Alternative 4

On Alternative 4, Anathema’s fourth full-length album, the band continued to push the boundaries of their sound, moving further away from their doom/death origins and more into dark atmospheric rock territories. In a way, Alternative 4 begins where Eternity – the band’s previous album – had ended: with a fascinating hybrid of metal and Roger Waters / Pink Floyd influences. However, the songwriting on Alternative 4 is sharper and more experimental, pushing to the fore the dark, experimental undertones of the music, while letting the metal aggression slip more into the background. Duncan Patterson, the band’s bass player, is the person responsible for this evolution. A huge fan of Pink Floyd and Waters’s solo work, Duncan took on much of the songwriting duties between Eternity and Alternative 4, penning 6 of the 10 songs of Alternative 4 and playing piano and keyboards in addition to bass on the album.

Piano and keys are indeed the instruments that probably stand out the most on Alternative 4. Spacey keyboard soundscapes and gloomy piano arpeggios form the backbone of many of the songs on this album, from opener “Shroud of False” to closer “Destiny”, passing through the morose title-track. The guitars are used to create contrasting dynamics, the gentle keyboards suddenly giving way to walls of gritty distortion in the most dramatic passages of the music, bringing the songs to intense climaxes. The use of such stark dynamics is the other defining characteristic of the album: the songs often move sharply between quietest moments, with only Vincent Cavanagh’s deep voice to accompany the piano, and louder parts with explosions of distorted guitars, drums and rougher singing. As a result, Alternative 4 is an album that feels very bold and dramatic, at times even unhinged in its vehemence. This matches well the themes of regret, betrayal, loneliness, insanity and death that are touched repeatedly throughout the album.

It is a heavy album – not in the sense of heavy music, but in terms of dense atmosphere and bitter lyrical content. Yet, it is also a very melodic and harmonious album, containing some of the most accessible and beautiful tunes that Anathema have composed up to this point in their career. Songs like “Lost Control”, “Regret” and “Feel” are perfectly balanced between melodic accessibility and claustrophobic gloom. “Fragile Dreams” is, to this day, one of Anathema’s most beloved songs and a staple of live concerts. The title-track is a strange affair, dark and disturbing with its ominous keyboard soundscape, obsessive guitar arpeggio and pounding drums. It is one of the most experimental songs written by the band and perfectly encapsulates the essence of the album. I also love the trio of shorter, piano-based songs (“Shroud of False”, “Inner Silence” and “Destiny”) and how they are positioned in the tracklist (beginning, middle and end), giving a sense of flow and continuity to the album. On the other hand, “Empty” and especially “Re-Connect” are weaker and feel somewhat undeveloped, although this does not detract too much from the overall listening experience.

In short, Alternative 4 is a great album that finds the band on the cusp of their most accomplished releases (Judgment and A Fine Day to Exit). It is atmospheric and experimental, and very much influenced by Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, but still retaining the bite and power of metal. It perfectly connects the band’s doom heritage with the alternative rock / post-metal sound they developed in later stages of their career. As such, it may be the ideal point of entry for those who are new to the band, or to either side of their 30-year career.

Experiencing the evolution of Anathema in the 1990s was an intensely rewarding one for this reviewer. Their move from admittedly excellent death-doom into a more frail melancholic expression remains one of my sweetest memories of that great decade, and the culmination of musical quality occurred right here on ‘Alternative 4’.

‘Alternative 4’ is not just the greatest Anathema album, it is one of metal’s highest accomplishments as far as emotion and atmosphere are concerned. It’s the perfect sweet spot for Anathema, where they still retained a gloomy and depressive vision of the world, yet had eschewed the chunky riffs of the past to emerge, gracefully swanlike, with rippling piano, heart-rending violin and Vincent Cavanagh’s miraculously forlorn voice. More on him shortly.

Firstly, the songs. The album opens with the haunting piano of ‘Shroud of False’, a short vignette of a track that introduces the bleak sentiment of the album, with Vincent announcing “We are just a moment in time…” This introduction evolves into the violin-led build-up of the majestic ‘Fragile Dreams’, with its swaying main riff, open and breathy verses, and huge, glorious chorus.

The next track ‘Empty’, is probably the fastest and heaviest on the album, with the protagonist reflecting on betrayal and heartache, while one of the most moving songs in all metal, ‘Inner Silence’ – an ode to the Cavanaghs’ mother – functions as a grandiose love song that is again short and to the point yet momentous and aching. ‘Feel’ slows things down with the beautiful organ sound and plaintive lyrics, presenting an almost dreamlike quality.

