Waiting to Die, Afraid of Dying (Pentecost III - Anathema)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Pentecost III - Anathema
Date:	17/01/08 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unparalleled gloom, and a long-awaited resurrection of these vital releases.

Disadvantages: May lead to suicidal tendencies or manic depression. Okay for pregnant women though.

Conveniently repackaged as a full-length release, this vital component of any doom metal collection exposes the nude, primitive roots of Anathema's humble origins as Britain's foremost death-doom pioneer (my favourite of the "big three"), and chronicles the band's gradual shift towards the gothic and Floydian tendencies of their later work. 'Crestfallen' is a dirty, elegiac cry for help that finds the band at their depressive best, while the more polished 'Pentecost III' is a fitting eulogy for the band's early period.

While primarily targeted an item for collectors, this collection technically makes for a more worthwhile purchase for fans and newcomers alike, firstly for containing entirely original material independent from the slightly longer album releases, and also clocking in at an impressive seventy-five minutes - if this has a drawback, it's that listening in one sitting is a little exhausting. In a seemingly commercially-oriented manoeuvre, the more refined 'Pentecost III' E.P. is touted as the major selling point of this release, sensible due to its importance in moving the band's sound on from the 'Silent Enigma' era to 'Eternity,' with the earlier 'Crestfallen' relegated to the end for historical significance. Collecting these two E.P.s in this manner is the most logical method of making them easily available as an addition to an Anathema collection, though the subtly conflicting styles don't work quite as well in this format as in their other common form, appended to the longer albums (a 'Serenades +4' sort of thing).

The Pentecost E.P. is easily the more accessible and less frightening of the two, but this also makes it a little blander and less powerful, though this could merely be a matter of personal taste as I've never enjoyed Anathema's later style as much as their doom origins. Subtle keyboards add to the excellent atmosphere of these songs, which range from lethargic, spoken word drones in a lush soundscape right back to the band's older style of Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh's raw guitars, John Douglas' crushing drums and Darren White's sinister growls, all executed at a painfully slow tempo. Some of the more experimental songs get overly carried away in terms of length, particularly in terms of the otherwise enjoyable 'We, the Gods' that more or less finishes after five minutes and proceeds to fill the remaining five minutes with nice guitar drones, but this early portion of the album is mostly successful in mixing the band's doom metal style with a wider-reaching style of atmospheric rock, ending in a brilliantly understated instrumental in the form of the title track.

The central section of the album (tracks five and six) still technically belong to the Pentecost side of things, but the sound retreats a few years to showcase Anathema's early style fusing droning doom metal in the classic Black Sabbath style with more contemporary death metal influences, all slowed down to the point of tears. 'Memento Mori' is a re-recording of a song from one of the band's original, excellent demos, as are 'They Die' and the titular 'Crestfallen' from later on, and all share the common style of dirty, crunching guitars, Duncan Patterson's prominent bass and echoing drums, all lapsing into frequent free-form expressions of sorrow and following riff after devastating riff in the more drawn-out offerings. White's vocals are doubled up to offer both a growling death grunt and more sombre spoken style, and the leading guitars riffs from 'The Sweet Suffering,' 'Memento Mori' and the band's magnum opus 'Crestfallen' all deserve a place in metal history. These are difficult songs to listen to, firstly for crossing the barrier into bleak, dirge metal but also for their often discordant structures that threaten to speed up one minute before plunging headlong into a drawn-out chorus or guitar piece, but when Anathema did the death-doom thing well (particularly here on the 'Crestfallen' E.P.), they were far more successful and evocative than contemporaries My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost ever managed.

'Crestfallen' itself is a real marvel, beginning with that simple but highly moving piano soon being joined by their most memorable whining guitar that evolves, over the course of a few minutes, into a heavy and deathly slow metal grind that deserves to be echoed at full volume around your room or tomb (depending on your listening habits). This is the only song of considerable length to remain compelling and creative throughout, but it's a damn good job it wasn't permitted to close the album, allowing the comparatively more upbeat and energetic 'They Die' to entertain with heavy guitars and bashing drums for a few minutes while you recover your emotional state and are finally in a position to crawl out of your chair or casket (depending on your listening habits). The only song to really stand out for being radically different is the beautiful 'Everwake' that comes in the middle of all of this sorrow and devastation, foreshadowing the 'Eternity' era with its soft, Medieval style guitar jingle and ethereal female singing. It's a respite of prettiness from all the gloom, like a wild flower sprouting from a child murderer's grave.

1. Kingdom
2. Mine Is Yours to Drown In
3. We, the Gods
4. Pentecost III
5. Memento Mori
6. ...And I Lust
7. The Sweet Suffering
8. Everwake
9. Crestfallen
10. They Die

Summary: Collects 'Pentecost III' (1995) & 'Crestfallen' (1992).