THE CRESTFALLEN

About Anathema: From the beginning of their career to 1995 there is nothing so special about them. In the "Pentacost III" ep and in "Eternity" they manage to make us understand that they are meant for something bigger, something that would latter come with what I consider their best album "Alternative 4". Pink Floyd and Radiohead influences can be found in their music as the years pass and in 2004 they release an amazing record which is completely different from everything they have done before. Summing up, Anathema is a band that always evolved. They passed from doom, to atmospheric rock, to alternative always having elements from more than one style. Progressive elements can be found also but their too few to categorize them as prog metal (In my humble opinion their inclusion on PA should be questioned). However, Anathema is an amazing band that can appeal to many prog fans who like music with deep and mostly depressing emotions.

About "Crestfallen": This is the first ep this band released under the name Anathema. Ingredients of "Creestfallen" are White Daren's growls, distorted chords, slow tempos and generally whatever can be said to describe doom metal. The production is really poor and the drums get annoying at times. The compositions are poor as well and the lyrics are pretty shallow compared to those in later cds like "Alternative 4". This cd may not be good even for a doom metal fan. The best track of the ep is "everwake" which is acoustic with female vocals. It's very "dead can dance-sounding" and really interesting. However 3 minutes are not enough to change my opinion about it. Not a bad cd, but poor compared to Anathema's later releases.

Buy or not?: If you've never listened to Anathema before, try "Alternative 4", "Eternity" and "A natural Disaster" to get a picture of Anathema's good work. This ep is maybe the worst starting point. On the other side many people may know that Anathema are in a terrible financial condition. If you want to listen to this cd to see how this band has evolved over the years you can download the ep from the internet (illegally) and donate money to Anathema through their official site. You will surely help them more than by buying their cds.