One of the reasons this album is so successful is that it’s the culmination of the powerful writing partnership of Duncan Patterson and Danny Cavanagh; indeed, it would be Patterson’s last album with the band and he penned 6 of the 10 songs. His tracks are depressive with profound lyrics: “I remember a night from my past when I was stabbed in the back” and “Life has betrayed me once again… I accept some things will never change”. These are about as depressive as it can get, and the beautiful music that accompanies these odes to sadness is entrancing and immersive.

One of the clearest memories I have of first hearing this album back in 1998 was how far Vincent Cavanagh’s voice had evolved from ‘Eternity’, and even more so from ‘The Silent Enigma’. Where he barked on the latter, and moaned his way through the former, the clarity and emotion in his clean singing voice here on ‘Alternative 4’ was a fucking revelation. Gothic and doom bands simply didn’t sing that way at the time – even Jonas in Katatonia was keeping it low-key and understated with ‘Discouraged Ones’ that came out the same year. Vincent’s voice here was revolutionary in its open earnestness and clarity.

The deceptively simple artwork of the angel astronaut and the all-white tone perfectly suits the sounds within, while the booklet, with ultra-close-ups of aspects of the band members’ faces, is evocative and personal.

While the band would step into more commercial emotional music later on, with messages of positivity, acceptance and even a Christian-like spirituality, ‘Alternative 4’ remains as a megalithic ode to the power of negative expression within a gothic metal template. It’s haunting, beautiful, meaningful and sentimental. It’s perfect.

Like some of other extreme metal acts of the 90s, Anathema's evolution took them on a journey further and further away from their grim roots, alienating some of their fanbase in the process. In a similar manner to Finland's Amorphis, classic progressive rock crept in and progressively (!) took a stronger hold of the band's sound, and just like the Finns, the transformation was completely audible by their fourth album, even though traces of it could be found on their preceding recording. In the case of Anathema however, the death metal aesthetic never played a primordial role and they ditched it rapidly, while the gothic factor grew even stronger in 1996's Eternity. Alternative rock was also displayed in that album, but in the deceptively titled Alternative 4 LP, progressive rock is the major ingredient, and Pink Floyd in particular, its greatest influence.

The melancholy of their previous works is still evident, but Alternative 4 signals the band's ambition in creating more dynamic compositions, playing with ambience, varied instrumentation and different motifs, highlighting peaks of intensity amidst calmer moments. Tranquil acoustic guitars, melancholic pianos, absorbing organs, occasional quality violin and assorted keyboards and other instrumentation appear prominently. Gothic doom metal is still present here and there, with some robust guitars and riffs, but is definitely not that accentuated. During a time where taciturn alternative acts like Radiohead and Placebo were ascending in popularity in the UK, perhaps is no coincidence that the Isles' three gothic metal progenitors, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, chose to broaden up their sound and experiment with a similar aesthetic, still within a metal context, but downplaying the role of their heavier traits. But again, it is the classic sound of 70s Pink Floyd the element that most pronouncedly shapes this record, an influence that appears unabashedly in practically all the tracks and sets them apart from those other seminal two bands.

The brief intro “Shroud of False” sets up the pace and shows the face of this Anathema phase (no rhymes intended), giving place to one of their most iconic tunes, “Fragile Dreams”, a composition that features memorable book-ending riffs and timely violin interventions. The first time I saw the Brits live, that song immediately caused an impact on me before I had listened to its studio version or red the lyrics, its sad melodies so easy to remember, causing one to either whistle them aloud or mumble them inside the mind. It's one of the most cathartic compositions by this band, hands down. It is followed by “Empty”, another stellar track that has a more alternative feel, but in which again, those bittersweet melodies they employ become so darn enjoyable. Then, “Lost Control”, featuring minimal but classy arrangements, mellow guitar playing and those signature fading choruses, becomes a clear example of the new Floyd-isms the band uses, and would continue to use throughout their career, while the slow and gentle “Inner Silence” almost sounds like the blueprint of the more atmospheric style of their last four studio albums.

