Anathema - Weather Systems review
| Band: | Anathema |
| Album: | Weather Systems |
| Style: | Atmospheric rock |
| Release date: | April 16, 2012 |
| A review by: | Dream Taster |
Disc I
01. Untouchable Part 1
02. Untouchable Part 2
03. The Gathering Of The Clouds
04. Lightning Song
05. Sunlight
06. The Storm Before The Calm
07. The Beginning And The End
08. The Lost Child
09. Internal Landscapes
Disc II [Limited edition DVD 5.1 mix]
01. Untouchable Part 1
02. Untouchable Part 2
03. The Gathering Of The Clouds
04. Lightning Song
05. Sunlight
06. The Storm Before The Calm
07. The Beginning And The End
08. The Lost Child
09. Internal Landscapes
Liverpool, United Kingdom. In the distance the gathering of the clouds dims the sunlight, an omen of an impending rainstorm. In the beginning there was lightning, and in the end a drenched landscape.
Needless to say that whatever kind of rock featured on Weather Systems is literally miles away from Anathema's death/doom sound of decades past. But then again it is no less riveting. Spellbinding is more like it. Once more the Cavanagh brothers manage to fascinate me with their ability to write beautiful music. Be warned though that there is very little variation in the formula that was presented on its predecessor We're Here Because We're Here.
It is a very quiet album, some would say boring. I say not so. There is a touching maturity to these songs. The prominence of acoustic guitars, angelic vocals and orchestral elements do indeed impede any kind of groovy atmosphere to grow throughout the album but it also gives Weather Systems a consistent aura of serenity. Sure I would have loved to hear more of Vincent's voice rather than overusing female vocals especially early on. Anathema female singer Lee Douglas does shine but she seems to be taking over the vocal duties so much that it is hard to recognize their trademark sound for most of the first half of the album.
I wouldn't complaint if things were going out of control a tad midway through the album rather than showcasing everlasting atmospheres that seem to stiffen some songs. Nevertheless I do see what Anathema tried to achieve and overall they succeeded. One question does remain. Will the fans go for it? Personally I love the risk taking but I'm a little torn about the end product. It's beautiful but it lacks variation, and overall it lacks grit. Throwing some more power riffs here and there wouldn't have killed the vibe of the album. A track like "The Beginning and the End" perfectly shows us that.
Remember that it is easy to criticize. I am nitpicking here. This band is amazing and they do deserve your attention. I had the pleasure to see an acoustic performance of Vince and Danny Cavanagh last year and it was a magical show. Whatever you do, support this band by going to their concerts. As for Weather Systems, give it a listen and see what comes out of it. In the right frame of mind, you could end up being taken aback by its beauty.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
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Written on 29.06.2012 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments
Comments: 21
Visited by: 410 users
| DelightfulJim Posts: 108  |
Great review! I prefer the songwriting in this album to their previous one, but I agree a little more power could have gone down well. But to be honest, I have very little problems with Weather Systems. It's so far my album of the year!
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| Coolingsrock Posts: 228  |
I agree about the variation and ''power'' but i don't find this amazing.Slightly above average for me.
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| Unhealer Eclecticist Posts: 2311  |
Quote: Yeah, even though I disliked this record I would go to see them if they come to town again on tour for this album; they put an amazing show.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Definitely didn't enjoy this one as much as I was hoping to, as the overabundant use of female vocals take away a great deal of their identity (as you pointed out) and the blatant attempt at making this seem far more atmospheric than it really is comes off as borderline pretentious in my eyes. Incredibly weak songwriting, but some mellow atmospheric emotional watered down rock that's better listened to while stoned or relaxing at night in a hot bath with rose petals and Epsom salts by candlelight. A high 6 at best.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9156  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 29.06.2012 at 05:52 So every night then?
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702  |
Pretty much a carbon copy of We're Here Because We're Here, but with far too much female singing, which, indeed, takes the band's trademark away. Having said that, it's an enjoyable album, with some good songs on it. Shame there is no progression in their music... I hope they are not going to release another 4 albums like this one... a return to the Judgement era would be appreciated, thank you...  but I'm only dreaming. Where are the Epsom salts?
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
Believe it or not, I would not listen to this if did not read the review; now I will "give it a listen and see what comes out of it." Who knows, maybe "in the right frame of mind, [I] could end up being taken aback by its beauty."
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
This album is really good but you do need to give it some time and see if for what it is. Don't go in expecting something from the past. This is Anathema now and this is good, as far as I'm concerned. As long as they continue to write beautiful music, I will buy their albums and be at their shows.
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| moribun Posts: 92  |
This album sounds a bit too "soft" compared to their previous album. Just above average.
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| andreosokin SOUNDERY Posts: 227  |
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| Bonna Posts: 15 |
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
People are actually complaining about the vocals? Woah some of you are difficult to please. Great performances all-round I think. The song writing is definitely the high point for me, I have no problem returning to this album at any time as it just has an irresistible charm.
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| IronAngel Posts: 4880  |
Written by Bonna on 03.07.2012 at 18:58 It's been her style for years. I remember being rather irritated by it on the song A Natural Disaster. You know, that "You just sli-i--ipped, throu-u-u-gh, my finge-eers". I didn't find it nearly as extreme on this album, though I haven't listened to it much or very closely.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by IronAngel on 04.07.2012 at 21:05 Haha Oh man don't listen to Dax Riggs bands then (Acid Bath, Agents Of Oblivion, Deadboy & The Elephantmen), he does that shit a lot but I love his voice anyways... It works with his bluesy music.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| IronAngel Posts: 4880 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.07.2012 at 23:30 It totally depends on context. I'm not bothered by it anymore even on A Natural Disaster, but it's pretty underscored there since it's basically just Lee singing over silence. I'm not bothered by the prominence of her vocals on this album, btw. If I were to complain about one of the three singers, it'd be Danny. He's not bad either, but clearly outperformed by Vincent and Lee.
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| flora Posts: 2  |
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| wastedmind Posts: 3 |
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| Echonia Posts: 13  |
Written by wastedmind on 07.03.2013 at 11:45 I don't agree. I am not a metal fan (I love 70s classic rock and progressive music) but I prefer their 'old' times. I have friend who listen to black metal and love weather systems / hate serenades. There is no such thing like ' I vote bad , becouse It's not metal' Alternative 4 and Judgement are not metal. But actually I don't see any similarity between We're Here Becouse We're Here and Weather Systems. Luckily , Weather Systems is a really interesting album.. We're Here Becouse We're Here is an overrated album , maybe becouse we were waiting for 6 years and we automatically assumed this album as their huge comeback. Weather Systems is great and I love it. But I wan't to be honest. Anathema in last years with every new album become more catchy , not mainstream!!! but catscy.
---- We are just..a moment in time!
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| wastedmind Posts: 3 |
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| Echonia Posts: 13 |
Written by wastedmind on 18.03.2013 at 22:55 I agree. The're many fanboys who always say 'this is not death/doom this is sh_t' without even have listened the album.(and many people who don't like metal and hate all the albums before A Natural Disaster). Well I told you. I am not the guy that will hate an album just becouse it's not the genre of rock/metal I prefer. My problem with their last two albums is how the songs evolve. The same guitar chord over and over again , playin softly in the beggining and turn heavier by the time. And also the lyrics.
---- We are just..a moment in time!
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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