A Natural Disaster

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-03-31 rating:
A Natural Disaster.
The Liverpudlian outfit that has spread itself across a fair amount of the metal scene and is now touching on the rock scene. br / br / br /The beauty of Anathema doesn't lie within their music as such. It's the very simplistic idea that their music, throughout their career, is extremely accessible. Even when Anathema heralded the old doom style that enthralled not only a nation, but a sea of fans worldwide, it was accessible. One could quite easily tap into the idea of Anathema's music because it is just so inviting. Whether Anathema were playing doom in it`s coldest most distant form, or this brand of mellow, but sorrowful atmospheric rock as it is tagged, was rather irrelevant. No matter what the genre, Anathema, especially in relation to their lyrical themes, were easy to grasp even on first listen. Though there may be a simplistic side to this British band, the emotion behind it is indeed very complex. br / br / br /Their music, especially again in terms of lyrics, is universal. The pain and suffering that flows from the minds down to the hands and further more on to the instruments is universal. I've never actually met anyone who couldn't relate to what the band sing about. The lyrics, although never usually of great importance to me, are significant when it comes to Anathema. Although I'm certain the idea behind their lyrical themes could be expressed entirely through the instrumental side of their game, the lyrics still hold an important role, especially in terms of the audience and establishing a connection with them, which is again, what makes this brand of music so accessible. If we take a look at the lyrics, in their entirety of the title track `A Natural Disaster', we can clearly see the universal message behind their music. Most of us have experienced losing someone, whether it's due to death or otherwise. The universal nature of their lyrics is smart. It's a very powerful tool in terms of marketing your music if you can successfully manage to draw an audience in and relate to them understand with what you're singing about: br / br / br /"It's been a long, cold winter without you br /I've been crying on the inside br /Over you br /You've just slipped through my fingers br /So life turned away br /It's been a long, cold winter br /Since that day.. br /And it's hard to find, hard to find, hard to find the strength now br /but I try br /And I don't wanna, don't wanna, don't wanna, don't wanna to speak now br /of what's gone by br / br /Cause no matter what I say, no matter what I do br /I can't change what happened, can't change what happened br /No matter what I say, no matter what I do br /Can't change what happened, can't change what happened br /no matter what I say, no matter what I do br /Can't change what happened, can't change what happened br /No, no, can't change br /You've just slipped through my fingers br /And now I feel so ashamed br /You've just slipped through my fingers br /and I've paid." br / br / br /Surprisingly, my understanding of the lyrics spans over the entire album, not just one or two songs. Fortunately, Anathema have incorporated new methods into their music which makes it appeal to a larger fan base, and the existing fan base even more. The use of female vocals, for example, is a brilliant marketing tool. Anathema's song writing is regarded as some of the best for this type of music and one can certainly see why. With the inclusion of elements like female vocals, the mellow aspect of the music is significantly enhanced as the softer female voice adds a new dimension to the atmospheric qualities of this record. Subtle and sultry is what they are. It's aspects like this that make Anathema a winner. Melancholic pianos, marvellous female vocals and masterful acoustics. Anathema are brilliant at what they do and they do it with such ease.

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review by: Neurotrashed date: 2008-09-01 rating:
Surprisingly good...
I always avoided Anathema on the basis their latest stuff is more "progressive rock" than worthy of its inclusion in the metal section of most music stores, however I got hooked on 'Closer' which is a bit trance-like which led me to listen to the rest of this album. You can't accuse the album of being very original - there are very strong Floyd undertones throughout the album - but very listenable with one or two 'hard' moments to keep the head nodding. br / br /A worth while acquisition.

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review by: damonaz date: 2005-12-12 rating:
Doom?
It's a little frustratring reading reviews of Anathema's albums when people don't seem to realise that a) they have abandoned 'doom' for something a lot more bittersweet and melodic and b) they did it a long time ago. It seems that everyone thinks that there next album wiil be a 'back to roots' doomfest. God I hope not.brI'm a metal fan but I don't like these guys earlier albums at all. They're much better at the stuff on this album. Very unique music.

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review by: date: 2003-12-31 rating:
Backwards or forward?
The doom merchants from Liverpool are back with another serving of angst. And what a good serving this is! The album seems to point towards two different directions: new sounds and old tradition. Some tracks remind me distinctively of the pre-Judgement/post death metal era, whilst others are clearly Radiohead's A Kid in style. The marks of greatness are still all there, though, and songs like Are you there, Natural Disaster and Flying are as beautiful as ever. The final, epic Violence (10 minutes long) could have been developed better, maybe with the addition of vocals, but nobody is perfect...brTo cap it all: an unexpected album and a surprise. If you are an Anathema fan, you will enjoy it very much; if this is your first encounter with the Cavanagh brothers, you will be tantalized and hypnotized. Shame I missed their live gig in London...


review by: date: 2003-11-29 rating:
Thought it could not get any better.....?
WOW!!!! What an excellent album from England finest purveyors of sorrow.From the opening song right up to the amazing instrumental ending,A Natural Disaster ranks right up there with Alternative 4 as their best works.Strong,sorrowful,melodic and melancholy,this album has it all.A far cry from early efforts such as Pentecost and A Silent Enigma,Anathema have matured and keep getting stronger.10 songs to listen to with the lights out and the candles burning.Well done boys.The only downpoint is that I tore the case trying to get the inlay card out.Brilliant,buy it now.

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