From the dark atmosphere of the title track, to the sad splendor of the towering “Regret” or the emotional punch of “Feel”, there's enough variation from track to track to give each and every one of them plenty of replay value, either in the album order, or in a improvised playlist. Perhaps with the exception of closer “Destiny”, each of the ten compositions its engaging on its own, and the record is amazing as a whole. And while sometimes you might think those guitars are the work of David Gilmour, the clear, heartfelt and powerful vocals by Vincent Cavanagh will remind you that there's no Roger Waters here. Oddly, this is the only Anathema record without the output of longtime drummer/keyboardist John Douglas, but he's not missed, as soon-to-be My Dying Bride's drummer Shaun Steels does a suitable job behind the kit. Speaking of kits, Kit Woolven pristine production is magnificent, just what the doctor ordered for this outstanding piece of gothic progressive metal/rock, featuring a rare picture of Neil Wingstrong on the cover.

Alternative 4 might be borderline metal, and without surprise it was and still is shunned by fans of the band's early style, but for enthusiasts of lighter alternative metal, gothic and heavier progressive rock, it constitutes an indisputable highlight of the 90s, comparable to the also somewhat derivative but quality releases from fellow British act Porcupine Tree from that period. The band ultimately discarded all metallic elements from their formula, maybe a mistake, although I do enjoy their last efforts all the way to the lighter of them all, 2017's The Optimist. However, I wouldn't mind if they dialed it back a little and 're-connected' with the style of their fourth album, which 20 years later after its release, remains my favorite from the Cavanaghs & Co.

This is an album that I have been looking forward to reviewing for so long because as a huge fan of Anathema, 'Alternative 4' is near and dear to my heart because it was the first full album I heard from the band. I had already reviewed Anathema's 'Eternity' album through my previous profile and didn't know if I was allowed to review it again. However, I still stand with my opinion that 'Eternity' is one of the greatest metal albums I've ever heard and is a major inspiration on me. I fell in love with Anathema's music ever since I first heard the song 'Lost Control', that song to me was so depressing and so dark that it eventually took me deeper into gothic metal music. Now 'Alternative 4' is unusual release for the band because it's the gateway in which Anathema started to move away from their metal edge. I still consider albums like 'Alternative 4' and 'Judgement' to be their last records to ever show any sign of metal and gothic influence. Also, John Douglas doesn't return for this album, but instead we get Shaun Steels who at the time had left his former band Solstice and would go on to drum for fellow Peaceville band My Dying Bride. This is also the last album with bassist Duncan Patterson which after the release showed Anathema moving away further from metal on their next album. Although 'Alternative 4' is not as powerful and inspiring as 'Eternity', the album is still one of the greatest albums I've heard in gothic metal for being as depressing and showing more gothic elements then in 'Eternity.'

The music for 'Alternative 4' has shown some changes, but has remained the same as 'Eternity.' 'Alternative 4' is a toned down when we are talking about guitars. The guitars still sound heavy enough to be metal from a doom metal perspective, but shows Anathema slowly showing less metal guitars. It features some soothing and ominous sounds from melodic guitars that sometimes don't sound heavy, but still has some really great riffs that are simple and doom-like. Hearing songs like 'Lost Control', 'Inner Silence', and 'Regret' sounds like they are going for more melody, but at the same time, they were extremely depressing, which is one big reason why I love the album. Also, I really like Shaun Steels drumming in this album for some reason, I just found his drumming really catchy. The musical approach is amazing that gives out emotion and simplicity to the music. 'Alternative 4' has also showed more gothic and atmospheric sounds that are also amazing thanks to the keyboards. From the piano in the beginning of 'Shroud of False', the depressing yet simple playing in 'Lost Control', the ominous synths in the title track, to the depressing and mournful sounds of 'Regret.' The keyboards is the best part of the album for showing versatile moments that can appeal to even rock/alternative rock music as well as bringing powerful sounds that made the album so gothic. I mean come on, it features organ in 'feel', and dark effects in the last track 'Destiny.' I give credit to metal bands who risk losing metal fans by going on a more melodic, but extremely dark and depressing direction and be able to do it so amazing like 'Alternative 4' did.

