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 | #23 for 1998 , #955 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
10,378 reviews
| cover art | Artist | Album review | Reviewer | Rating | Date | Likes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | ▶ Alternative 4 Review (1998) | 100 | Jan 24, 2024 | 1 | ||
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 | | Burzum/Aske Review (1995) [Compilation] | 100 | Jan 22, 2024 | 1 | ||
 | | Rebirth by Blasphemy Review (2020) | 90 | Jan 22, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | W Imię Nocy Review (1998) | 100 | Jan 21, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | Mantra III Review (1998) | 65 | Jan 21, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | Hellfire's Dominion Review (1998) | 75 | Jan 21, 2024 | 0 | ||
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 | | Ecclesia Gnostica Review (2024) | 90 | Jan 19, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | Rebirth Review (2001) | 85 | Jan 19, 2024 | 2 | ||
 | | The Nighthold Review (2023) | 85 | Jan 18, 2024 | 0 | ||
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 | | 90 | Jan 18, 2024 | 2 | |||
 | | 100 | Jan 16, 2024 | 2 | |||
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 | | Predominance Review (2001) | 85 | Jan 16, 2024 | 0 | ||
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Alternative 4 Review (1998)
OUTLAW 85/100Sep 8, 2020 Likes : 5
우울함이 짙게 느껴지는 깊은 감성이 있는 음악이지만, 다 같이 죽자는 식으로 엄청나게 디프레시브하지는 않고 다소간의 여백의 미와 듣는 재미는 챙겨주는 밴드이다. 엘범 초반의 1~3번 콤보를 즐겨 들었다. 러닝 타임을 의식해서인지 갑자기 마무리하는 듯한 트렉이 몇 곡 있다. 가사가... Read More
Resonance Review (2001) [Compilation]
OUTLAW 80/100Sep 20, 2020 Likes : 4
누구나 어디에서나 본인이 원하는 플레이리스트로 원하는 곡을 바로 들을 수 있는 현시대에 편집엘범의 가치는 과거 카세트나 시디플레이어 시대와는 비교조차 할 수 없을 것이다. 과거에는 꽤나 가치있게 여겨졌던 편집엘범은 주로 대중성을 고려한 싱글 지향의 곡들이나 히트곡 모음으... Read More
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]
휘동이 90/100Apr 29, 2018 Likes : 2
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
패러다이스로스트(Paradise Lost)와 마이다잉브라이드(My Dying Bride)의 뒤를 이어 고딕 메틀계를 이끌어 나가는 Anathema 의 데뷔 앨범 리이슈! 시적이며 철학적인 가사와 각 곡에 대한 뛰어난 구성력을 보여주는 앨범으로 아직도 그 완성도에 찬사를 받고 있는 수작이다. 고딕메틀의 암울함과 아름... Read More
▶ 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
Album "Eternity" som hodnotil už v roku 2013, avšak je to tak špičkové album, že som sa rozhodol napísať dlhšiu recenziu a predstaviť dané album viacerým metalovým nadšencom v oblasti Atmosférického Doom/Gothic Metal / Rock -u (ak to vôbec niekoho zaujíma :D). Spolu s predošlým a nasledujúcimi dvoma albumami tvorí z môjho pohľadu najsilnejšie obdobie sk... Read More
