ALL FAITH IS LOST

The second Anathema demo is a big step forward. The sound is so much better. So is the music too.

This demo includes four tracks. Two of them was included on the They Die '7 and on the Crestfallen. These tracks is the rearranged versions of Crestfallen and They Die. The music on this demo is blend of death and doom metal. These songs is much harder and harsher on this demo than on Crestfallen. This is more death than doom. This is Anathema with the rough edges still attached. Stylewise, they are also very close to My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost's demos from the same era. Thankfully, all three bands moved in different directions on their debut EPs/albums.

The quality is not too bad here. But they songs here was not the finished product and it is pretty revealing to hear this version of Crestfallen. It is nowhere as good as the EP version. I will still only award it a one star. But this demo is still a massive improvement from the debut demo. It shows Anathema preparing themselves for the revolution they created on Crestfallen and Serenades. This is one of the better demo tapes out there and I fully understand why it created this stir in the underground metal scene.

1.75 star

The more I listen to this album, the more I realise that I am wholly undecided as to what I think about this album. Whilst on the one hand, it is musically a complex album with amazingly simple lyrics surrounding the subjects of isolation and depression, the repetitive nature of the music and the fact that there is not a moment where we are allowed to breathe, to come up for air, within this "thick" heavy album lead me to almost become bored (and certainly tired) by the third track.

That said, the intensity of the growled lyrics and repetitive heavy guitar coupled with a healthy dose of percussion are mesmerising. Each track of this album can hold your attention. Lyrically and musically the album clearly fits together. Starting from the relatively light, mournful opening guitar and lyrics of "Crestfallen", the opening track on the album, the music and the words tell a story of ever-increasing depression. Perhaps this explains the unrelenting heavy guitar riffs that we hear ? certainly Anathema has done a good job in representing the unrelenting "fog" off depression.

This demo tape, released by the band, is quite a far cry from what they become. Of course, it is close to their original sound, that of doom/death metal with growling and unclear vocals. Their albums would show marked improvement, which is what you would expect, but even the demo songs here demonstrate the bands talent in the instrumentation department, but not so much in the lyrical and vocal aspects.

As a rule, I don't care for these growling or screaming vocals unless some emotion or some degree of musicality is present, as with Devin Townsend, Opeth or Orphaned Land. But this is not the case in the early Anathema demos and unfortunately in their first EPs and albums. The guitars and the drums here are decent enough, but the vocals and lack of emotion just don't appeal to me. It makes the music sound too much alike and it also takes away from the talent apparent in the rest of the band. These songs are all about darkness and depression, and become increasingly darker as they go on.

"Crestfallen" is the best song on here, it shows off the real talent of the band in instrumentation and emotion, but is still not the easiest thing to listen to, and the EP version would end up being better than this version. "At One with the Earth" and "All Faith is Lost" have awful vocals and cancel out any other sounds that may come from the band. "They Die" is a little bit better, but this one is also on "The Crestfallen" EP in a much better version. It still has the growly vocals I don't like, but again, the best part of the music is the instrumentation here also.

I would suggest not searching for the demo tapes, even if you are into death and doom metal, unless you are a completionist. If you like this kind of music, then look into getting "Serenades" or "The Silent Enigma" or the EP "The Crestfallen". If you like more experiemental or emotional music, then you definitely need to check out anything else by the band, because they are amazingly talented. Their clean vocals in everything released after "The Silent Enigma" don't take away from the music and their ingenuity is much more apparent.