At which point should Anathema start paying Radiohead some royalties?

[JayKeeley]

But seriously, JayKeeley, how can you say Vincent is "trying" to sound like Thom Yorke?

Good question. I'll tell you exactly why - if you listen to Vincent sing on, say, Alternative 4, he has a rather distinct set of vocals. You can tell from a distance that it is indeed Vincent singing. It's his trademark vox.

However, if you listen to a song like "Balance" on the new one, the likeness to Thom Yorke is just way too uncanny. That is why I implied that it seems as if he is purposely trying to sound the same, because he certainly never used to sing this way. He has therefore forced a change in his vocal delivery.

Personally, I think Anathema is leagues beyond Radiohead... Infinitely better songwriters.

I like them both, but Radiohead wins by a nose simply because they have OK Computer in their discography, although......

when i think of anathema copyining radiohead, i tend to refer to A FINE DAY TO EXIT more than the new one. i mean... goddamn. it basically is "OK COMPUTER: VERSION 2.0".

...I have yet to hear A Fine Day to Exit. Based on what BWD is saying here, my interest has massively piqued.

 

[J.]

If A Fine Day to Exit is just like Radiohead, then I can at least say I've semi-heard Radiohead, cuz I've heard AFDTE, and it was greasy poop.

Josh, I know how people love Pink Floyd. My fiance has every release by them, and while I do enjoy some songs, they just tend to meander too much without going anywhere. Give me Mindrot's crust/doom any day. Eyes of Fire is kind of Mindrot-lite without the band's crustier moments, based on the 3-song EP I have.

ANd yes, my statements in this thread were mostly over-the-top (except that Mindrot does wipe the floor with the other bands mentioned in this thread).

 

[Demonspell]

I have to agree with Josh on this one (especially in terms of songwriting), although this isn't the first time I've heard Anathema being accused of emulating their recent influences, and the resemblance is hard to deny, deliberate or otherwise.

 

[J.]

hehe, yeah I feel ya. I paid $12 for AFDTE.

and to add a little fuel to the fire. Mindrot released their first demo 1990 and their first release (an EP) in 1991. Radiohead's first demo was released in 1991 (although under a different name) with their first release (a single) being released in 1992. So technically Dan Kaufman had those vocals first. Methinks the troll looking singer for Radiohead heard Mindrot's demo and decided to copy him.

 

[Black Winter Day]

a fine day to exit was the best album anathema released that year

 

[J.]

it was also the worst.

 

[Black Winter Day]

eh, i liked it alright, especially the first two tracks. if i had to review it today, i'd give it at a 7 (yes, out of 10, not 100).

 

[JayKeeley]

and to add a little fuel to the fire. Mindrot released their first demo 1990 and their first release (an EP) in 1991. Radiohead's first demo was released in 1991 (although under a different name) with their first release (a single) being released in 1992.

I'd be curious to know if Dan Kaufman sang like Thom Yorke in 1990? I'm pretty sure Thom Yorke has always sang in his own current style - it's not like Radiohead started off as a death doom or crust grind band or whatever.

It just seems like certain bands are drifting towards something Radiohead has been well known for since day one - specifically the vocals. Your problem here, Dreamlord, is that you're basing all you know about Radiohead on Pablo Honey and Anathema's A Fine Day to Exit. That seems absurd to me.

Thom Yorke's vocals standout by a mile, they are his calling card. So when someone (specifically Vincent Kavanaugh) ALL OF A SUDDEN starts to sing exactly like him, then it just becomes too obvious. There is a difference in 'being influenced by', and plain 'ripping off'. Don't get me wrong, I think A Natural Disaster is brilliant, but I'm just giving certain credit where it's due.

Now, I have ZERO idea what Mindrot have ever sounded like, but Eyes of Fire - the band being discussed - have a brand new album out called Ashes to Embers. I have the promo and it's release date was March 23rd 2004. The first song, "The End Result of Falling...." is pure and utter Thom Yorke worship. Granted, not the entire album continues in this vein, but that one song is too uncanny for words.

 

[J.]

