Anathema Album: “Alternative 4”

Alternative 4 was my first Anathema album and it was also the first album I could not resist listening again and again from the time I put the play button.Really beatifull lyrics and Vincent Cavanagh's emotional voice join those magic images created by their music.Technical solos could not find room in this melancholic atmosphere(maybe with the exceptions of "Fragile Dreams" and "Empty")so they 're not there.I believe that Anathema's power is songwriting and emotion anyway...The album hasn't really got any weak points,it's a constant change between power and melancholy,which makes you want to listen to it from it's beginning to it's end without a pause again and again...I would strongly recomment it to anyone who can feel pity,regret and pain and I could even say that you don't really need to be a metal fan to listen to this.Buy this without delay!!!!

This is a great album. It is the Third Anathema album with Vincnet singing, the first being The Silent Enigma, second Eternity.

The entire first three quarters of the record are fantastic, with Fragile Dreams, Empty and Lost Control all being both powerfully emotive and musically rich.

They indeed have changed a lot since 'Serenades' but the essence that make them stand out from other Doom bands is still here, if not more accentuated. First listen identifies some catchy tunes, but subsequent ones bring out the deep, more moving atmospheres. Definitely worth listening to!

This is the way Anathema's songs are ment to be. Dark, depressing and beautiful. This is one of the only Cd's that I own (and I own a lot) that have no weak moment. I can't mention just one or two songs because the entire album is connected and every song here rocks! A masterpeice, a dark Masterpiece

Anathema's album "Alternative 4" is simply one of the saddest, depressing albums I've ever heard. The whole album from track 1-12 is all tragic and mellonchollie. Even when they write dark songs or love songs the sorrow seeps through. Anathema have been for years considered one of the top doom metal bands in the world, but by this point they're no longer doom, or even metal. But that doesn't matter, genres don't sell albums, music does, and this album contains great music along the lines of a darker, heavier, Pink Floyd (although they're much more then a Floyd rip off, let me mak that clear).

The album is solid start t finish. The album starts out with the hollow, piano led "Shroud of False" where vocalist Vincent tells us that were only a vision from a dying brain, and he hopes we don't understand. The lyrics are by lead songwriter/bassist/keyboardest, Duncan Patterson. That flows into the excellent violin rocker "Fragile Dreams" which is a piece by Daniel Cavanaugh. The instrumental begining is amazing. "Empty" is another violin-rocker, this time by Duncan. There is a great piano breakdown in the middle. The final line of the song is "I've a solution to this sad situation, nothing left but to kill myself again because I'm so empty". Then the album reaches its depressing peak with the dark "Lost Control", which is about alcohol addiction. With simple acoustic guitar, violin, and piano moments Duncan's pain is brought to life. "Re-Connect" is the only Vincent piece on this album and isn't up to the level of the other songs, although it is tolerable. "Inner Silence" is actually a love song but the sorrow does not leave. Between the wailing guitar and the orchistral keyboards emotion leaks off the track. Then there's the very gothic title track. The switches between hunting keyboards and almost dead sounding vocals to aggressive riffs and dark piano lines. The line "I'll dance with angels, to celebrate the holocaust" won't leave your head anytime soon. Then comes the best written song on here, "Regret". Starting out acoustic the song slowly builds up to the electric ending over seven beautiful minutes. The next song "Feel" is also great but lets be honest here, this goes being influenced by Pink Floyd, this is almost robbing them. The drum beat is the same as the bass rhythm in "Welcome to the Machine" and even uses a line from a Pink Floyd song, they changed "Your never gonna die" to "I thought I was never gonna die". Still I won't deny that it's a great song. The album closes with one more minor chord piano dirge called "Destiny". The song is just another painfuly touching peice.

This album is great! The only reason I won't give them five stars is for the riff and lyric robbing on "Feel". Oh yeah, I think Shaun Steels' drumming is worth a mention. He uses a lot of brass parts (sorry I'm not a drummer, I don't know the lingo) to great effect. He realy has a unique style going on.

Well this is a great album for a bad day. Whenever I'm depressed I toss this album in, however the music is good enough on its own that you can listen to it anytime. But man this is one of, if not THE most depressing album I've ever heard. I mean all three songwriters manage to mention being stabbed. But it's so real, and that's why I will continue to listen to and feel this album for years to come.