Anathema Discography: #9 A Natural Disaster (2003)

"Layers of dust and yesterdays
Shadows fading in the haze of what I couldn't say
And though I said my hands were tied
Times have changed and now I find I'm free for the first time"

Danny Cavanagh went through a rough period in his life in 2002 and even left Anathema for a brief time. This is reflected in the dark and minimalistic approach of A Natural Disaster, which includes plenty of experimentation.

The electronically-tinged opener "Harmonium" makes it clear that this album is a different beast than any previous Anathema release. The prominent guitars and the agonized scream at the end of the song, however, make it very heavy in a way. "Balance" is a pleasantly melodic track, bringing back the Radiohead influence of the previous album. However, the Vocoder-driven and repetitive sound of "Closer" is a far cry from the accessible rock of A Fine Day to Exit (2001). This song is at its best when played live: the hypnotic, even danceable, rhythm makes you want to jump up and down!

"Are You There?" is a decent song, but I feel the acoustic arrangement on Hindsight is a better version of it. "Childhood Dream" is a sweet little interlude, which is ironically followed by the most aggressive song on the album, "Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second". The strong bassline and Vincent Cavanagh's strong vocal delivery make this a memorable song, even though it's radically different from the rest of the album, and a few band members have gone on record saying they don't like it.

The Portishead-influenced title-track highlights Lee Douglas' beautiful voice, and its trip hop vibe is unique for Anathema, making it a classic. "Flying" is another hit: very simplistic, yet beautiful, and the reversed guitars add interesting soundscapes. Unfortunately the last two songs are clearly the weakest: "Electricity" is a forgettable semi-acoustic tune, whereas the 10-minute instrumental "Violence" is way too drawn-out.

I have mixed feelings on A Natural Disaster: most of the songs are good, but the chaotic nature of the album prevents it from being one of the band's best. Anathema has always made diverse albums, but I feel AND lacks the cohesion of the other releases. Although none of the songs can compete with the absolute crown jewels of the Anathema discography, there's plenty of good material to go back to, such as the title-track, "Flying" and the combo of "Balance" and "Closer".

Rating: 3½/5

Anathema Discography: #8 A Fine Day to Exit (2001)

"Here and now
We are gone in a heartbeat
A dream in the passage your time

Chances are failing
This world isn't waiting
The moment is passing you by"

Anathema took a step in the direction of alternative rock, close to the territory of Radiohead, with 2001's A Fine Day to Exit. The album is guitar-driven like Judgement (1999), but the sound is more modern and less atmospheric. The songs are more mainstream, but not in a negative way - in fact, this is arguably Anathema's most accessible album.

The Beatles-influenced "Pressure" feels like a weird opening track (we'll get to this later) with its minimalistic chord progression, but it has a catchy chorus, so it's a shame it never became a hit, despite the record label's attempts. "Release" is a great track with cool synth bass, rocking guitars, and brilliant vocal harmonies. "Looking Outside Inside" is good as well, even though the beautiful first half and the loud ending feel kind of disconnected from each other.

The synth sounds give "Underworld" a cool vibe, and it's another song that should've been a rock radio hit. "Barriers" is a well-needed respite, but I've never thought Danny Cavanagh's voice was on the same level as his brother Vincent's, so his debut as a lead singer doesn't convince me. If the songs until now have been atypically rocking and modern for Anathema, "Panic" takes this change to its extreme: it's a punky up-tempo track with crazy lyrics, but surprisingly enough the song works and is actually one of the album's highlights.

A Fine Day to Exit ends with what are arguably the two most traditional Anathema songs on the album. The title-track is the peak for me and one of my all-time favorite Anathema tunes - it's got a little bit of the dark Alternative 4 (1998) vibe that I love. "Temporary Peace" is a great closer that sounds melancholy yet gives a little bit of hope: "with you I start to feel a sort of temporary peace." Drummer John Douglas' ramblings about dogs, cats and chickens and the hidden track "In the Dog's House" at the end of the album show that Anathema has a sense of humor and are a nice comic relief.

A reissue with a previously unreleased intro and a rearranged tracklist came out earlier this year. I own this version, as I bought the Fine Days box set this summer. While I think the one-two punch of the intro and "Release" is the best way to open the album, I don't like the way some of the songs that used to be linked with direct segues on the original release have been divided. However, nobody is forced to buy the new version, so the fact that the band finally found peace of mind by using their artistic freedom is what matters the most.

A Fine Day to Exit is a fine album that shows a different side of Anathema. This may also be why the album is slightly divisive among the fans, as not everyone is pleased with its modern rock sound. I have to admit I prefer the band's atmospheric side, but thanks to the fairly solid songwriting and classics like the title cut, "Release" and "Panic", AFDTE has earned a place in my big 4 of Anathema albums.

