Phonebook Eater
Anathema's second release ever, "The Crestfallen" is quite a surprise. Honestly, the first time I listened to this I didn't find it at all appealing; it sounded like just a normal, death doom metal band, with some pretty decent vocals and violent atmospheres. With my surprise, this album really grew on me, and this usually never happens with just an EP.
Sure, the album is probably just another example of a death doom metal band trying to emerge, with the same, dark lyrics and slow, agonic rhythms and melodies, but at least the result is positive and almost all the songs are quite effective.
Songs like "And I Lust..." or "The Sweet Suffering" are extremely underrated, being in my opinion near perfect doom metal tracks. "Everwake" is another great song, calm, gentle, and with some haunting female vocals in the background.
There are though the negative sides of this EP; "They Die" is really nothing special, and it isn't at all better than the version that the band chose to include in "Serenades", the band's studio debut. Even the title track has some weak moments, being a little too long, and as a consequence a little dull at times.
But I must say that this EP was a delightful surprise, and it is, I think, the best release of the band from their first, death metal influenced period. 4 stars.