This is another successful addition to the Anathema discography, in the same vein as "Alternative 4" and "A Fine Day to Exit" (not as much "Judgement," even though that came out in between those) with its pianos and keyboards, and softer style songs. Anathema has been so far away from metal for a so long that I shouldn't even have to say this album isn't metal at all. Sure, some parts might be pretty heavy, but I still consider it heavier rock rather than metal. This album is very good but I still consider all 3 albums mentioned earlier better personally. And as always, Anathema?s lyrics are impressive.

It starts off calmly with "Harmonium," which slowly gets heavier, and is mostly a basic song? then comes "Balance" which kind of does the same thing. Here's the best part: Balance stops very suddenly and a new melody is introduced but seems like part of the same song. It starts off "Closer." This song is really cool; I don't know what it is that makes it so catchy and stuck in my head all the time. It has some very unique "robotic" vocals, and a very catchy melody with drums that keep building up. It is one of the few songs, on any CDs that I sometimes play 3-4 times in a row when listening to the CD. It?s definitely my favorite on the album. "Are you There" is a very emotional song, some may say it's melodramatic or cheesy, but it's not too much. It has prominent keyboards and Danny on vocals. "Childhood Dream" is a short but sweet instrumental, very melancholy and nostalgic. "Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a second" starts off with a very fast tempo, foreshadowing that it's going to be a relatively heavy song, and it definitely is. It contains awesome vocal melodies, guitar riffs, and lyrics. "A Natural Disaster" has nice female vocals and a very melancholy mood. "Flying" has amazing vocals and is emotional to the level of "Are you There." "Electricity" gets stuck in my head a lot? a peaceful piano melody with Danny's vocals. "Violence" is a lengthy, beautiful, elaborate instrumental. It starts off with a delicate piano melody that keeps blossoming and changing, and leads into some suspenseful guitars, adding heavier guitars, faster drumming and ethereal sounds along the way, which then fades out to reveal even more graceful piano playing. The latter half of this song is very sparse. Every keystroke seems so perfect, it seems like the ideal song to stare at the stars to, but that's getting too cheesy.

Anathema has practically detached themselves from metal at this point, and they are good at what they do now. I'm not one of those people that is so disappointed when a metal band completely changes: it's usually for the better.

I can't understand how something can be so beatiful yet you can't touch it, that's how i feel about Anathema's music in this album and in A Fine Day to Exit, whenever i listen to Are you there?, Flying or Electricity i get this feeling that i can't explain it also brings so many memories, how can such a slow song bring this ruch of feeling to one's mind?

a lot of people dont think this album is any good. i cant see why. yes, it is a lot different then i excepted, and it took me a few listens to get used to it, but now i can't stop listening to it. i bought it when it came out in november in england, and i've been listening to it ever since. i love Are You There? it is one of the best songs i've ever heard. i don't know i just love the song, espically the warm, calming music. Flying, Electricity, and A Natural Disaster are also among my favorites.

I don't like to throw 5 star reviews around when there are so many other ones here, but considering the play time this disc has received in my car, I can't justify anything less. It's not as heavy or over the top like some of their old milestone albums, but there's an underlying seriousness to this one that, in many ways, is much more effective. Interestingly, my least favorite track is the title track, but the entire album works well to listen to from start to finish. No matter how much Anathema has changed, I feel like they still make songs that I have no problems identifying with. It's not perfect, and, yeah, some parts work better than others, but I can overlook those flaws because I never get the sense that they don't stand behind their music. It's a great album, and I hope listeners will allow time to have it grow on them.

I have been an anathema fan for a while now. I like their slow, emotional, melodic songs the best.

When I first heard this CD I thought a few of the songs were really cheesy. I still sorta feel that way, as Vinnie continues to experiment with his vocals. These songs are pretty sparse and his voice gets annoying sometimes. Danny's vocals on the other hand, are awesome. I really wish he would sing on more tracks.

That said, I can't believe that no other reviewers wrote about how incredible the title track is. It is one of the best songs I have ever heard. And that is really saying a lot.

It is a repetetive song but the melody is gorgeous. It is dark, emotional, moving, and depressing all at the same time. If you enjoy exploring these emotions, then buy this album. I am not sure what the song is about, but I would venture a guess that it's about their deceased mother, who they also dedicated "one last goodbye" to.

That said, tracks #2 and #3 are awesome as well. They could really be the same song, because track 3 flows out of track 2. It is like an extension of track 2.

Overall, I think this album has more misses than albums like judgement or alternative 4. But it is still awesome.