Rating: 4/5

 

Anathema Discography: #7 Judgement (1999)

"All the hate that feeds your needs
All the sickness you conceive
All the horror you create
Will bring you to your knees"

Anathema's 1999 effort Judgement is more guitar-driven and rocking than the keyboard-heavy and ambient Alternative 4 (1998). The main reason for this was the loss of main songwriter Duncan Patterson, but the songs were also born as group efforts, unlike on most Anathema albums, which led to a more band-oriented sound.

The first four songs form a suite together. "Deep" is a powerful opener that displays the melodic and melancholy, yet rocking style of the album. "Pitiless" is darker and more aggressive, while "Forgotten Hopes" is a semi-acoustic ballad, but despite the differences the songs share a common guitar theme, which is heard the bridge of the former and the verses in the latter. A short instrumental, "Destiny Is Dead" closes the quadrilogy.

Returning drummer John Douglas became a prolific writer on Judgement: "Make It Right (FFS)" is a pleasantly atmospheric tune that brings to mind Awake-era Dream Theater because of its Kevin Moore-like keyboard sounds. "Don't Look Too Far" is a psychedelic piece reminiscent of early/mid-era Porcupine Tree that has some heavy wah-wah guitars in the chorus. The classic rock-sounding "Wings of God", on the other hand, ends with a brilliant instrumental jam.

The star of the album, however, is Danny Cavanagh, whose leads embellish the album. The heart-wrenching eulogy for his and Vincent's mother, "One Last Goodbye", culminates in one of the most emotional guitar solos I've ever heard. Another favorite of mine is "Emotional Winter", which sees him channeling his inner Gilmour in the intro. There's also a lot of feedback on various songs, creating a vibe of disorder.

"Parisienne Moonlight" is a short but sweet piano ballad that features future band member Lee Douglas on vocals with Danny. The title-track is the heaviest on the album, transforming into a furious rocker after the slow first half. According to Danny, "Anyone, Anywhere" is a dishonest song that had no meaning at all to its writer, bassist Dave Pybus. While the lyrics are rather childish compared to the true feelings of pain and sadness in the other songs, it's a beautiful song musically. "2000 & Gone" is an instrumental outro that ends the album on a peaceful note.

Judgement works as the perfect bridge between Anathema's metal beginnings and their later sound. It's also like a companion work to Alternative 4: obviously the songwriting is different, but they were released so close to each other that they feel like two halves of a double album and complement each other. Alternative 4 sounds cold and edgy, whereas Judgement has a warm and full production. If A4 is the soundtrack for hitting the rock bottom, then Judgement represents the first difficult step you have to take to get your life back on track.

The cover art and the band photo in the centerfold of the booklet probably have a lot to do with this, but Judgement is a summer album to me - if you close your eyes while listening, you can imagine yourself by a lake at sunset. The atmosphere of the album also makes it a pleasure to listen to: it's sad, but you can hear that there was a good vibe going on during the making process. Judgement may not be as tight as its precedessor, but I wouldn't change a thing about it regardless.

Rating: 5/5

 

The future of this blog

Hi,

there have been few updates in the past few weeks, because I've been busy traveling and doing other stuff. Unfortunately it looks like there won't be a lot of reviews coming up in the future, either...

I just wrote a report of Radio City South Park "festival" (I use quotation marks because the only bands that played were Dream Theater and Anathema) for Musicalypse, and I'm going to contribute more concert and (new) album reviews to the site in the future, so now I have another channel for my writing. I've also found out that it's hard to write reviews on a pretty much daily basis and keep the quality up, so I'd prefer to focus my efforts and energy onto one site at a time. One of my personal aims for this blog was to get to write for a proper music site anyway, so that goal has been reached now.

On top of that, I just went back to work and will return to school at the end of the month, so my spare time is limited. I'd like to use it to try and get my own songs together, read some books and simply relax, so sadly this means that something has got to give.

However, since I'm doing an Anathema discography run-through on a music forum simultaneously with this blog, I will finish that - in fact, a review of Judgement is in the works right now. Who knows, I may also write other reviews for the blog later if I feel like it... But even if this blog comes to the end of its road, you can always keep an eye on my Musicalypse reviews and updates regarding my own musical endeavors or the hip hop project I contributed to recently.

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog so far! It hasn't been around for long, but I feel I've honed my writing in the past two months and the little feedback I've received has been positive and encouraging. The Anathema reviews will keep coming weekly at least until mid-September, so there's still something to look forward to. Rock on!

-Ville