Customer Reviews

Judgement

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

There is so much sadness that resonates from this album, from the melancholy lyrics to the piercing and emotive guitars, that it echoes in my mind for days afterward. I keep returning for more with the knowledge that something special is about to unfold. While there is an obvious Pink Floyd influence here, it only adds to sustain the mood, to lift the songs high into the cold sky. "Emotional Winter" is both beautiful and saddening, while "Judgement" builds to a grand crescendo and ends abruptly, magnificently. While there are no songs here to invoke happiness, the bliss one feels from merely encountering such emotional music is fulfilling. I highly recommend this album for those who enjoy melancholy mixed with fluid songcraft.

¿Como un disco puede llegar a ser tan, pero tan triste?. Es increible pero esta misma tristeza es la que te llama a escucharlo una y otra vez sin cansarte. Para la gente que escucha musica melancolica onda Coldplay, Radiohead del o.k. computer o the gathering hay que decirle que esto es lo extremo de la melancolia, osea es increible.
Anathema no deja sus raices metal en este disco, no mucho en cuanto a la musica sino mas bien en el sonido, experimentan mas con guitarras acusticas, es una mezcla entre pink floyd, black sabbath y radiohead. Son 13 canciones, todas buenas por su eclectisismo y composicion, lo cual deja a Judgement a mi parecer como la obra maestra de Anathema.

This is the album that got me into melodic doom metal - but this is NOT a metal album. This is 60 minutes of the most emotionally powerful music ever made - is there any band that can claim to ooze so much beauty or sadness in every note? Vincent Cavanagh possesses arguably the best voice in rock/metal. Songwriting duties are shared by the whole band making for a diverse album yet each track contains a similar distinctive sense of melody.

There's dark, haunting tracks like 'Deep' and 'Forgotten Hopes', gentle piano ballads 'Parissienne Moonlight' and '2000 and Gone' and the awesome cathartic epics 'One Last Goodbye' and 'Emotional Winter'. The female vocals on several tracks are a great complement to Vincent's voice. The lyrics are, as noted by several other reviewers, woeful but they sound a lot more respectable coming from Vincent.

It still amazes me how underrated Anathema are - whilst retaining the musical complexity and emotion to appeal to metal fans, I've gotten many friends into this album who don't listen to anything but chart music. It's very accessible to listen to, provided you're not expecting simple, happy songs.

Anathema has shown a remarkable progression from a rather ordinary death metal band to their current incarnation, a spacey, Pink Floyd influenced machine. Their newest album Anathema is a masterpiece, full of acoustic guitars, piano, bleak emotions and first and foremost incredible songwriting and melodies. If only they weren't known as an "underground" band, songs like "Deep" and "Pitiless" could easily be played on modern rock radio. However, don't take this as a sell-out...the material Anathema deals with (alcoholism, death, drugs, etc.) is far too bleak for most mainstream tastes. Some of the songs on this CD are so beautiful they actually brought tears to my eyes, songs like "Parisienne Moonlight" and "One Last Goodbye" are some of the purest expressions of lost love I've ever heard. This album is incredible, and deserves to be considered a classic. GET THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!

Along with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, Anathema were England's pioneers of doom-death, releasing a string of amazing albums before they realized it was time to expand and experiment. While My Dying Bride is still carrying the doom-death torch, pretty much any band from the early 90's, from Katatonia to Ulver to Tiamat to Moonspell, has changed, updating their sounds and dropping the growls in favour of crystal clean vocals.

Anathema's transition began with Eternity, the album after the amazing The Silent Enigma, and blossomed with Alternative 4, perhaps their finest work from their post-doom period. With Judgement, however, the band became a completely different act, with polished production and tight arrangements defining their compositions. The songs focus heavier on Vincent Cavanagh's vocals and melancholic lyrics, and while there is plenty of guitar work, the melodies are mostly guided by Cavanagh's harmonies along with John Doughlas' straightforward yet very fitting drumming. Danny Cavanagh, on the other hand, provides the album's intense instrumentation. This is some of his finest playing, not only acoustic guitars but also fierce electric leads and stunning synth textures that lend the pieces a more Floydian touch overall.

Judgement isn't as radical a change from Alternative 4 as Eternity was from The Silent Enigma. It is important, however, that a key member, bassist Duncan Patterson, parted ways with the band before they started writing this album. Patterson was an integral part of the Anathema sound, supplying the band's rock-solid rhythms along with long-time drummer John Douglas, who, ironically, would also leave after this disc. Patterson is replaced by Dave Pybus, another competent bass player. And while there isn't much room to showcase his talents, songs like "Pitiless" and "Wings of God" both feature his signature style. "Pitiless" is already a welcome change after the extremely dark and moving opener "Deep". It weaves heavier guitar work by the Cavanagh brothers, some spoken poetry and hummed harmonies, and a great lead solo drenched in sound effects. The band was still trying to inject new elements into their sound, as they had never released the same album twice. Whether you are a fan of the band or not, you have to give it to them that they always tried to break new ground without being afraid of putting their influences on display. Speaking of influences, traces of Radiohead can be heard in the intro and effect-laden guitars on "Don't Look Too Far", something which they would expand on in the future; and on the Floydian album finale "2000 & Gone", a strong piece to close the record on a somewhat psychedelic note. It is a beautiful instrumental that proudly boasts lush keyboard textures, spatial ambiances, and guitar feedback.

