Anathema's Judgement

Judgement’s day in the sun on bright, white wax Along with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, Anathema made their name as one third of what became known as The Peaceville Three, a trio of bands who combined death and doom metal influences with a very English sense of romanticism to create an aggressive, yet richly atmospheric, sound that would help pave the way for today's thriving gothic metal movement.

By 1999’s Judgement, Anathema had already abandoned many of their metal trappings and, indeed, this album is effectively the last work the band produced before immersing themselves fully into the world of emotive, atmospheric rock. While transitional albums often feel like a compromise between two opposing visions, many believe Judgement to be the group’s finest hour and, listening to it again, it’s hard to disagree.

Melancholic yet strangely life-affirming, Judgement abandoned the Pink Floyd-esque progressive meanderings and piano-heavy songwriting of 1996's Eternity and 1998’s Alternative 4 respectively. Making use of layers of clean and heavy, distorted guitars, and tightening the songwriting significantly, it has both weight and a rich and expansive - yet deeply personal - sound.
It doesn’t matter that the artwork remains somewhat rudimentary.