Anathema

[King Postwhore]

At first I thought the song was too simplistic for Anathema


Then it exploded in my face

Love it

It's like having sex with someone for the first time.

[T-ski]

U.S. dates...

August 16 Baltimore, MD Soundstage
August 17 New York, NY Gramercy Theater
August 18 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
August 19 Quebec, QC Saile Multi
August 20 Montreal, QC Astral
August 21 Toronto, ON Opera House
August 23 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
August 24 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
August 25 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts

any Chicago area peeps been to the Bottom Lounge before? might consider making the trip.

[Nick]

I'll be in Philly for sure.

[Phoenix87x]

Hell yeah philly, that's an awesome venue 

[King Postwhore]

So Haken, Neal Morse and Anathema are playing in Boston while I'm on vacation.  This is the bomb!

[Prog Snob]

New York it is!

[Prog Snob]

Ticket purchased!

So, I completely forgot they played most of the new album during their last tour, so I'm downloading two of the bootlegs right now. I also came across a 1995 bootleg on Dime which has a nice setlist for fans of the older music.

[pfillion]

First review of the new album

https://www.prog-sphere.com/reviews/anathema-the-optimist-review/

[kaos2900]

Can't wait for this!

[pfillion]

New review

https://metalwani.com/2017/05/review-anathema-the-optimist.html

[Phoenix87x]

I need another single SO bad. This wait is killing me...

[Nekov]

New review

https://metalwani.com/2017/05/review-anathema-the-optimist.html

This review has too many spoilers for me. I liked the other one better to be honest.

I need another single SO bad. This wait is killing me...

So much this

[Nick]

I need another single SO bad. This wait is killing me...

Do you think that it'll come out soon?

Does that make you... the optimist?

[Phoenix87x]

I need another single SO bad. This wait is killing me...

Do you think that it'll come out soon?

Does that make you... the optimist?

Actually, everyday the wait continues, I find myself falling deeper into depression, since there's not a decent Alternative 4 this fantastic band. But I can't pass Judgement based off on just one song, but the release date feels so far away that's it feel like a Distant satellite. I am so sad from this wait that feels like an Eternity that people are starting to think I am a Silent enigma. If it gets any worse, it might just be a fine day to exit

 

[Prog Snob]

There's another new Anathema song on Spotify - Can't Let Go. I like it. It's upbeat but I prefer the darker mood of Springfield.

[Phoenix87x]

i worship Anathema, but its just meh for me

[Zantera]

Gotta say their new album is their best since WHBWH imo.

[Phoenix87x]

Now I am dying to hear the album

[Nekov]

I think the problem with this new song are the drums, everything else is nice but the fact that the drums are so repetitive makes me lose interest at some point. Maybe within the context of the album this will work better but as a stand alone song it's just average.

[Zantera]

Depends a bit on what side of Anathema you prefer though. This is a bit of a return to A Fine Day to Exit/A Natural Disaster but blending it with their newer sound. I've enjoyed their last couple of albums quite a bit but I could definitely see some point to the argument that Weather Systems and Distant Satellites "played it safe". (I still really liked both, though not as much as WHBWH or Judgement) I feel like with The Optimist, I think some will really like it and some might be lukewarm on it, but I don't feel the "played it safe" argument applies. They definitely tried to change things up a bit.

Also the songs released so far (while great) are not the big standouts of the album, but they do work better in the context of it.

[Nekov]

 

[BlackInk]

I like the new song. Only heard it once, but my first impression is that I like it.

[Prog Snob]

Which? The new song or the new new song?

[BlackInk]

Can't Let Go.

[Prog Snob]

It's good, but... This might be nitpicking but I feel like the pace is too fast.

[BlackInk]

I guess I see what you mean, but it doesn't bother me.

[Prog Snob]

It's a lot faster than what I'm used to with their music. That's all. It'll grow on me I'm sure. Their first couple of albums took a while to get into.

[BlackInk]

I've actually never listened to any of the stuff from before WHBWH. Maybe I should. It's just hard to find time these days to dive deep into music like that.

[Prog Snob]

Their first few albums were darker, had the death growls, but still had the same poetic lyrics. Eternity was their first full move away from the growls though some songs on The Silent Enigma had clean vocals.

[Zantera]

I'd say The Silent Enigma was mostly clean vocals except Vincent used a different singing technique and the vocals sounded harsher and rawer because that was the kind of music they made back then. The Silent Enigma is actually one of my favorite Anathema albums. It's Doom, it's heavy and a metal album essentially, but the quality in the songwriting is there. If you are hesitant about earlier Anathema but like their last few albums, pretty much anything from Alternative 4 and forward should be enjoyable to you. Just start with A Natural Disaster and work your way backwards.

[seasonsinthesky]

I'd say The Silent Enigma was mostly clean vocals except Vincent used a different singing technique and the vocals sounded harsher and rawer because that was the kind of music they made back then.

He yells and sometimes screams, but definitely doesn't growl. Vincent never had. Only Serenades has growls – from Pentecost III (a tremendous EP!) onward, it was lamenting cleans and yells. The musical style, of course, didn't truly 'lighten' until Eternity, and moreso on A4.

[Nick]

Gotta say their new album is their best since WHBWH imo.

I would disagree. Been listening to it a good bit and while I certainly accept it is very beautiful, there just isn't as much to hook or wow me as there has been on previous albums so far.

[Phoenix87x]

My favorite Anathema song is Internal landscapes. For me its the high water mark and has left me in tears multiple times and has helped me through some tough shit, when I just needed a song like that.

[LordCost]

Gotta say their new album is their best since WHBWH imo.

I would disagree. Been listening to it a good bit and while I certainly accept it is very beautiful, there just isn't as much to hook or wow me as there has been on previous albums so far.

I didn't have any expectations about The Optimist, but it's a good album. I appreciate that it sounds a bit different from the previous two-three albums.
I liked Distant Satellites but I would have been tired and uninterested of hearing the same formula again, even with great songs.

[SeRoX]

I hope Can't Let Go is only the bad song on the album.