JUDGEMENT

Judgement is where all the pieces fall into place for Anathema. They started out playing a blend of doom and death metal now play prog metal, and this is where the two meet. The band takes the emotion and slow pace of doom and marries it to the rage of death. The Cavanagh brothers have honed their depressing and often suicidal lyrics into tight chunks of morose metal. The album is one of the most atmosheric metal albums I've heard alongside Opeth. Acoustic guitars, emotional electric, and pounding yet restrained drums and bass all combine with Vincent's haunting vocals to make a truly memorable experience. The album is a quasi-concept piece dealing with the death of the Cavanagh's bros mother.

"Deep" is a great opener that breaks the depression gently before the crushing Pitiless shows that the boys came to play. Other highlights include Forgotten Hopes with its bitter lyrics dealing with watching a loved one kill herself with alcohol, One Last Goodbye's heartbreaking and simple funeral song, and the title track's progression from slow burner to a mid tempo chug complete with creepy female vocals.

There is no filler here, but the concept is loose. The production is killer and the band now fully embraces its flirtations with Floyd. This isn't Anathema's most progressive piece, but it is their finest achievement.

Grade: B+