Warthur Alternative 4 finds Anathema's Pink Floyd influence beginning to overwhelm them, and to be honest in a way which I can't say I enjoy. When the band use the echoing stutter effect on the vocals as used on Animals multiple times within the first few minutes of the album, I can't help but see it as hero worship overriding good compositional taste - it just comes across as them tossing in Floyd references for the sake of it without consideration of whether that's really what the composition calls for.

Their post-punk influences also seem to be rather muted and less distinctive and interesting, and on the whole the album just puts me to sleep. It'd be rude and inaccurate to call them doom metal's answer to Coldplay but the thought did cross my mind; still, people really keen on the idea of a Floyd/doom crossover might find more to enjoy than I did.

bonnek Alternative 4 is the first in a series of 3 astoundingly beautiful albums from Anathema. Their doom metal roots have all but disappeared and the raw emotion is distilled into dark but accessible rock music.

The style consists of the mix of latter day Pink Floyd with a strong UK post-punk heritage, of which the atmospheric doomrock of Fields Of The Nephilim is felt most prominently. The vocals are entirely Floydian though, so don’t fear for any gruff zombie voices if that would be the sound of your nightmares.

As all Anathema albums, also this one coalesces into one harmonized listening experience that must be heard in its entity. ‘Hearing’ isn’t even entirely appropriate here, this is music that must be felt, that you should submit yourself to. The focus isn’t on technical tricks; it’s on the emotive power of minor chords and on the brooding intensity of their emotive rock. I think Alternative 4 serves as a perfect Anathema introduction. It should easily please all fans of the melancholic rock of Floyd albums such as The Wall, The Final Cut and Gilmour’s first solo album. This album could as easily be rated 5 stars but since Anathema kept growing on the next albums. 4.99 wil have to do.

AtomicCrimsonRush A dark portrait of betrayal, despair and isolation.

There were two reasons I was drawn to this album, my first Anathema album; the glowing reviews and that cover. I love the enigmatic power the cover exudes, an astronaut reflected visor, one of the most important images in history, the moon landing, merged with an angelic ghost. I do not know where it fits in with the music but it's a drawcard for me. I did not know what to expect, reading all the reviews that gush out praise, but I was pleasantly surprised.

At first listen I was reminded of the melancholy doominess of Opeth, primarily their beautiful acoustic work on "Damnation". So as I am a newbie to Anathema and from what I have read I have to assume a lot here. I have to assume that this is one of their quieter more sombre albums and that they are not as heavy here as on previous albums. This presents a problem, similar to Opeth, that I do not over rate it due to a knee jerk reaction on this one album performance. I am also reminded of Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Riverside at times; that is metal meets symphonic.

From the outset Anathema stamp their authority with an incredible opening number that builds in intensity and drops to the melancholy beautiful vocal performance of Vincent Cavanagh. His voice permeates every track, very heartfelt and emotionally resonant. The mix is an in-your-face ambience of soft guitars, and key pads that are heavily sustained and majestic. The feel is epic throughout the album both in arrangement and credibility. The choreography of light and dark textures are brave and powerful. Tension and release are created by aggressive distortion in the guitar work that are interwoven between huge passages of fragile keyboards; the music is a great marriage of all these elements to create a dynamism that commands attention.

Highlights for me are 'Feel' with its beautiful doom laden lyrics laced with betrayal, despair and desperation; especially the anger projected on the line; "Slipping away, I think I'm gonna crack, Misplaced trust, loyalty stabbed in the gut." The passion behind such lyrics embeds itself upon the emotions, and resonates on every listen; "I feel, I'm seeing so clear, I thought I was never gonna die. I feel, I'm seeing so clear, We need more time."

'Fragile Dreams' features tearful violin beauty and a powerhouse guitar riff, with melancholy vocals; "Tonight your soul sleeps, but one day you will feel real pain, maybe then you will see me as I am, A fragile wreck on a storm of emotion." The darkness of 'Inner Silence' is expressed with haunting piano and ethereal vocal work.

'Lost Control' has an atmosphere of impending dread created by sad melancholy piano, violin motifs and an extreme downbeat distorted guitar. The band are a force to be reckoned with when they lock in to that void of sheer unbridled isolation and alienation. The estranged vocals are in essence a part of the music, complimenting it with astounding finesse; "Life has betrayed me once again, I accept that some things will never change. I've let your tiny minds magnify my agony, and it's left me with a chemical dependency for sanity."

'Re-connect' is a heavier track with a wonderful bassline and elegantly performed vocals spouting Gothic imagery; "Black cold night I toss and turn, I'm sinking, feel so drained, Shroud me, blind me, sick, weak, empty, drag me into pain, I tried so hard, don't drown me, bound to me, self indulgently crazed, Black as coal, my sunken soul, will it ever be saved?" The nightmare imagery is juxtaposed with a more aggressive vocal with some expletives angrily spat out. There is a huge wall of sound created with keys and guitar and crashing drums. In fact the drums by Steels are incredible, pounding relentlessly in metrical patterns that would keep any metronome swinging busily.

