| | Full Review | Ratings (389) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | Benjamin Kuettel EMERITUS | June 2nd 17 |
An interesting direction to go in, mainly darker and with less accessible songwriting than the previous three albums. The middle few songs are the highlights.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.7 average | Erwann S. STAFF | August 21st 19 |
This one is post-rockier and also more electronic, but the main consequence of this change in sound is dullness. Still well done, but kind of a shame.
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| 3.5 great | Rik VII (sound-off ratings out of 10) | July 18th 19 |
While The Optimist in parts showcases Anathema as a band that has mastered their style, it also has a bewilderingly high quotient of rather underdeveloped songs. This is especially apparent with the closing duo of the cobbled Wildfires and Back To the Start, a closer that is persistent enough in how upbeat and concluding it wants to be to become straight-up annoying in the process. All this aside, they still nail the atmosphere, they still nail the production, the vocals, the arrangements, and - albeit not as regularly as usual - the songwriting. A good album overall, not a notably good Anathema album by any stretch. - 7.0
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| 4.5 superb | marcsit | October 14th 17 |
I am tempted to give it a Classic score. Definitely a grower album much more consistent than Distant Satellites and Weather Systems.
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| 2.5 average | manosg EMERITUS | June 21st 17 |
To state that The Optimist consists of poor songs or it is an awful album would be inaccurate. However, Anathema have found a formula which works for them and allows them to write beautiful songs but at the same time everything feels so safe, harmless and calculated. Is their music emotional? It feels like it but to me it is only superficial because emotional music is not calculated or so linear. Are their songs beautiful? They are cute but lack any serious substance that would elevate them. Most of all, this is not what Anathema used to mean. It almost feels that they are afraid to progress or they lack the necessary inspiration. People nag all the time about bands who refuse to change throughout the years and guess what. Congrats Anathema, you are now in the company of legends such as Motorhead, AC/DC and Running Wild; not too shabby.
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| 2.5 average | joitp | May 28th 17 |
Sounds like leftovers from the recording sessions of the previous album. In the end its probably their worst and least inspired record since A Fine Day To Exit. Very disappointing
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| 3.0 good | Trey STAFF | May 26th 17 |
In my review of their previous release, I said the first 3/4 was good but that the electronic songs that make up the back end rwere not. Unfotuntely, this entire album basically builds off the electronics songs from that release. They're definitely rbetter and more refined, but they're still not nearly as good as what was on the trilogy of releases starting with We're Here rBecause We're Here. Each song is very minimalistic and repetitive without the dynamics I've come to expect from this rband.
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| 3.0 good | paradoxical | May 3rd 17 |
This band broke my heart by becoming so optimistic!
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| 3.5 great | doofy | January 7th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Avet | October 21st 23 |
| 2.5 average | qt | September 4th 23 |
| 3.0 good | Hawks | August 28th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ectier | August 2nd 23 |
| 3.5 great | pody28 | March 24th 23 |
| 3.0 good | JoneHK | November 18th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | Vorpal | February 11th 22 |
| 3.0 good | Trez | February 19th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Juuso | February 7th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | thx06 | January 27th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Oobaloo | January 26th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | gschwen | December 29th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | bSmith | November 18th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Kralle | November 2nd 20 |
| 3.5 great | Ranzki | August 24th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Zaleb | August 20th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Macck | June 26th 20 |
| 2.5 average | Spag | June 19th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Kruppe | April 26th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | solrage | April 26th 20 |
| 3.5 great | AGFoot | March 26th 20 |
| 3.0 good | Majkl | March 6th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Marci | December 2nd 19 |
| 3.0 good | thawey | October 18th 19 |
| 3.5 great | valek | September 8th 19 |
| 3.0 good | Wulg | August 14th 19 |
| 2.5 average | Xurxo | June 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | sohudrk | April 20th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | NickB | April 12th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | wrax | March 10th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Leland | January 22nd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | nbarrak | November 30th 18 |
| 3.0 good | Agonba | October 1st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Akifexx | September 27th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | K3nsei69 | September 20th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Freedom | September 10th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Host78 | September 9th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Krpa | May 30th 18 |
| 3.5 great | ImL | May 29th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Nero | May 25th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Faraudo | February 27th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | cb123 | January 28th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Amir | January 25th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Yep321 | January 19th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | rouges | January 2nd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Fear | January 1st 18 |
| 3.0 good | gilly | December 26th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | orakst | December 22nd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Essence | December 18th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | cristane | December 13th 17 |
| 3.5 great | RAGG | December 2nd 17 |
| 3.0 good | Crawl | October 27th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Nishe | October 19th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | benkim | October 18th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Coast | October 7th 17 |
| 3.5 great | mursu | October 7th 17 |
| 2.5 average | iiah | October 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lebren | September 24th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Abraxas | September 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mythodea | September 6th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | satsnape | September 4th 17 |
| 3.5 great | neikos | September 2nd 17 |
| 3.0 good | hsb | August 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | hadriel | July 24th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | jybt | July 11th 17 |
| 2.5 average | alsid | July 1st 17 |
| 3.5 great | jmh886 | June 22nd 17 |
| 3.5 great | tarcus | June 21st 17 |
| 3.5 great | Gnodab | June 21st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | NoXoR | June 20th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ulshad | June 20th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Mojito | June 20th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kantala | June 19th 17 |
| 2.0 poor | Lalka | June 18th 17 |
| 3.5 great | JWT155 | June 13th 17 |
| 3.5 great | wg98 | June 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Project | June 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Thor | June 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rizzo44 | June 12th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | vkristi | June 11th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | heck | June 11th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | N2B3J | June 10th 17 |
| 3.0 good | JS19 | June 10th 17 |
| 2.5 average | Elynna | June 9th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Drpibb | June 9th 17 |
| 2.5 average | igi78 | June 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | gabez | June 6th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | max13x | June 4th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Greem | May 27th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Titan | May 11th 17 |
| 4.5 superb | Zougi | May 7th 17 |
| 2.5 average | jdouk | May 5th 17 |
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