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Rating:
I awaited the release date of this album with great interest and participation, which is set at a considerable distance, both spatially and temporally, from the previous "Natural disaster".
Temporal, because a full seven years have passed.
Spatial, because in 2010 Anathema lives in a substantially new dimension, certainly different. It shows that their journey in music, the exploration of sound and their expressiveness has not stopped at all, on the contrary.
In these songs, a significant change of register, tone, and chromaticism is immediately perceptible. The past, more or less recent, made up of doom, metal, gothic, and their respective emotional climates, definitively give way to a new substance, to new needs, that, instead of crepuscular and shadowy sensations, are devoted to a more sunny, or in any case serene and transparent serenity, sincerity, towards themselves, towards the world.
This atmosphere is also recalled and suggested by the splendid artwork, which seems the direct continuation of "A fine day to exit". But the similarities end here, because, beyond an obvious compositional commonality, the general setting of this latest work has turned towards certain prog-rock, one might even say towards certain shoegaze.
At first listen, some solutions reminiscent of Sigur Ros come to mind, as well as recent work from Radiohead, to name two illustrious names.
Thus a more widespread, more ambient sound narrative, so to speak, that leaves room for various personal interpretations. Even Vincent's vocal tone has become more ethereal and dreamy, almost completely abandoning lower tones, reminiscent of sufferings and inner turmoil.
The opener "Thin air", for instance, is characterized as the modern counterpart of "Deep", or "Release", or "Balance", in terms of composition, but, as already mentioned, it differs in flavor and evocability. It's pointless to proceed in a sterile track by track, they are always Anathema, and those who know them will not find themselves in unknown territory, but rather in a virgin region, at least to their eyes, a new chapter of the same narrative.
A very convincing album, in its expressive homogeneity, which fills a gap of seven years, proposing new and even courageous solutions, which will surely provoke discussions among long-time fans, by now accustomed to stylistic veerings, but which certainly feels very fresh and interesting, and therefore will be appreciated.
Like finding an old friend, after many years, always the same, but somehow different. Being enchanted by his stories, his experiences, in front of a beautiful landscape, just like a summernight horizon...
1. Thin Air 05:59
2. Summernight Horizon 04:12
3. Dreaming Light 05:19
4. Everything 05:06
5. Angels Walk Among Us 05:17
6. Presence 02:58
7. A Simple Mistake 08:14
8. Get Off, Get Out 05:01
9. Universal 07:19
10. Hindsight 08:10
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