The problem with this is, you are ASSUMING that Dan Kaufman is trying to sound like that troll guy. For all you know, he has never heard Radiohead. It's possible for two people to sound alike, you know.

I don't know what Kaufman sounded like on the demo, because I don't have it. But having heard Mindrot and Eyes of Fire, the vocals are pretty much the same. Mindrot is not entirely a crust band. They have slow songs with nothing but emotional clean vocals.

Can't comment on A Natural Disaster. Haven't heard it.

 

[JayKeeley]

The problem with this is, you are ASSUMING that Dan Kaufman is trying to sound like that troll guy. For all you know, he has never heard Radiohead. It's possible for two people to sound alike, you know.

Yes, that is true. Fair enough. And I'll even add that the entire Eyes of Fire album is varied enough to sound unique, and that the one song I refer to is therefore purely coincidental. As we've been in this discussion since yesterday, I've been listening to Ashes to Embers and it's really grown on me as well. It's fucking brilliant in fact - Century Media are hitting some sweet spots this year, quite remarkably.

However, I'm not backing down on Anathema. That is a friggin' joke. They're both from the same country, emerged at the same timeframe, and probably played the same tour circuits. There is NO WAY that anyone can deny the Radiohead influence on modern Anathema. Now all Vincent Kavanuagh needs for the metamorphosis to be complete is a robotic twitchy eye.

 

[J.]

You might like Mindrot then. I am looking forward to hearing Ashes to Embers. CD Universe has it for $9.79+$2.99 shipping, but I'll wait until The End, Wilowtip, Dark Symphonies, or Red Stream gets it. Shouldn't be long.

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

Hmm. I do enjoy Mindrot very much, but im not sure if I would like Eyes on Fire from whats been said. Should i check them out?

 

[J.]

I would. Like I said, EoF is Mindrot-lite. Eof is not as depressing or brutal as Mindrot. Still, I yearn for another Mindrot album, and it appears that EoF is as close as we'll ever get.

 

[Demonspell]

I actually like A Fine Day To Exit, but it does admittedly lack the intense emotion and consistency of Judgement and the atmosphere and experimentation on A Natural Disaster...

 

[Papa Josh]

However, I'm not backing down on Anathema. That is a friggin' joke. They're both from the same country, emerged at the same timeframe, and probably played the same tour circuits. There is NO WAY that anyone can deny the Radiohead influence on modern Anathema. Now all Vincent Kavanuagh needs for the metamorphosis to be complete is a robotic twitchy eye.

What the fuck ever, dude... Go all the way back to Sleepless from Serenades, and you'll hear the influence of one person in particular, one Robert Smith of The Cure.

Especially the Eternity cd.

Combine that with their love of Pink Floyd and you've got something that sounds similar to Radiohead at times.. However, to insinuate that Vincent and Danny Cavanaugh aren't great enough songwriters and have to resort to "ripping" off Radiohead is ludicrous. And if we want to go there Radiohead completely ripped off Kurt Cobain with "Creep," which is where their popularity stems from in the first place.

I'll be honest, Radiohead's music doesn't do a whole hell of a lot for me, I find Yorke to be a pretentious fuck, so perhaps I'm biased.

Anathema > Radiohead

 

[JayKeeley]

If we're going to be that pedantic, the argument over copycat bands can keep going all the way back in time to when caveman beat a stick against a rock.

This is ludicrous. Anyone here know both Radiohead and Anathema? OK then, check this out:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00019PDKC/qid=1080571914/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-2614015-5143802

I urge you to spend 30 seconds of your life listening to the amazon sample of "Balance" on A Natural Disaster. If that isn't enough to convince anyone, I don't know what is.

I rest my case.

 

[NAD]

Haha, that so god damn sounds like Radiohead. :Spin:

 

[Demonspell]

I've been enjoying the Eyes Of Fire album more than expected, it strikes a good balance between metalcore stylings and the heavy melancholy that attracts me to bands like Katatonia and Anathema...which means I'm more or less obligated to give Mindrot a listen.

 

[NAD]

Poop!

 

[Demilich]

Oh man, I really don't like this band.