A NATURAL DISASTER

~I don't intentionally offend people, but it is people let themselves be offended.

Dear Anathema, Please stop writing all your albums with all droopy, dragging songs that don't go anywhere. I can write this nonsense in my sleep. Opeth's "Damnation" is innovative and original, Dream Theater's "Octavarium" is a new step in their career, and Anathema's "Natural Disaster" is not a step at all. Anathema has the same two tricks every album. 1.) Find depressed teenagers through depressing music and 2.) Make the attempt at giving them the same thing on every album, every song, and getting them to like it, because they are depressed. Someone tell me how Anathema is progressive? Because they use keyboards? David Bowie has had keyboards. Don't get me wrong though, if you are actually depressed, whiney, angry at the world, this band could be for you, but this is the problem: Anathema only goes one way. The one way is of course, all cynical, "I hate god, even though I have money and a job now," Etc. There are virtually no upbeat songs in Anathema's career, Natural Disaster is no different from the last. Only to say they have different time signatures (sometimes), and different themes (sometimes). I've heard 138 Anathema songs because I decided to give them a chance. They never sank in, they aren't progressive, and if I want depressing, I still have Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, and so on and so forth. Progressive music is a kind of music that involves not only whiney teenager music (if ever), but blends elements. Elements might be Jazz, classical music, funk, blues, metal, electronica, spacey/experimental, etc. I see one thing in Anathema's "Natural Disaster" which is consistent through their career, blowing us all away with emotion. Emotions can be good, I love emotions... But Anathema only has emotion, and nothing else. Don't try to argue talent, I will point you in the direct of Pink Floyd if so.

A music professor once told me, "A good musician uses both dissonance and consonance."

Depression is contagious, non-variating music is contagious, wrong opinions are contagious.

The old man cried so much he drowned.

Bottom Line: If you need to be by yourself and cut in the dark, this band, and this album in particular, may be for you. They offer emotions, emotions you may be having right now. If you want progressive music, I'm sorry but you're on the wrong ProgArchives page.

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