'Alternative 4' is also showing more tone down results within Vincent Cavanaghs vocal approach. Cavanagh no longer show signs of hitting high notes or dirty sounding vocals. Instead his approach is more deeper and simple. While Vincent is showing a more rock style approach, it's still showing more adding depression to the music. Vincent is so calm and melancholic that it feels like he is showing his pain throughout his music. Instead of showing anger is more melancholy. Not that 'Eternity' didn't have a lot of melancholy, but it did show emotions of anger that were still well executed. 'Alternative 4' is the first album where Vincent Cavanagh is bringing out his signature vocal sound. It would be seen in future albums, even in albums where Anathema stop playing metal. It's a range in which Cavanagh feels more comfortable with and people should really appreciate that he found his sound. Sure Vincent's vocals are simpler than 'Eternity', his vocals are very melancholy that is a perfect match 'Alternative 4's musical direction.

The lyrics for 'Alternative 4' is also really good. When doing research on 'Alternative 4', the common lyrical theme that I heard is trust and betrayal. Some would say that the Anathema should lose points for going to a more simpler direction. However, that was the point of 'Alternative 4' and the lyrics match well with mood of the entire album. 'Alternative 4' lyrics are simple, but shows a lot of depressing well written lines that are very memorizing. A great example of the albums depressing lyrics is heard in the title track.

"I'll dance with the angels to celebrate the holocaust"

That is the most depressing line I ever saw or heard because who in their right mind would think something like that. The title track also hits it out of the park with Vincent Cavanagh's voice where he speaks with that nasal accent from that line to the end to make it much more ominous. After all, Duncan Patterson is the driving force for writing the music and the lyrics to the title track. That explains why it is amazing to hear something so dark, depressing, and lives up to more creative success from the bands previous album. Not all the songs were written by Patterson, some of the bands well-known songs are written by Danny Cavanagh. The reality is that Patterson was better at coming up with the music and lyrics. Patterson knew how to write music that was as depressing and underrated to match the mood of the songs. In the end, the lyrical content are fantastic no matter who wrote them, it shows creative freedom from all members and it showed realism of depression and melancholy.

For some reason, 'Alternative 4' didn't meet up with success according to allmusic, and I assume that because it resulted in drastic changes that would come in the next album. One thing that is tragic is that like 'Eternity', 'Alternative 4' tends to get left out from gothic metal because it was the start of the band moving away from metal. However, 'Alternative 4' is the band's hidden gem of Anathema's career and even after the band stopped playing metal, it's still a classic album from newer fans of Anathema. When I saw Anathema back in August of 2017, I thought they were not going to play songs from 'Eternity' and 'Alternative 4' because those are still metal albums, but some the songs like 'Fragile Dreams', and 'Lost Control' are still being played and it's amazing. In fact, I was probably the only person who was headbanging to 'Lost Control' because it was still heavy. 'Alternative 4' is another amazing record that will leave people moved with its depressing nature, and is a classic in gothic metal because it was so depressing. To me 'Alternative 4' is still overshadowed by 'Eternity' because I love that album more and was less simple and more atmospheric, but it is still an album that cannot be ignored! Trust me you won't regret it, no pun intended.

Favorite Tracks: 'Shroud of False/Fragile Dreams', 'Empty', 'Lost Control', 'Alternative 4', 'Regret'

I don't play this album often. I don't listen to Anathem very often, to be honest. Unlike Katatonia, another early 90s doom death band who diverged into atmospheric rock/metal territory, the lumpen shapes and deliberately British progressive exploits of these Liverpudlians has rarely tempted me to abandon myself to them, nor do many of their albums reward casual listening. And then today, I decided to play the album again - an album that I usually write off as a bit boring, slow, and too serious for its own good - and found myself enjoying it right from the off, even before the end of the brief vignette 'Shroud of False'. What I mean is not that those opinions of mine are misguided, but that it seems easy to forget the positive qualities of 'Alternative 4' in light of its shortcomings.

I find more and more that I have little patience with bands who rely on constant changes of pace or the impact of near-silent sections of music to achieve their goals, since I desire music that will not only envelope me but engulf me, overwhelm me, and force me to submit to its will. On this album, I could easily ignore about half of the songs if I were busy with something else: the likes of 'Lost Control' and 'Feel' are just too abstract and ponderous for their own good, attempting so hard to produce a sense of drama and evoke emotions that they begin to lose some of their status as musical compositions, a problem that I also identify in the overwrought gothic/doom bands like Virgin Black and My Dying Bride at times. On the other hand, there are other songs that rejoice in their musical inventiveness and also reject little in the way of emotion. Essentially, what I'm saying is that this album is a little uneven, both in mood and performance, though I'm usually a sucker for variety.

