Anathema
The Silent Enigma

The year was 1995 and in the extreme metal scene things were changing. Following the doom metal wave of Black Sabbath which was further refined by Candlemass with the fusion of Death metal which in these years was at its peak, a new genre was born: doom death metal. The bands that stood out as major representatives of the genre were Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, and Anathema.

In '95, after a change of vocalist who had abandoned them in their previous work, an EP called "Pentecost 3", Anathema decided to choose the already present guitarist Vincent Cavanagh as their frontman. The band led by Vincent was ready in '95 to release "The Silent Enigma", a milestone of the genre, which in my opinion transcends any musical genre.

"The Silent Enigma" is a deep inner journey, into the desolation and pain of the human soul, but now let's analyze the CD track by track.

"Restless Oblivion" is the first track that opens this masterpiece. It begins with a keyboard playing an ethereal and dreamlike base followed by arpeggios as if they wanted to lead the listener into a dark, yet peaceful world. But the peace lasts very little as a slow, typically doom distorted guitar riff starts and the vocals begin, with a desperate growl alternating with an ethereal, deep, and unique clean voice. The song is a funeral chant: "A Black garden to cry, when my innamorato die." Then it reaches an interlude where there are arpeggios, the unease experienced is very deep almost crushing and the vocal timbre is very low, the guitar work is exceptional, and suddenly it erupts into a real hell with extremely heavy yet incredibly melodic riffs, with a Vincent angrier than he will ever be in his entire career with the group. After this, it returns to the chorus, an excellent opening track to vaguely show you the quality of what awaits you afterward.

"Shroud of Frost", the second piece of the CD, in my opinion one of the most beautiful. The track starts with a guitar executing a very deep, incredibly ethereal melody, torn apart by a desperate voice. For a better idea of the track, it is recommended to listen to it while reading the lyrics. The song is a progression of unique sensations. It proceeds linearly until its halfway point, alternating verses and chorus. Almost halfway, everything calms down and only Vincent's voice remains, where he doesn't sing but simply narrates and recites the song's lyrics, accompanied by a single melody of guitar arpeggios. Slowly the song grows in intensity. The guitar phrases are of a melody of rare beauty, and you will lose yourself in an indescribable sensation listening to this part that continues to the end, always closed by guitars with an eternal sound, a unique piece...

"Alone", an acoustic piece with a beautiful melody and sung by a girl with an innocent voice, a pleasant and relaxing moment before another fantastic track.

"Sunset of Age", yes the sunset of age, the song begins with a beautiful arpeggio and continues to flourish with beautiful, eternal vocal choruses which will leave you paralyzed while listening. The song proceeds or rather intercedes, you will feel it right inside you. At a certain point, it restarts, let's say from the beginning with the initial arpeggio but the tones get heavier, the choruses disappear, and a raspy, tormented voice begins to emerge into a beautifully deep and melodic solo ending with this solo in fade-out. You will be struck as if something inside you has moved and you will listen to the track again.

"Nocturnal Emission", again these sensations from an eternal riff that is well listened to but lasts short, a very heavy and disturbing arpeggio with muffled vocals, desperate breaths, a deep sense of anxiety, perhaps the heaviest track of the entire CD.

"Celurean Twilight" a lively chord progression starts this track, a whispered voice accompanies it all to then burst into grim despair. I'd say it's a nice piece, but nothing more, what follows this is a real journey.

"The Silent Enigma", here we are at the title track, a dreamy arpeggio introduces this wonderful track, the guitar performs a beautiful round of arpeggios, a steady drum from the beginning and the voice starts, sad, melodic, deep, it will seem like your inner voice, followed by chilling phrases with lyrics that I recommend reading to better understand and love the track. Around halfway, the piece becomes more "dark", a grim arpeggio followed by a distorted and heavy guitar in full doom style and a series of violent growls will hit you inside, but then everything calms down and with a long guitar note starts a melody that will drag you making you dream with your eyes open "an enigma...silent..."

"A Dying Wish", here I am in difficulty because it is difficult for anyone to describe their favorite song... The track starts with a series of clean guitar arpeggios and a keyboard to create an atmosphere, a fantastic melody that proceeds slowly, your mind, closing your eyes, will wander a lot creating a state of peace, but it lasts little, a beautiful riff that once heard will never leave your head again, for the energy it will put into you enters into the heart of the piece, voice in a single growl in my opinion the most beautiful of all, this riff continues until reaching a moment of peace, with a decadent, clean, and dreamy voice that leads you inside yourself, which is then broken by a desperate scream and the initial riff starts again but in a different way. Yes, this song is a continuous alternation of moments of energy and fury and others of enchanting dreams, at a certain point everything stops everything becomes unsettling, a very heavy bass that intercedes, incomprehensible voices in the background, unsettling guitar sounds guide you into an incredibly introspective part, everything seems to shut down when the guitar plays long notes filled with incredible emotional charge, only a few guitar notes but you will feel like getting up and recovering and here restarts the old riff that you will never get tired of hearing and here's the finale, an ethereal melody struck by a furious voice that says "e morirei adesso per un ultimo desiderio" and after this the acoustic guitar playing the beginning of the track replaying the initial arpeggio ending as it started you will remain in a state of catatonia, as if something had changed you listening to the piece from the start again.

"Black Orchid", we are at the end, a very sad arpeggio accompanies this instrumental piece which then explodes into something unique, a truly dark piece, almost like a slow and decaying march to follow.

Now that you have listened to this entire CD, if you have listened to it attentively and understood it, you will remain speechless, as if you have washed your soul. This is "The Silent Enigma", no album will sound like this one, the sensations you will experience with this CD you won't experience with any other CD, a must-have for sure.