HINDSIGHT

Anathema's Hindsight could be mislabeled as a quick "unplugged" album to suffice for the fact that their upcoming studio album is now over 4 years "in the works." However, this is not your typical unplugged outfit. It takes the best of the band's expansive catalog, and rearranges it to fit the environment perfectly, with little seeming as just a rehearsal of the studio version. Most versions on Hindsight are much better than the studio versions, such as "Are You There," "Temporary Peace," and "A Natural Disaster," which I can not mention without praising the vocals of Lee Douglas, who appears at only the right times throughout the album, as Vincint Cavanaugh, who fits the band perfectly, delivers business as usual, soul wrenching, emotional vocals in his respective songs. Overall, this band has created an original and emotional atmosphere in the usually mediocre unplugged cliche that seconds only to Pain of Salvation's "12:5" If I had to take one Anathema album to a desert island, this would be the one, recommended for die-hards and newcomers.