Alternative 4 Review
| Band | |
|---|---|
| Album |  Alternative 4 |
| Type | Album (Studio full-length) |
| Released | August 11, 1998 |
| Genres | Alternative Rock, Doom Metal |
| Labels | Peaceville Records |
| Length | 45:01 |
| Ranked | #22 for 1998 , #926 all-time |
Album rating : 91.2 / 100
Votes : 13 (2 reviews)
Votes : 13 (2 reviews)
January 24, 2024
Quite plainly, one of my personal favorite albums ever released. Despite that, I have trouble finding the right words to paint such a picture. If you’ve heard the album, it speaks for itself. If you haven’t yet heard it…
Imagine your world has just been shattered. Not in any vague sense, no – the person you care about and trust most in the whole world has just betrayed you. Initially you feel intense, stabbing pain; the world as you knew it is no more. Your vulnerable, unguarded heart takes the full brunt of the blow from the one you least expected to ever hurt you. Or, maybe you always knew. The pain sets, stays, and eats away at all you are.
Then the implications set in. If the person you cared about most in the whole world betrayed you, how can you trust anyone? How can you trust yourself? It was you who let your guard down around them, after all. Anxiety. Pain. Insanity. Pain. Paranoia. Pain. A desire to escape, by any means necessary…
Then comes the anger, the hate. They did this to you. They should be the one suffering for this. You’d love a chance to pay that back. You dare, you hope for them to make another mistake and give you any excuse.
But as time passes, memories remain. And there were so many good memories. There was love, once. Flashes of passion and genuine feeling come back, and once more the unavoidable pain starts again. It hurts because you loved them. It still hurts because a part of you still loves a part of them.
Regret. Genuine, existential regret. One of the worst feelings a human can feel. What have you lost? What have you become? Could things have gone differently? Is it your fault? Can you have one more chance?
Eventually, there is acceptance. It is the only way to carry on. But this isn’t exactly a happy ending. It’s simply s transition that allows time to keep moving. Flashes of everything still hit. The toll of the experience still weighs heavy. An unfortunate shade of misanthropy might persist. But one must keep living, and moving forward. An “It is what it is” and a carrying on towards destiny.
Imagine your world has just been shattered. Not in any vague sense, no – the person you care about and trust most in the whole world has just betrayed you. Initially you feel intense, stabbing pain; the world as you knew it is no more. Your vulnerable, unguarded heart takes the full brunt of the blow from the one you least expected to ever hurt you. Or, maybe you always knew. The pain sets, stays, and eats away at all you are.
Then the implications set in. If the person you cared about most in the whole world betrayed you, how can you trust anyone? How can you trust yourself? It was you who let your guard down around them, after all. Anxiety. Pain. Insanity. Pain. Paranoia. Pain. A desire to escape, by any means necessary…
Then comes the anger, the hate. They did this to you. They should be the one suffering for this. You’d love a chance to pay that back. You dare, you hope for them to make another mistake and give you any excuse.
But as time passes, memories remain. And there were so many good memories. There was love, once. Flashes of passion and genuine feeling come back, and once more the unavoidable pain starts again. It hurts because you loved them. It still hurts because a part of you still loves a part of them.
Regret. Genuine, existential regret. One of the worst feelings a human can feel. What have you lost? What have you become? Could things have gone differently? Is it your fault? Can you have one more chance?
Eventually, there is acceptance. It is the only way to carry on. But this isn’t exactly a happy ending. It’s simply s transition that allows time to keep moving. Flashes of everything still hit. The toll of the experience still weighs heavy. An unfortunate shade of misanthropy might persist. But one must keep living, and moving forward. An “It is what it is” and a carrying on towards destiny.
1 like
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | video | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Shroud of False | 1:37 | 92.9 | 7 | |
| 2. | Fragile Dreams | 5:32 | 93.8 | 10 | Audio |
| 3. | Empty | 3:00 | 91.9 | 8 | |
| 4. | Lost Control | 5:50 | 91.1 | 9 | |
| 5. | Re-Connect | 3:52 | 90.8 | 6 | |
| 6. | Inner Silence | 3:08 | 93 | 5 | |
| 7. | Alternative 4 | 6:18 | 86.7 | 6 | Audio |
| 8. | Regret | 7:58 | 95 | 7 | |
| 9. | Feel | 5:28 | 92 | 5 | |
| 10. | Destiny | 2:14 | 87 | 5 |
Line-up (members)
- Vincent Cavanagh : Vocals, Guitars
- Danny Cavanagh : Guitars, Keyboards, Piano
- Duncan Patterson : Bass, Keyboards, Piano
- Shaun Steels : Drums
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Alternative 4 Review (1998)
OUTLAW 85/100Sep 8, 2020 Likes : 5
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Resonance Review (2001) [Compilation]
OUTLAW 80/100Sep 20, 2020 Likes : 4
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SilentScream213 95/100Oct 13, 2022 Likes : 3
Much like it took some time for Death Metal to shed its Thrash roots, and Doom Metal to evolve out of Trad Doom, so too did Death Doom undergo a lengthy transitional phase. In the late 80’s into the early 90’s, Death Doom was, more or less, slow Death Metal, and many of the early releases no longer represent what the genre would become. In time, Death Doom added its signatu... Read More
Universal Review (2013) [Live]
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라이브만의 현장감이나 그 분위기또한 좋기에 스튜디오 앨범뿐 아니라 라이브도 좋다고 하는건 찾아듣는 편입니다. 여기 관객과 밴드의 호흡이나 열광적인 분위기 등 많은 점들이 잘 살아있는 아주 훌륭한 라이브가 있습니다. 근래 들어본것들 중 가장 좋게 들은 라이브 중 하나입니다.(사... Read More
Serenades Review (1993)
GM 68/100Jul 23, 2007 Likes : 2
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▶ Alternative 4 Review (1998)
SilentScream213 100/100Jan 24, 2024 Likes : 1
Quite plainly, one of my personal favorite albums ever released. Despite that, I have trouble finding the right words to paint such a picture. If you’ve heard the album, it speaks for itself. If you haven’t yet heard it…
Imagine your world has just been shattered. Not in any vague sense, no – the person you care about and trust most in the whole world has just betray...
Eternity Review (1996)
SilentScream213 95/100Feb 12, 2023 Likes : 1
Eternity is somewhat of a transitional album in Anathema’s discography (though what isn’t, with how often they changed sounds). This one is quite a big shock though, coming from the Death Doom of The Silent Enigma. Here, Anathema have completely fused Doom and Gothic Metal, and added in liberal amounts of Progressive Rock and ethereal ambience. And that last bit is very imp... Read More
Eternity Review (1996)
Megametal 100/100Mar 31, 2021 Likes : 1
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