Sad but not Irrelevant - Another great Cd from Anathema. Yes, the Floyd influence is apparent but this band has its own voice as well. Emotional, heartbreaking and atmospheric would be good adjectives to describe this music. Of special note is the stirring One Last goodbye . I don t think I have heard such a sad song since I heard Fates Warning s Guardian.
Haunting but so beautiful... - Every time I try to listen one track from this album I find myself listening to the entire album, I can t stop the music because its beauty captures me. The feeling in all the tracks is so real that you can t listen to it without getting into it. This album will always remain their masterpiece.What I heard about this album is that all the songs are written in 2 or 3 weeks after the Cavanagh brothers mother s death...So sad...
Very boring... - I heard a lot of great things about this band from all the bands I like, Steven Wilson apparently loves it. However, I just could not find anything about this album the least bit interesting. I agree with a reviewer who said that Deep was a good one, but that was about it. Every other song just seemed very uneventful, with nothing interesting to offer lyrically or musically. Maybe giving them two stars is just a bit rough, but hey to each their own right? I just feel like people are too often given a false precept on some albums on amazon, people only seem to want to review albums they like. Alright to sum it up, I really was bored with this album and it felt like more a chore to listen to it than an experience. All the songs sound very similar: dark and melancholy (I like depressing music but depressing coupled with boring is just dreadful). I wish I would have bought a different album from this band as my first exposure, but unfortunately, I bought this one and I have been turned off to the band since.
Easily the strongest effort by Anathema to date... - Anathema, a band that has progressed from their slow, doom metal beginnings with the grunts and moans of Darren White to a more alternative, straight-forward rock, almost Radiohead-sounding at times band. I won t review each song individually so please read the below.High points: - Vincent Cavanagh s vox on this record never seem to dwindle at points as they did on past efforts such as Eternity. - Great songwriting. I must stress that this album MUST BE listened to in it s entirety for full effect. - Cohesiveness/flow - The songs flow together really well as the band has seemed to sew up that lack of cohesiveness demonstrated on the Alternative 4 album (still a good album though).- Production/sound - All instruments on Judgement are audible and sound great. Mixing and mastering are done to a tee. Low points:- The lyrics at certain points. Historically, Anathema s lyrics are either very strong or mediocre and somewhat contrieved. There never seems to be an in-between and there s no difference here. Sometimes they go too far in emulating their idols, Pink Floyd, by seemingly stealing their lyrics. Hey you, rotting in your alcoholic shell...? - Weakest link in the album flow is Don t Look Too Far. Not a bad song at all by it s own merits (not filler). Personally, it s just never appealed to me and grabbed me in a way the rest of the songs on the album do.The minor lyrics issues aside, this is a must buy album. That being said, if you want to hear some beautifully-crafted music, get this now! It s by far Anathema s best work I ve heard thus far. I just completed my collection by picking up The Silent Enigma and A Natural Disaster and have yet to really LISTEN to these albums.Bottom line: If you only own only one Anathema album, make Judgement the one.
Emotional depth and impact - Along with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, Anathema were England s pioneers of doom-death, releasing a string of amazing albums before they realized it was time to expand and experiment. While My Dying Bride is still carrying the doom-death torch, pretty much any band from the early 90 s, from Katatonia to Ulver to Tiamat to Moonspell, has changed, updating their sounds and dropping the growls in favour of crystal clean vocals. Anathema s transition began with Eternity, the album after the amazing The Silent Enigma, and blossomed with Alternative 4, perhaps their finest work from their post-doom period. With Judgement, however, the band became a completely different act, with polished production and tight arrangements defining their compositions. The songs focus heavier on Vincent Cavanagh s vocals and melancholic lyrics, and while there is plenty of guitar work, the melodies are mostly guided by Cavanagh s harmonies along with John Doughlas straightforward yet very fitting drumming. Danny Cavanagh, on the other hand, provides the album s intense instrumentation. This is some of his finest playing, not only acoustic guitars but also fierce electric leads and stunning synth textures that lend the pieces a more Floydian touch overall. Judgement isn t as radical a change from Alternative 4 as Eternity was from The Silent Enigma. It is important, however, that a key member, bassist Duncan Patterson, parted ways with the band before they started writing this album. Patterson was an integral part of the Anathema sound, supplying the band s rock-solid rhythms along with long-time drummer John Douglas, who, ironically, would also leave after this disc. Patterson is replaced by Dave Pybus, another competent bass player. And while there isn t much room to showcase his talents, songs like Pitiless and Wings of God both feature his signature style. Pitiless is already a welcome change after the extremely dark and moving opener Deep. It weaves heavier guitar work by the Cavanagh brothers, some spoken poetry and hummed harmonies, and a great lead solo drenched in sound effects. The band was still trying to inject new elements into their sound, as they had never released the same album twice. Whether you are a fan of the band or not, you have to give it to them that they always tried to break new ground without being afraid of putting their influences on display. Speaking of influences, traces of Radiohead can be heard in the intro and effect-laden guitars on Don t Look Too Far, something which they would expand on in the future, and on the Floydian album finale 2000 & Gone, a strong piece to close the record on a somewhat psychedelic note. It is a beautiful instrumental that proudly boasts lush keyboard textures, spatial ambiances, and guitar feedback. The best songs are scattered around on the disc. From the mood-setter Deep to the desperate One Last Goodbye, with great soloing and powerful vocals, Judgement still manages to be as varied as its predecessors. On an emotional level, the way the beautiful female vocals (by drummer John Douglas sister) over delicate piano on Parisienne Moonlight bleed into the moving title track, which boasts plaintive synths blanketing textured acoustic guitars is simply intense. This is one of their most well-crafted songs, especially the way the guitar riffs build to that killer crescendo amidst rapid-fire drumming. Emotional Winter also deserves a mention. Very melancholic in its essence, the keyboards and guitar effects establish a thick soundscape through its course, with mirage-like guitar lines heard ringing distantly, thus providing added atmosphere.This album was dedicated to Helen Cavanagh, the Cavanagh brothers mother, who passed away during the writing stages of these songs. I feel it s a very fitting release dedicated to her memory.