Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving, August 20, 2004
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Berceuses for the bereaved, April 20, 2005
Musically, this one of England's greatest achievements - obviously a very bold statement.
Simply put, this album is a gift from God to the bereaved as consolation. The coexistence of opposing soundscapes speaks to us in ways we had hoped to find in our nightly prayers, but somehow they were never tangible enough...
Distorted guitars, a blend of gently-metallic riffs and tactful guitar feedback, act as flare for serene acoustic strumming and ambient keyboards while vocalist Vincent Cavanagh petitions the empty sky with his wistful woes and drummer John Douglas guides the melody like the bow of a boat engulfed in darkness.
As mentioned here by other reviewers, "One Last Goodbye" is one of the most harrowing songs I've ever heard. I love Vince's stretching pleas. He sounds so magnificently pitiful, driving guitarist Danny [Cavanagh] and company to create such brooding tension. AH!!! It's all so painful.
Other stand-out tracks are the somber "Parisienne Moonlight," a piano-driven duet featuring drummer John Douglas's sister, Lee, as guest vocalist; and the stark "Emotional Winter," perhaps my all-time favorite Anathema song.
Seriously, I own an ass-load of CDs and this is in the TOP 10. This is THE most poignant album ever.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"For I have seen your waning smile", January 18, 2004
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.
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