Judgement - Anathema

'Judgement' marks a turning point in Anathema's career, from the brooding doom and gothic rock of their earlier releases to the more overtly atmospheric rock style they practice exclusively nowadays, though this album is slightly odd in favouring an overall lighter, sparser and less melancholic style to the albums that came before and after. Past commentators have placed this in the tradition of seventies progressive rock, but it's really much more rooted in generic nineties acoustic blandness, though with a few interesting songs along the way. As always with Anathema, the focus is more on atmosphere and mood than musical showmanship, and although some songs ...  Read the complete review