It might be worth pointing out here that 'Alternative 4', although not really the stepping-stone album for Anathema (probably 'The Silent Enigma' or 'Eternity', which purged the last vestiges of doom from their sound and broadened their scope to accomodate many textures and colours), has influenced many of the bands on the fringes between metal and progressive music, often in the area known as "atmospheric rock". With The Gathering only a year or two behind, many bands who had begun as slightly alternative takes on the popular European slow gothic/death/doom movement were about to transform into something altogether more difficult to define. Regarding The Gathering, Anathema have always been a more sombre alternative to the powerful vocal-driven work of the Dutch band, while Italians Novembre pursued the progressive ideas in a more specific direction. More recently (early 00s), Norwegians Green Carnation stepped into the shoes of this kind of diverse sound with albums like 'A Blessing in Disguise' and 'The Quiet Offspring', which followed a more song-based formula to a similar spot. What is significant about all these bands is that they are capable of producing some magnificent music, yet have aspects that I dislike, in many cases because of the sparseness of the music and focus on vocals.

With pianos or acoustic guitars, boredom beckons fast, since I desire a fuller sound and greater activity, meaning that 'Regret' - the centrepiece of 'Alternative 4' - strikes me very differently during different sections. It opens gradually, as an 8 minute song is wont to do, but merely drifts upon its inner emotions until about halfway through it jerks up into a fluid folky sway replete with washes of organ. About 6 minutes in, there is a section that sounds much like Porcupine Tree's 'Time Flies' (from at least a decade after), which is very pleasant, but that doesn't last for long either. Other songs follow this kind of pattern, few of them containing definite choruses, yet I'm frustrated because this kind of progressive wandering doesn't feel unexpected or adventurous, nor does it bring a sense of drama and climax to the songs - in fact, those shifts are anticlimactic as often as not. I feel like a sour bastard saying this, because it takes a fair bit of skill to avoid resorting to the obvious for an entire 45 minute album: Anathema never become predictable, but they rarely become exciting either, and that's what I feel is really missing from some of the songs here.

There are some great moments though, such as the gorgeously free-flowing 'Empty', which swoops and soars upon the guidance of an energetic vocal performance. The title track profits not from energy or pace, but in fact from the simplicity of its ideas, echoing and throbbing menacingly, never needing to break out into crescendo to capitalize on the tension. 'Fragile Dreams' is strong too, but there are moments in most of the longer songs that feel unnecessary or mere exercises in "being progressive", though none of the musicians ever feel the need to show off, nor are there solos for any instrument during the album. I have a Peaceville reissue with 4 extra tracks - three Pink Floyd covers (as if it wasn't obvious) and a Bad Religion cover - which don't add a great deal of value, although 'Better Off Dead' is a total shocker for anyone who knows the original and works fairly decently as a piano ballad with female vocals. As the inevitability of 'Goodbye Cruel World' chimes to an end, I'm left with a peaceful, relaxed feeling, though also a sense of relief that it's all over. Catharsis achieved (it's good for the emotional types), though not a lot else.

“Alternative 4” is, as you might guess from the title, Anathema’s fourth full-length release. The most understated of their albums, with a significant lack of guitar solos, it continues with “Eternity” ’s transition from the death-doom genre to clean vocals and an atmospheric rock sound.

The intro, ‘Shroud of False’, sets the minimalist theme of the album with its piano and whispered voice, then we’re pitched immediately into ‘Fragile Dreams’, whose catchy, almost folky riff belies the pain of broken trust evident in the lyrics.

‘Empty’ is one of the more accessible tracks of this release, the heavier sound perhaps appealing to fans of the band’s earlier work. From the initial slow-paced, ominous introduction to the aggressive singing about the futility of life, this song emanates bitter passion. ‘Lost Control’ then sees this defiant emotion defeated, and we’re left not fighting, but resigned to our fate, wondering when and not if the end will come.

‘Re-Connect’ is frontman Vincent Cavanagh’s first completely solo songwriting attempt, and for a debut effort it’s not half bad. After the troubled searching of ‘Lost Control’, we are once again defiant, almost violent, the guitars and synth having a dizzying effect on the already slightly crazed singing.

‘Inner Silence’, however, immediately calms the mood with its melodic piano intro and soft violins throughout, underpinned by the lingering heartbeat from the bass drum. It’s a wonderfully tender, thought-provoking expression of grief and regret concerning the death of the Cavanagh brothers’ mother, and the emotion in Vincent’s voice is evident through the entire vocal part.