The best songs are scattered around on the disc. From the mood-setter "Deep" to the desperate "One Last Goodbye", with great soloing and powerful vocals, Judgement still manages to be as varied as its predecessors. On an emotional level, the way the beautiful female vocals (by drummer John Douglas' sister) over delicate piano on "Parisienne Moonlight" bleed into the moving title track, which boasts plaintive synths blanketing textured acoustic guitars is simply intense. This is one of their most well-crafted songs, especially the way the guitar riffs build to that killer crescendo amidst rapid-fire drumming. "Emotional Winter" also deserves a mention. Very melancholic in its essence, the keyboards and guitar effects establish a thick soundscape through its course, with mirage-like guitar lines heard ringing distantly, thus providing added atmosphere.

This album was dedicated to Helen Cavanagh, the Cavanagh brothers' mother, who passed away during the writing stages of these songs. I feel it's a very fitting release dedicated to her memory.

I have a difficult time imagining that one, despite his or her musical preference, could listen to Anathema's latest release "Judgement", and deny the transcendent beauty of its solid melodies, lingering harmonies and touching lyrics. The strength of "Judgement" lies most in its ability to strike a cord with the human emotions stemming from failure and loss that all of us, sadly, have had to face.

As has come to be expected from Anathema--and similar to the style of one of their favorites, Pink Floyd--this album is best experienced from start to finish as numerous tracks flow seamlessly from one to another. The heavily delayed guitars found in the intro of "Emotional Winter" also clearly reveal the deeply influential role that Pink Floyd has played in Anathema's music. Though the quality of all tracks remains high, some personal favorites include "Deep", "Anyone, Anywhere", and "One Last Goodbye". The dynamics, instrumentation and harmonies throughout these tracks are especially beautiful.

For those who enjoy watching bands evolve and refine their sound, "Judgement" is an excellent example of the end result of such a process. The quality of production achieved by the band on this release is simply their best yet. The well-placed eruptions of emotion in their otherwise beautifully tragic compositions perfectly illustrate the occasional periods of schizophrenic despair that every human experiences throughout life. Any fan of Anathema will find "Judgement" to be very satisfying from start to finish-especially considering the length of the album in comparison to that of "Alternative 4". And anyone discovering this band for the first time will undoubtedly feel that they have discovered a jewel among so many dull stones found within this genre of music.

This was my introduction to Anathema, relying only on the reviews i read here on amazon, i had no idea what i was in for

"Judgment" has 14 of the most beautifully saddening tracks i've ever lent my ears to, the CD sails on a rhythmic sea of smooth vibes while still delving you deep into a black undercurrent of depression; everything great about this album blends together to make a sonic masterpiece as fresh as an autumn breeze, until the climax of the title track where the listener is lunged into a tornado of clanging electric guitars, screaming vocals and drums banging away at breakneck speeds, until its fadeout and recesses to return the listener to its previous melancholic atmosphere

however, i'll be fair. Quite possibly the one thing that, despite its overall brilliance, still bugs me about this cd everytime i listen to it: the lyrics. Though they fit the mood of the CD very well, they simply lack eloquence and originality; however, the profound emotion in the lyrics more than makes up for it, it's just a slight smudge on the beautiful picture Anathema painted with this CD

this is also another one of those cd's that has to grow on you, i didnt think much of it my first couple listens, but spin it often it and the brilliance will begin to manifest itself

I was impressed by Alternative 4, but I was blown away by Judgement. Unfortunately however, it took me six months to figure it out.

I had gotten the CD months ago, but after first listen I put it back in my case and didn't take it out again for six months. Then when I got hooked on A Fine Day to Exit, I knew I had to give this album another chance. And I'm glad I did.

I can't decide which one I like better: Judgement or A Fine Day to Exit. Either way, they're both fantastic albums. Judgement is the most depressing of the two (even more so than Alternative 4), while A Fine Day to Exit is more upbeat. Judgement also has my most favorite Anathema songs of all time on it: Perisienne Moonlight, Judgement, Emotional Winter, and Don't look too Far.

My only complains is that the album drags a little bit towards the end, but it isn't bad enough to distract from it's overall appeal. If you like music that actually MEANS something, pick this up. If you like intelligent musicianship, pick this up.

This was the third Anathema Album I bought (the other two being The Crestfalled EP and Alternative 4). I found myself lost in what can only be described as aural emotion. It is the most sincere, honest and muscially profound album I had heard at the time, and I can't really think of any other album that is as emotionally charged as Judgement. The songs are phenomonal. Pittiless, Forgotten Hopes and Destiny Is Dead seguay into each other beautifully (i later discovered that they were originally one track but broken into three for listening ease). Make It Right (F.F.S) is in a differant mood to the songs before it, and it's bleak nature is a perfect setting for One Last Goodbye, an Eulogy of sorts to Daniel and Vincent's mother, who had recently passed away. Don't Look Too Far is my personal fave, and Emotional Winter is a really great piece, very Dave Gilmour...
I have the Japanese Edition cd, with the Bonus instrumental track Transacoustic, and the album doesn't sound complete without this track.
This is in my opinion (I have all of Anathema's releases) their best album. It is superior to Alternative 4 in almost all ways.
Think The Silent Enigma/Eternity with beautiful vocals and layers of electric/acoustic guitars and you are on the right track....
11/10