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