Judgement

by

Anathema

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Anathema, and this album in particular, were recommended to me in a random conversation in a chatroom about a month ago. I was told, based on my muscial tastes, that this was an album I simply had to own and that it "even brings metalheads to tears." This I had to see. I ordered the CD that night and got it in the mail a few days later. I have to confess that my resistance to the idea of an album that could make metalheads weep like sissies probably contributed to my relative indifference to this CD at first. While I thought the melodies and overall musicianship were good for a nice mellow drive in the mountains, I have to say that there was nothing on this album that would make me sob like a girl.

I own over 800 CD's from all different genres. I've come to a point where I rarely pay attention to the lyrics in a song unless it's really catchy. Such was the case with Judgement. Nothing had really caught my ear. About a week after buying "Judgement," I was driving home from work when "One Last Goodbye" played. I felt a little spark. By the end of "Parisienne Moonlight," I had to pull over. For one reason or another, I'd actually listened to the lyrics, and it brought back a flood of memories. Every girl I'd ever loved and lost, every girl I'd loved and never told. All the things I should have said or done came flooding back like a maelstrom of pain and sorrow. No song or album has ever done that.

Since then, I've paid more attention to the album in its entirety. While I still think the aforementioned tracks are still my favorites, the emotional depth and impact of this album is undeniable. This is music with which everyone on earth can identify. The mood each song sets, the feelings described in the lyrics, and the emotions ellicited by the album overall are universal and undeniable; we've all felt them. I don't think it matters what genre of music you like. It would be a mistake not to check out this album.

A 3 rating doesn't do this justice; I will admit that straight out. A 4 might be more just on an objective basis; for those who are likely to be buying this album, however, chiefly those familiar with Anathema's earlier metal work, a 3 may do well to warn of potential dangers.

This CD contains some of Anathema's best songwriting. The songs are depressive but not as stark and bare as many of the songs on "Alternative 4," and the vocals are much better than on "Eternity" (where they were often out of tune). The best song is a gorgeous, moving ballad called "One Last Goodbye," dedicated to the memory of the mother of two of the band members.

In general, the album maintains a sound of somber reflection and tends evoke a very British atmosphere, in keeping with the band's location. Pink Floyd is an influence, yes, but Anathema is more consistent than Floyd and harks back more to a Renaissance or mediaeval aesthetic.

I mark the album down to a 4 because it often gets lost in itself. One goes in enthusiastic and somewhere along the way loses track of the music, only to come out again with instrumental "2000 & Gone" wondering what has just transpired. Some may find this a benefit; I find it irritating.

I mark it down to a 3 solely because it is, in the final analysis, not metal. Now, simply because a musical recording does not adhere to the conventions and "tricks" of a genre, does not mean that it is any less worthy--in fact, the opposite is more often the case. However, in this case, my own view is that the somber timbre and depressive feel would be enhanced by contrast, by more energetic sections, though they need not necessarily involve any particular "heavy metal" artifice. And the fact is that some people will be turned off by Anathema's confirmed direction away from metal, and I am not entirely sure that their prejudice is to be condemned.