Anathema

I think their newer albums are just as awesome as serenades and The Silent Enigma. Anyone else agree? A Natural Disaster rules.

One of the pretty early Death/Doom bands, pretty cool band. I rarely listen too them though, but nonetheless I suggest them if you're into Death/Doom. (Although Paradise Lost came like 2 yrs ish before I think?)

Well... their first few albums definitely. From "Eternity" onwards they became experimental

Yeah early stuff only. Later stuff as you said was very atmospheric and experimental.

I recently bought an Anathema album called The Silent Enigma and it's really good. It sounded totally different compaired to the more alternative songs that I once heard from them.

Yes, that's a good album.

The Silent Enigma, strange mix of Doom and experimental music... I like it.

Only got Alternative 4 but I could never get into it.

I hated a Natural Disaster, really hated it but loved Alternative 4 and Judgement.

I'm not so keen on their earlier material, musically it's fine but the vocal is a bit grating for me. Though not as grating as My Dying Bride...

Personally,I can't understand them being in the doom section.

Anathema is a great band. I was just listening to them yesterday. I've heard music of theirs that was recorded and released throughout various parts of their existence, and the songs are amazing no matter what. Great band indeed.

sabbathian wrote:

Personally,I can't understand them being in the doom section.

Their first two albums Serenades and The Silent Enigma as well as The Crestfallen are considered milestones of the Death/Doom genre. I know for a fact that Damon Good (Mournful Congregation) and Nick Orlando (Evoken) have cited them as a major influence and I'm sure countless others in the Death/Doom genre would say the same.

So yeah...that's why they are in the Doom section.

Agree with the poster above that Anathema are of doom origins and belong here.

Did anybody see them support Mayhem in Manchester? They were absolutely awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against them, I bought Serenades on its release years ago.I 'll concede the doom element(just) I definitely can't see the Death part though, personally I'd have them more in the gothic side of things. In their heyday they were closely related to My Dying Bride, and Paradise Lost, but considered to be the 'lightest' of the 3.

As for Nick Orlando citing them as influences, so what, many of these guys cite the Beatles as influences also, but I wouldn't class them as Doom/ Death either.

i prefer their rock albums

sabbathian wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against them, I bought Serenades on its release years ago.I 'll concede the doom element(just) I definitely can't see the Death part though, personally I'd have them more in the gothic side of things. In their heyday they were closely related to My Dying Bride, and Paradise Lost, but considered to be the 'lightest' of the 3.

As for Nick Orlando citing them as influences, so what, many of these guys cite the Beatles as influences also, but I wouldn't class them as Doom/ Death either.

The Peaceville three (Anathema, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost) are cited as the pioneers of the Death/Doom genre, just about every Death/Doom band in existence has taken cues from one (or all) of them. But you see, personally I rank bands like Winter, diSEMBOWELMENT and Unholy as just as big an influence in the genre if not more so (even though diSEMBOWELMENT directly "borrowed" some ideas from Anathema). I suppose it comes down to what your definitions of Death/Doom is, the similarities between My Dying Bride and Winter are few however they both fall under the same banner. It's quite a fickle genre.

That being said, Anathema stopped being Doom or Metal post-Silent Enigma. I highly suggest picking up The Crestfallen ep though, I find it leagues better than their Serenades album.

I agree, i'ts all down to interpretation. My own view is that if you're going to tag anyone as Doom/Death, then you would look towards the likes of current bands like Evoken, or Funebrarum, or , as you say, originators like Winter, diSEMBOWELMENT and possibly Thergothon.You could probably go beyond them and include the likes of Dream Death and Confessor.

Coincidentally, I recently downloaded Serenades onto my iPOD and listened to it for the first time for many years, but it was only a fleeting affair I'm afraid.

I don't like Serenades that much to be honest. It has some classic tracks on it (Lovelorn Rhapsody, Sleepless) but Darren Whites vocals were god-awful and the production didn't do it any justice either.

Crestfallen and The Silent Enigma were the bands crowning achievements, in my opinion.

I kind of lost interest in both Anathema and Paradise Lost when musically we went off on a tangent. They became 'rockier' and I was getting more into extreme metal

Nice band. Don't have any real favourite album but they are pretty ok over all.

Everthing by this band is good stuff , especialy up to Judgement

Their best is the Pentecost III EP...I'll blog it later...

I had Pentecost III on the old glorgle. Classic EP....

No