I am pleased to be introduced to this band with this album as it was an excellent blend of metal and melancholia, but I am left wondering about other material from Anathema and whether this album was simply a break from tradition similar to what Opeth did on "Damnation". Having stated that, there is no way I could rate this less than 4 stars as it is a powerful, if rather bleak, experience that soaks itself in its own misery as a kind of catharsis, but always exuding it's own distinct atmosphere

Conor Fynes 'Alternative 4' - Anathema (7/10)

There have been few bands that have moved me on an emotional level to the extent that Anathema have with their music. Their gorgeous blend of art/alternative rock with the anguishing atmosphere of doom metal works very well, and consistently works as a vessel to help the listener feel some of the most sad, beautiful feelings around.

The album is very good in it's composition and performance. While I wouldn't necessarily call this music prog, theres more than enough intelligence in it to keep things interesting and not feel like a guilty-pleasure of sorts. While many prog bands feel the obligation to resort to the lowest common denominator and relingquish songwriting excellence with mindless soloing and wankery, Anathema manages to refrain, and keep the extent of their playing within the context of the song. This alone is a pretty refreshing change.

If I was to describe the music here, there's a strong influence of Pink Floyd here, mixed with a gothic/doom metal sensibility, with strong overtones of depression, loss and anguish. This is definately not music that would play at a dance club (although there was ever a spin of 'Inner Silence' at a club, I would be pleasantly suprised!) This is music to listen to while in reflection. While the recurring theme here is definately one of anguish, there are hints of hope and wavering optimism in some of the melodies ('Destiny' or 'Inner Silence,' for example.) While all but one (the weak point being the overdrawn 'Feel') song here are excellent, the two highlights would most likely be 'Re-Connect' and 'Inner Silence,' the latter of which being quite possibly the most moving song I've ever heard that's three minutes long.

The only issue with 'Alternative 4' is that at times it can get overly morose and angsty. Compared to later works such as the magnificent 'A Natural Disaster,' it seems a bit immature. At first, I rated this album five stars, but after a few months (and after buying their later material as well) I realized that 'Alternative 4' was, in fact flawed. The first impression was one of total awe though.

'Alternative 4' is a testament of proof that music is still alive, even in this gloomy age. A bit morose and immature at times, but beautiful.

Phonebook Eater I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one who loved this album. This was my first approach to Anathema, and honestly I didn't think it was going to be this good. "Alternative 4" is full of dark moments, but, like many modern prog bands (Tool, Riverside, Pain of Salvation, Porcupine Tree), the music really digs in your soul, creating a highly emotional impact. After the beautiful intro, " Fragile Dreams" kicks in, and here you understand what I meant with high emotional impact. " Empty" is a short but effective song, very similar to Doom Metal. I would like to mention also the beautiful and sad " Inner Silence", amd of course the very original tile track, where again there are many doom influences.

As a conclusion, I would like to say how much I loved this album, because it gives so many emotions, and rarely music is this powerful. An essential Masterpiece for whoever loves metal and/or prog.

Any Colour You Like Having heard Judgement already, my hopes were high going into Alternative 4 - as you would expect given the sonic goodness Anathema had made their name upon. The Anathema sound is almost at its peak here, driving riffs, filled with atmosphere, doom and visceral power. But there is also an element of frailty in the music, complemented by severely depressing lyrics. From the first chords of Fragile Dreams, it is apparent that Alternative 4 will be a moving experience unlike many others.

Whilst not progressive in the eclectic or traditional sense, Alternative 4 relies heavily upon lyrical imagery, mixed with deep layers to form a dark timbre and texture. Think Floyd, but metal. There are several links to the old Doom Anathema, but don't worry - the cookie monster vocals stay far away, and only the sweet sounding rhythm section remains. The album focuses heavily upon the theme of trust, or lack thereof, and in typical Anathema style, builds power and momentum with forlorn vocals. The combination of such interesting lyrics and beautiful compositions means that the album flows nicely and does not feel overdone. The small touches of violin and sweeping keyboard movements add an extra spice to an otherwise standard Anathema composition. Make no mistake - this is the ultimate Anathema album, even if it doesn't quite reach the same desperate atmosphere as Judgement. The reason I prefer this album over Judgement is quite simple, while they are musically very similar, Alternative 4 is more daring in its lyrical content, while still maintaining a heavy and dark atmosphere. Judgement may be just too similar, and possibly derivative to its predecessor compared.

Alternative 4 is not without fault, it is crushingly downcast, and perhaps never quite reaches the musical smile inducing zenith of Judgement. But given the conceptual purpose, development and beauty of Alternative 4's composition, it is hard to listen and not feel a sense of warmth, in the brutal honesty of despair.

5 Stars