The album’s title track is slower again and altogether more menacing than any of its fellow songs. It’s a somewhat experimental track, and the solo vocal section and echoing drums always makes me feel uneasy – not exactly music to fall asleep to.

The lyrics of ‘Regret’ reveal a deep sadness, with the vocals reflecting the apathy that comes with despair. Musically, it is a skilled piece of work – the acoustic guitars at the beginning communicate the hollow feeling of despondency, however the electric guitars at the end of the track seem a bit too overwhelming for such a miserable song.

‘Feel’ seems to lack some of the vocal passion expressed in other tracks on the album, and although an attempt is made, it’s not as effortless as the rest of the album.
Finally, after all the grief, regret and loneliness through the album, the closing line of ‘Destiny’ offers a glimmer of hope:

“Angel, my destiny, can you feel me?”

A tranquil lullaby despite the disturbed lyrics, it is the perfect epilogue for “Alternative 4”.
From the gentle whisper in the first track to “Re-Connect’s anguished howl, Vincent’s vocals across the entire album are confident and compelling, a significant improvement on his work on previous albums.

Despite all the negative emotion conveyed, the songs have a strangely calming effect. A soundtrack for anyone who’s ever experienced loss, it provides a sense of solace during moments of despair. This album was my introduction to doom metal and I haven’t looked back since. Enjoy it - but not too much. It is a doom album, after all.

For some time, I was quite prejudice towards Anathema's later material. Later than 'The Silent Enigma', that is. I've come across a few bands that have crossed over genres. Usually from doom metal to any form of rock. Anathema are no different. What was once a doom metal band, with death metal elements, are now an atmospheric rock band. In the past, when i've seen this occur, bands tend to lose their way. The momentum wasn't carried over and although they might have lost fans from the 'golden days', they've gained new popularity under a new genre name. Anathema are one of the few fortunate bands that have managed to carry over their success from one genre to another without losing fans but instead, gaining many new ones and with ease. A lot of the plaudits has to go to the musicians of Anathema, obviously. As band members have come and gone, Anathema have weathered the storm and appear to be entering a phase of their careers when their best material is flowing from the mind to their individual instruments with class.


Musicianship is order of the day for those of you looking to hear 'Alternative 4'. Anathema seems to have kept much of the dark brooding concepts and have carried them over from earlier albums, on to this particular piece. Though the sound is much different to what it was, the goal seems to be the same as it ever was. The idea of 'Alternative 4' appears to be to portray a vast array of negative emotions to the audience. Despite this, there can be moments of a truly touching nature:

"When the silence beckons,
And the day draws to a close,
When the light of your life sighs,
And love dies in your eyes,
Only then will I realise,
What you mean to me."

Lyrics are never usually that important to me, but it's nice to feel a connection with what the bands vocalist is singing about. Not only are the lyrics quite touching, but they are also universal. I'm sure the majority of us have felt inner struggles such as these, or will do in the future. It's inevitable. The effectiveness of the lyrics is obviously down to the vocals. Whilst I used to consider myself a fan of the old Anathema style, the experimentation of the band brings out the best in their abilities. The vocals, which are now cleaner than ever before, are more affective. The lyrics now have a greater chance of being coherent with the vocals being of a clean nature. Whilst the old growling style wasn't exactly incoherent, the overwhelming style of the clean vocals suits the style of Anathema more. Of course, albums like 'The Silent Enigma' were designed to be heavier, therefore the vocals were also heavier, but this more subtle venture appears to be where Anathema can truly get to work on cementing their reputation amongst the best rock bands not only to come out of England, which there are a fair few, but the world no less.


As I said, the subtlety of Anathema is something I can greatly appreciate right now. What with being ill, I needed some soothing music and this is just the right thing for my mood. It's not only because i'm unwell, but as i've got older, my tastes have swayed more and more towards a softer sound than ever before. This is something Anathema provides, both in terms of their soundscapes and their lyrics:

"As I drift away... far away from you,
I feel all alone in a crowded room,
Thinking to myself
"There's no escape from this
fear
regret
loneliness..."

