuse and Get Away" and "Only a Matter of Time". Lastly, Charlie Dominici is a talented singer in his own right and his performance on the album is good, but he was clearly not the most suitable vocalist for a metal band. His voice lacks the power that colleagues like Geoff Tate had at the time, but also reminds me a little of Geddy Lee, which isn't a bad thing.

When Dream and Day Unite is a very promising debut by a talented young band, and even with all its shortcomings I consider it one of Dream Theater's greatest albums. Despite the prevalent influence of bands like Rush and Iron Maiden, it was a unique release back in the day, as the music of the very first progressive metal bands like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche wasn't as technical or complex as DT's. WDADU was a blueprint for the Dream Theater sound, but just the beginning and there were even better things to come in the following five years...

Rating: 4/5

Anathema Discography: #3 Pentecost III (1995)

"My hand on your heart, I know there is a beating
In this oh so bleak landscape
There are many mountains
...but not so much water"

In 1994 Anathema recorded an EP called Pentecost III, and it was released the following year due to record label politics. This release saw them shedding some of the death metal elements of their earlier releases, although the music was still heavy and doomy. The music could also be considered kind of psychedelic, due to the hypnotic and repetitive riffs and the constant use of guitar feedback. Darren White is also mostly speaking or shouting, instead of growling.

"Kingdom" is a key song that paved the way for Anathema's later material, as it's mostly based on a single theme just like a lot of their modern songs. It's got a nice build-up and a heavy climax, although I think the song's length could be a little shorter than 9½ minutes - I think the best version of the song is the one played on this year's Resonance tour, which is based on the original and includes orchestral backing tracks from the Falling Deeper remake. The song also seems to be dear to the band members themselves, as in a recent live video Darren White says he's happy to finally perform it after all these years, as he was fired from the band before the EP was released.

The video track "Mine Is Yours" is simplistic yet crushingly heavy, and for once Darren White does a good job with his clean vocals at the end of the song. "We, the Gods" is another epic, lasting 10 minutes. The first third of the song has got some nice melodies, but it's also a little uneventful. However, once the song finally gets going it shines. Duncan Patterson, whose first musical contribution this song was, plays a cool bassline and the Cavanagh brothers offer some gorgeous guitar harmonies. The title-track is an atmospheric instrumental, but nothing memorable, and "Memento Mori" is a re-recorded version of an early demo track, which feels slightly out of place, being more brutal and the only song on the EP to include growls.

Pentecost III is a fine EP and an important step in Anathema's evolution, but listening to it also makes it clear that the band wouldn't have had a future with Darren White on the microphone, as his non-growled delivery is quite monotonous. However, the music is more than fine - if you cut the last two tracks and trimmed the fat in the two epics, you'd get a brilliant release. The band was clearly maturing musically and the next album would be the peak of their death/doom sound.

Rating: 3.5/5

Classic Album Anniversary: In Flames - Clayman (2000)

"Never been able to use the force
I only have it read to me
Despite all the misguided faith

I'll find a place in this mess"

In Flames' fifth full-length album Clayman was released 15 years ago. It is largely considered their last (pure) melodic death metal album and a watershed moment in the band's history, as the following albums would see the band embracing the influence of modern American metal and divide the fanbase.

Clayman is definitely a guitar album: although Anders Fridén continued to add melodic vocals and spoken word sections to the band's music, the majority of the time he's screaming and it's the guitar tandem of Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad that drives the songs - the guitar playing isn't extremely technical, but the Swedes have a great sense of melody, and the harmonies and solos are often hummable. Clayman can be seen as a sibling of its precedessor Colony (1999), since the line-up and the studio where it was recorded are the same, and the musical style is similar, although Clayman is more accessible, including more clean singing and keyboards.

"Only for the Weak" is the most popular song on the album and still gets played regularly at In Flames' live shows - Fridén always tells the people in the audience to "jump the f*ck up" at the start of the song and they do accordingly. The song is full of infectious melodies and is arguably the catchiest (melodic) death metal song of all time. "Pinball Map" is another hit, juxtaposing fast and aggressive verses with a poppy sing-along chorus - this song paved the way for In Flames' new direction, as there aren't a lot of melodic leads here. The title-track is a self-portrait of Anders, perhaps with some irony thrown in: "I've tried confidence, had it for breakfast today". Opener "Bullet Ride" and "Square Nothing" on the other hand are rather suicidal and depressive lyrically, but musically they are fast and heavy like most of the other songs, although the beginning of the latter may mislead you into thinking it's a ballad. The actual ballad of the album is "Satellites and Astronauts" - I always thought this song was filler, but now I can appreciate it and I think it adds some variety to the album.

"Brush the Dust Away" shows off Daniel Svensson's impressive drumming and the lyrics seemingly criticize the sensationalization of violence in the media. "Swim" is a throwback to the futuristic sci-fi themes of In Flames' earlier albums and includes some cool wah-wah riffing. My favorite song on the album is "Suburban Me", which has a rocking vibe and blows off the roof with guest guitarist Chris Amott's (Arch Enemy) blistering solo. The remaining two tracks, "...as the Future Repeats Today" and "Another Day in Quicksand" aren't on par with the rest, but not as weak as some of In Flames' later songs, and the album is so short that it's easy to listen to it in full without skipping them.

While Reroute to Remain (2002) and Come Clarity (2006) are fairly solid albums for the most part and the rest of the newer In Flames albums each have a couple of good songs, I have to agree with those who consider Clayman the end of the band's golden era. While it may have been the beginning of the end and not a masterpiece like Whoracle (1997), Clayman is the sound of a band with a clear vision and a goal, on the edge of a breakthrough.

Rating: 4.5/5