I don't this so. When it comes to doom metal, Serenades, Pentacost III and The Silent Enigma definitely paved the way for this genre. However, those albums just look pale by today's standard. Also, the death vox are absolutely terrible and most definitely some of the worst I've ever heard.
Here's a live song from their Serenades album, check it out:
To this day, I still think that Alternative 4 is Anathema's strongest record to date. If you can find that one, jump on it. Otherwise, Eternity is a good compromise between their doom metal era and their prog rock era. Judgement is also very, very good and without a doubt another fan's favourite.