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

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