Eternity, the best Anathema album
- Thread starter The Beloved
- Start date
Don Corleone
Emre
D Mullholand
[project closed]
no reducing. i don't give a flying banner to 'technical', but i think music is written by ear and not by fingers, which sometimes seems to be the case on that album, and amongst many other metal bands, including the 'technical' ones, who are even funnier. (Emperor) btw, what do you mean by 'minimalism' specifically?
u shuud lissen to the proper stuff!
that makes the results pretty random (with occasional successes, logically), if they don't create the sounds that their internal hearing intends to, don't you agree? but anyways it's hard to be really inspired and hear music in a beer smoke metal rehearsal room, with embryonic musicians - everybody intends to make dumb noise while staying in strict confines of the dumb riff. music needs silence to be born.
i understand that you exaggerate with this 'everything' - yes, it's a tough life in the small world of pop and metal.
even the addition of a different instrument is refreshing! 
Yeah, The Dreadful Hours might be better than Turn Loose The Swans, or might not... But Eternity is better than both of them
D Mullholand
[project closed]
Don Corleone
Emre
"occasional successes"?? "random results"??? mullholand, whether you like it or not, the guys are the most inspirational, original doom band in the world right now. it seems that you prefer to disregard their talent. every one of their albums is a killer. other than TLTS, i also adore the light at the end of the world and the angel and the dark river...
your speculations are outrageous: "they dont create the sounds that their internal hearing intends to"?????? how could you possibly know that? you are a close friend of the band?
anyways, in the end, of course, you may not like the music, but your ideas and myths about MDB are pretty funny.
Don Corleone
Emre
Originally posted by The Beloved
Yeah, The Dreadful Hours might be better than Turn Loose The Swans, or might not... But Eternity is better than both of them
of course!
Personally, I think that "Eternity" is one of the least Anathema albums. Ok, it has 'Suicide Veil' and 'Eternity' and 'Far Away'.
But it also has the worst vocals (by far). Vinnie gets better on every album after that. And I can't help it but I just LOVE Darren's vocals.
You can clearly hear that this album is a transition album. Coming from one style, searching a new one. I'm not saying it is a bad album, not at all. But I like the ones before and esp. the one after that better: My favourite Anathema album is Pentecost III, closely followed by Alternative Four and The Silent Enigma.
I think the new album might be a transition album too. No idea whereto they will evolve this time though. And not sure if I will like it or not. But we'll see that when it's there.
And about MDB: I think Turn Loose the Swans is a brilliant album, and one of the absolute classics in the doom genre. Who cares about technical musicianship? I mean: Dream Theatre might be the best musicians in the world, but I really dislike their music. It sounds synthetic, artificial, cold and emotionless.
The new My Dying Bride album is pretty good, although I still prefer Turn Loose the Swans. Probably also a bit of a bias there because TLtS was the first album by them that I knew.
But it also has the worst vocals (by far). Vinnie gets better on every album after that. And I can't help it but I just LOVE Darren's vocals.
You can clearly hear that this album is a transition album. Coming from one style, searching a new one. I'm not saying it is a bad album, not at all. But I like the ones before and esp. the one after that better: My favourite Anathema album is Pentecost III, closely followed by Alternative Four and The Silent Enigma.
I think the new album might be a transition album too. No idea whereto they will evolve this time though. And not sure if I will like it or not. But we'll see that when it's there.
And about MDB: I think Turn Loose the Swans is a brilliant album, and one of the absolute classics in the doom genre. Who cares about technical musicianship? I mean: Dream Theatre might be the best musicians in the world, but I really dislike their music. It sounds synthetic, artificial, cold and emotionless.
The new My Dying Bride album is pretty good, although I still prefer Turn Loose the Swans. Probably also a bit of a bias there because TLtS was the first album by them that I knew.
If it was a transition album to 'somewhere', they had found it. Pentecost III is my 2nd fav album too and I love Daz vocals as well. But I think Eternity is simply a display of originality and a superb album as a whole. I don't think A4 is an evolution of Eternity at all, and it's emptier in my opinion.
I totally disagree with that.
