Anathema

Heavy now for their emotive powers more than their sonic approach, Anathema have crafted another thoughtful, slightly trippy exploration in sorrow and suffering. The rock is still there; it comes driving in to disrupt the tentative, tension-filled peace of the album’s quiet vibe. But loud guitars and angry vocals are more accent than staple, notable for the hollows left by their absence as much as for their hard-edged attack. A Natural Disaster reigns in its ability to carry an idea through the spectrum of emotion and intensity, but also in its careful control, painting with a palette of pastel shades rather than bright blocks of primary colours. In the end, the overall effect is smooth and low key, a watercolour wash of soft guitars and swirling effects.