Counting the number of albums I have from these guys I'd have to say they are one of my favorite bands. I was not disappointed with their new release, but I'm sure many people will be.
The direction taken on "Eternity" is not totally different from that on "The Silent Enigma", but it goes a step further away from their death style roots. This album is one that could be best described as a combination of ambient, classical, and metal. If you were looking for another doomdeath release, then you'd better go elsewhere, unless you are really open minded. One thing that Anathema has been good at is still using the good old guitar, bass, and drums, not letting the synth overwhelm the music. They stand by this well enough as to not give credit for whomever lent their hand on the keyboards.
Can't particularily say they have gone for a dark music either. Generally the album doesn't venture too far to the low, nor is the presentation dark in nature. The theme is, go figure, "Eternity". The lyrics present a story of change, hope, and forever. Possibly it's best described by the lyrical quote the band chose to separate on the insert, "Trapped in time, A miracle of hope and change, A swirling mass, no mercy now, If the truth hurts prepare for pain, .......Do you think we're forever?"
The complexity of the music is not provided by the complexity of the riffs, rather the timings and layering of the various tracks. The drums, when not faded out, deliver a rather simple beat with a tempo at about a speed you'd expect from normal metal (no insane pounding or blast bleats around here). It's difficult to say what type of riffs the guitars are creating, many of them don't sound much like metal riffs; they possess this somewhat happy, yet wonderous feeling. This is not to say the album is without it's share of standard metal riffage. A requisite bass is the only source of low end with it's simple riffs, yet nicely sequenced tracks. Although not too strong in the music, a variety of synth maintains a low hum in places and creates the sounds that can't otherwise be created on the guitars.
No review of Anathema would be complete without mentioning something about the less than beautiful vocals of Vincent Cavanagh. While his ability doesn't match that of their once vocalist Darren White, it does manage to complete the new sound that their music has taken on. His voice, a mid range singing style, sounds forced, a quality that amazingly isn't bad in this case. Partially as a result of this forced voice, Vincent manages to portary the emotional content of the songs quite nicely.
If you're already a fan of Anathema, then you'll either hate this
album or love it. Anathema never ceases to amaze me, and I'm sure
they'll continue to do so in the future. Although "Eternity" moves
further away from metal, especially extreme metal, I, and others,
will accept it as an excellent album.
| Anathema is: | |
|---|---|
| Vincent Cavanagh | Vocals / Guitars |
| Daniel Cavanagh | Guitars |
| Duncan Patterson | Bass Guitar |
| John Douglas | Drums |
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