There is quite a big difference between the music on Eternity and on Alternative Four, if you ask me. And everything nice they did on Eternity, they did even better on Alternative Four. Except for the passion of the last part of Suicide Veil.
Morpheus
Member
hmm, hard discussion, eh? well, transition album, yeah might be, and i agree that eternity was maybe the best "transition" at that moment. I love it anyway, and not only a few songs, nearly every song. But that's just taste isn't it? I also think that, if we talk of transition, maybe Afdte is a transition Album, too. To what? We'll see.
originally, i didn't want to write something to MDB. And I don't give a shit about technique or whatever, when the music touches my heart. Unfortunately for me this time MDB's music did that is over since TLATEOTW. It's mainly because i don't like the growl vocals. People may say, you can't judge them by the vocals, well, i simply don't like them. I'm one of the few that like 34,788% complete. Mainly because it was different and a bit more alternative style, and definitely courageuos. Including TLTS (most songs without growls) i like every MDB in its own way, some songs more some less. But i must confess, i don't like a complete MDB album, the clostst might TAaTDR.
So i wrote sth., maybe just forget about it,
cheers Morpheus.
originally, i didn't want to write something to MDB. And I don't give a shit about technique or whatever, when the music touches my heart. Unfortunately for me this time MDB's music did that is over since TLATEOTW. It's mainly because i don't like the growl vocals. People may say, you can't judge them by the vocals, well, i simply don't like them. I'm one of the few that like 34,788% complete. Mainly because it was different and a bit more alternative style, and definitely courageuos. Including TLTS (most songs without growls) i like every MDB in its own way, some songs more some less. But i must confess, i don't like a complete MDB album, the clostst might TAaTDR.
So i wrote sth., maybe just forget about it,
cheers Morpheus.
Completely disagree with you!!
Nothing is wrong with the Vinnie's vocs on "Eternity", and I just HATE Darren's voice - BTW we had that discussion before (right Mulholand? - remember the arguments with Wolfie)
"Pentecost III" is the album that made me stop listening to Anathema, and I missed the release of "The Silent Enigma" (was that dissapointed), until my friend told me that "Eternity" is amazing...
D Mullholand
[project closed]
well, i like those too, and especially '34' and 'the light'. the music feels more natural on those, whereas on TLTS it felt unnatural: many melodies seem random and lack any direction, causing my suspicion that they were created by 'poking fingers'. have you tried playing some of the riffs on guitar? when you create a slow, repetitive doom-doom, melodic balance is very important (not in the sense of total 'correctness', but in the sense of economy of notes and their placement where they are needed - not just to fill up a rhythmic pattern - i'd give some examples, but i really have no time or motivation to dig up that record again), so that the repetition would work. heard the first Shape of Despair album?
is this the old 'KIDS, u see, it's all SUBJECTIVE!!!' neutralizer?
i realize some of my suspicions may be wrong, but i listen to music very carefully, prefering not to treat it like a blur of sound that is obliged to penetrate even the most passive ear and bring out defensive reflexes from your psyche. real art survives every point of view. i've seen bands that rehearse and create their riffs blindly, never hearing the melody in the first place; many of them actually. all there's left to do is draw parallels between the result and the creation process. the riffs on TLTS are exactly of the same type as those of the aforementioned lesser bands.-----------------
yes, the old Darren discussion. i'm not really into the 'opinion-exchange' threads anymore, unless there are significant ideas discussed. opinions are just like '+/-' and won't bring you new understandings of music. oh well.
(will be gone for a week)
I can't believe this... to say The Dreadful Hours is better than Turn Loose the Swans is like saying the Wings' Band on the Run album is better than Sgt Peppers...
Sear Me 93 and Crown of Sympathy are embarrisingly better than anything on TDH.
Sure TDH is not bad, but relative to their Martin Powel era masterpieces it looks rather sterile and contrived. Ever since they backtracked from 34.788%... Complete and made The Light, the music hasn't had that same hunger and daring. It's doom by numbers now. And although any doom is better than none, it just doesn't reach the high level of creativity on the old stuff.
TLtS (otherwise known as TITS ) is a classic and a masterpiece....
Sear Me 93 and Crown of Sympathy are embarrisingly better than anything on TDH.
