Anathema are no longer in Peaceville records so the company decided to put out a compilation ( this is the first of two) in order to present the years, the band used to be with them. With this CD Anathema seem to deny their death metal roots since you CAN'T find even ONE single Death Metal song!!! Yes, you heard well. You get songs from the first albums to 'Eternity' ( From 'The Crestfallen EP' to 'Eternity') but not even one brutal tune. I don't know if the band picked up the tracklist or if they kept the Death Metal tunes for the next compilation CD but of course you get a fake idea of the band. At least they have enough tracks where you can see their Doom Metal influences. They have also put a couple of good bonus tracks and the video of the amazing track 'Hope'..

Since I'm not much into Death Metal and I prefer Anathema when they play dark, melancholic and slow, ( doom like ) I really like this release. It has all the good tracks in it and the Pink Floyd influences are REALLY strong sometimes. You can find all the great songs that made Anathema the way the are today. The dark melodies reign supreme and sometimes sadness finds a kingdom where she can stay forever. This compilation is a great choice for those who are new fans of the band and they are afraid to pick some of the older stuff because it's more raw. All the tracks here created the path which today's Anathema walk. It's a very safe road. Of course I can't write in one single review how great Anathema are when it comes to emotional music. I also don't think that a compilation album needs many hours of explanation.

Despite the fact that on this CD you get only the one music side of Anathema I strongly suggest this release to the people who doesn't have the first albums. I know that many fans of the band first met them through 'Alternative 4' and 'Judgment' so this is the right time to discover the 'early' Anathema. If you have never heard a single note from them, then again this compilation is a nice option. It's a nice way to learn about this great band. As for the fans who have all of their albums then you have to wait for the new CD which is planned to be out in July.