WE'RE HERE BECAUSE WE'RE HERE

"The Thin Air" weaves a forever spiraling vortex of uncensored emotion, with a devastatingly accurate vision of symphonic expression, fueled by majestic vocals and pulsating instrumentation that does not fear ambiance or atmosphere. The vocal choir effects are masterfully omnipresent, swirling with complete abandon and lusty enterprise. Huge squalls of sound slam mercilessly onto the hull of a gorgeous melody in total paroxysm. A tremendous opener, a song for eternity.

"Summernight Horizon" shoves the mood into overdrive, caressing dissonant and oblique rhythms to hypnotic effect ("the space between us") and carving an anthem-like crescendo of bliss. "In blood red skies" indeed! Lyrically the band has never fared better. The music is rich, cleverly blended to form a colossal whole and orchestrated to please.

"Dreaming Light" is mournfully redolent with deep melancholia (a trait this band owns in luminous spades), Vincent Cavanagh singing like a master, a prog ballad to cherish for evermore and a whopping chorus to expunge for! Incredibly overpowering, this is Anathema's crowning achievement! The lullaby outro is outright daring and mesmerizing.

"Everything" is all about the vocals, en masse or individually as Lee Douglas takes the duet role seriously, echoing the most celestial of tones from the instrumentalists and elevating another haunting melody. "Angels Walk Among Us" serves as a quasi-continuation of the same exalted delirium.

"Presence" is short , sweet and misty, an overture for the next piece. Another massive highlight is the epic "A Simple Mistake" as well as the demo version later in the bonus tracks) are both spectacular accounts of the maturity of the musicianship and the seductive quality of the haunting melodies that grab you by the jugular. Once again, the vocal work is untainted supernatural, deeply resonant and utterly resolute. The rash guitar phrasings ratchet up the adrenalin, the drums bashing along as the string synths weave their magic. A career track, this one.

Drummer John Douglas pens the next 2 tracks, a shift in energy is most noticeable, more angular and more rock, his manic drumming leading the charge, evident on the rather nasty "Get Off Get Out" and even more so on the brooding "Universal", a more sprawling piece, almost ambient-like in a cinematic way perhaps but proposing a colossal vocal performance that transcends the usual superlatives.

"Hindsight" finds Daniel Cavanagh intent on reminding everyone that he is a hot guitarist besides a brilliant composer and arranger. The impenetrable atmospherics are quite experimental, clearly flung into deeper realms of progressive creativity, seeking to maintain the tension instead of slicing it and dicing it into mini-suites.

Three bonus tracks adorn the finale, reworking "A Simple Mistake", "Angels Walk Among Us" and "Presence" into more demo-like atmosphere. The mix master is prog alchemist Steve Wilson and he applies a massive amount of sheen and veneer to the proceedings, creating a luminous sound, purposefully trebled to the nth degree.

A brilliant album for the ages.

5 Sigmund Freuds