Sure TDH is not bad, but relative to their Martin Powel era masterpieces it looks rather sterile and contrived. Ever since they backtracked from 34.788%... Complete and made The Light, the music hasn't had that same hunger and daring. It's doom by numbers now. And although any doom is better than none, it just doesn't reach the high level of creativity on the old stuff.
TLtS (otherwise known as TITS
) is a classic and a masterpiece....Going too deep... maybe like most fans of Anathema, but I don't think that those riffs are composed blindly as you say - maybe some, but not most of them...
Don Corleone
Emre
Originally posted by D Mullholand
well, i like those too, and especially '34' and 'the light'. the music feels more natural on those, whereas on TLTS it felt unnatural: many melodies seem random and lack any direction, causing my suspicion that they were created by 'poking fingers'. have you tried playing some of the riffs on guitar? when you create a slow, repetitive doom-doom, melodic balance is very important (not in the sense of total 'correctness', but in the sense of economy of notes and their placement where they are needed - not just to fill up a rhythmic pattern - i'd give some examples, but i really have no time or motivation to dig up that record again), so that the repetition would work. heard the first Shape of Despair album?
is this the old 'KIDS, u see, it's all SUBJECTIVE!!!' neutralizer?
-----------------
yes, the old Darren discussion. i'm not really into the 'opinion-exchange' threads anymore, unless there are significant ideas discussed. opinions are just like '+/-' and won't bring you new understandings of music. oh well.
(will be gone for a week)
i think we were having a lively discussion, but as you'll be gone for a week, i wont take this any further.
about playing the riffs on the guitar: im sorry, i only play classical guitar and bass, so i have never tried playing MDB on guitar or with my band. when we get down to it, it seems that we are dscussing something subjective. you have played those riffs on your guitar and somehow they seemed "not right" to you. thats your opinion. you are the first one to say that to me. i respect that, but it doesnt stop me from thinking it's "funny."
no, i have never listened to shape of despair.
no, this isnt the old "'KIDS, u see, it's all SUBJECTIVE!!!' neutralizer." it's just that i found your opinion on MDB's work on TLTS funny.
anyways, whatever they do on guitar, i believe they sound good. and thats what i look at when i listen to music. it's as simple as it gets: look, right now, im listening to bob dylan's "one more cup of coffee"...just four chords...the good old Am-G-F-E. does it sound good? yes, i love it.
Yes, I heard the first SoD album (and absolutely love it, although I think the second is even better!), but this is just not the same.
Both bands (MDB and SoD) try to create within their music, a dark atmosphere. But darkness has several sides. I think Shape of Despair tries to create a feeling of ongoing trance, melodies (and rythms) that take you really deep into the music, and everything is going on smoothly. The 3/4 pace is really meant to sound like a perpetuum mobile, there are no breaks, hooks or irregularities of whatever kind. Every SoD song is a stream, slowly evolving from one melody to another.
On TLtS (I like the Tlts anagram
), My Dying Bride try to create a feeling of darkness too. Yet here, it is twisted and sick. Not the kind of "romantic" feel of SoD, except for a song like "Sear Me 1993", "Black God" and parts of other songs. The music is about extreme feelings and I think the way in which the riffs on that album are created, suits the whole of the music very much.Dark and dark are not necessarily the same thing
That you hate Darren's vocals, is just too bad. That you stopped listening to Anathema and missed the release of TSE because of that, is just too bad too. Liking Darren's voice (or not) is just a matter of personal taste.
But that you say there's nothing wrong witih Vinnie's vocals on Eternity, I don't understand. I thought it was clearly hearable that this was the first album on which he attempted to do clean singing. And that he needed a lot of training still. I think Vinnie's vocals could improve, even on the last album, although they are very good there already. In some songs, the "rougher" clean vocals fit, on the Eternity album. But in most of the songs, I think his vocals partly ruin it. A song like "Suicide Veil" can only take advantage of the passionate kind of singing he's using there. But the others.... I don't know... What's the opinion of others on this?
Don Corleone
Emre
it is obvious that danny's vox on eternity are a bit harsh and they needed training but they match the overall sound of the album PERFECTLY. so perfectly that i believe no other vocals (either trained or death or any other bullshit) would be as good.