The soundscapes, which i've touched upon, are gorgeous. They're concealed under a shroud of emotion, but gradually, after steady build up play, they're released for us all to gaze upon. Using acoustics and clean vocals are to Anathema's gain. The acoustics add a whole new atmospheric touch to the music on 'Alternative 4'. They don't sweep you off your feet like the electric's do, but they softly take you by the hand to look out upon the marvellous creation that 'Alternative 4' is. There are times when the pace quickens, so it certainly doesn't become drab at any stage. The percussion element of Anathema would never allow that anyway. Musicianship is again credited here. The use of varied tempos, varied sounds from the acoustics to the piano or keyboards all add up to a fine piece of work. So, my opinion of Anathema is slowly developing. As my knowledge on their music continues to grow, so does my appreciation. 'Re-connect' is my favourite song on the album.

This is, perhaps, their weirdest album: lyrics talkin' not 'bout love, but instead, they write about trust. Songs almost entirely piano-driven and there's a lack of guitar solos, different from the previews albums, specially "Eternity". From the very start, when Vincent sings the intro to "Shroud Of False", I knew this would be a trip through desperation, conducted by this beautiful soundtrack made by the Cavanagh brothers and co. A touching piano intro sets the mood and then we hear a whisper: "we are just a moment in time, a blink of an eye, a dream for the blind" by Vince. Then the song really starts with heavy guitars and fast drums. This one minute and half piece is pure Pink Floyd, the vocals even remind me of Davild Gilmour.


But it's just the introduction, what comes next is the real thing! "Fragile Dreams" starts with a brilliant riff provided by guitars and an atmospheric keyboard and then the singing. The verses are cool, talkin' about shattered dreams and grief, but the chorus stands out; catchy and precise. Perfect. One of the highlights, for sure. Then comes "Empty", the angriest song here, and of their most desperate anthems. It's not a melancholic tune, instead, a really really mad (and fast as hell) chant about emptiness with lots of screams and the lyrics... Well, pure Anathema. And to complete this album's holy trinity comes "Lost Control", their most beautiful and depressive song ever. The riffs are remanescent from earlier works and this, my friends, are the three songs that alone, would made this album a great release.


I usually listen to it a few times in a row, because of these songs and I prefer the first half of the album, although in the end there's "Regret", another classic. If your going through hard times and need a soundtrack, buy "Alternative 4" and enjoy, but not too much. This is by far their most depressive album.


Highlights: First 4 tracks, Inner Silence, Alternative 4 and Regret (yeah, almost everything)

Anathema has been one of my favorite bands ever since I got into metal music early on. Their blend of melancholy, progressive experiments and doom in a rock format equals an addictive atmosphere similar to Katatonia in feeling, but not in aesthetics. "Alternative 4" evokes an experimental 70's rock feeling instrumentally, while still mostly remaining fairly standard in terms of songwriting. The album is filled with emotion displayed through memorable clean guitar passages and the occasional piano theme.

"Shroud of False" serves as an intro to "Fragile Dreams", one of the bands biggest fan favorites. Its dreamy atmosphere and whispering vocal delivery is a perfect buildup. "Fragile Dreams" is driven by a rather sentimental, folky guitar melody that still avoids being cheesy. The vocal delivery alternates between rather calm vocal on the verses and a soaring, sorrowful chorus. "Empty" is another strong number. It's more aggressive in nature, with almost cleanly screamed vocals in places. Anathema also deliver some excellent dynamics in this song with a piano section as emotional as ever. My favorite song on this album.

Lyrically, this album is firmly rooted in negativity. The songs are about failed dreams, mental illness and despair. The vocal delivery follows suit but remains quite varied. "Inner Silence" rides on a wave of melodic piano and string arrangements, with a polished, almost pop-like vocal performance. The more unpolished parts of the other songs almost recalls the tortured screams on "The Silent Enigma"; the absolute opposite in terms of the aesthetic quality.

Towards the ending the album gets more gloomy and unorganized. The songs aren't as precisely written, but the aforementioned feeling remains. "Regret" and "Feel" are almost dreadfully depressive in their gloomy expression of sorrow, which doesn't make them as appropriate for every day listening as the catchier pieces in the beginning, if your every day isn't dreadfully depressive of course. "Destiny" finishes it off Anathema style, with some light clean guitars and slow vocals.

This is my favorite Anathema disc along with "Judgement". The only minor complaint I have is that the first, more focused part of the disc encompasses the second, more disorganized part by far. I suppose it's an equation though. What it removes in quality, it adds in variation. Overall, "Alternative 4" is a very good album and a mandatory one for the metal fan with a taste for the depressive.