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Anathema - Serenades



7.6 | 406 votes |
Release date: February 1993
Style: Death doom metal

Owners:

494 have it
24 want it
3 trade it


01. Lovelorn Rhapsody
02. Sweet Tears
03. J'ai Fait Une Promesse
04. They (Will Always) Die
05. Sleepless
06. Sleep In Sanity
07. Scars Of The Old Stream
08. Under A Veil (Of Black Lace)
09. Where Shadows Dance
10. Eternal Rise Of The Sun [2003 remaster bonus]
11. Nailed To The Cross / 666 [2003 remaster bonus]
12. Dreaming: The Romance

Additional info
Recorded at Academy Studios, West Yorkshire, in June, July & September 1992.
Produced by Anathema and Hammy. Engineered by Mags. Mixing engineered by Keith Appleton.
All music written and arranged by Daniel and Anathema. All lyrics by Darren. All orchestral arrangements and additional instrumentation by Daniel.
Cover photography by David Penprase. Design and lyout by Dave Pybus and Anathema.

Released on vinyl and CD by Peaceville, released on cassette for Poland by Loud Out.

Original CD, 2001 Peaceville CD reissue, and 2002 Russian release (by Soyuz) include one bonus track:
10. Dreaming: The Romance [23:24]

Released in Poland on CD in 1994 by Metal Mind with one bonus track:
11. Crestfallen [10:16]

Released in the United States on CD in 1994 by Futurist, without "Dreaming: The Romance", but with five bonus tracks (including most of Crestfallen):
10. All Faith Is Lost [8:02]
11. ...And I Lust [5:47]
12. The Sweet Suffering [6:41]
13. Everwake [2:41]
14. Crestfallen [10:14]

Reissued as a double CD by Peaceville in 1995, with the original CD on disc one and Crestfallen on disc two.

The 2003 remastered digipack CD reissue on Peaceville included three bonus tracks:
10. Eternal Rise of the Sun [6:38]
11. Nailed to the Cross / 666 [4:09]
12. Dreaming: The Romance [23:23]

There is another Russian CD reissue on Ayat, which includes four bonus tracks titled Promo's:
11. Sweet Tears [4:14]
12. Mine Is Yours [4:36]
13. The Silent Enigma [4:24]
14. Hope (Roy Harper cover) [4:40]

Guest review by
Gothic Metalhead
Rating:
7.4
What a prolific year for the growing death-doom sub-genre. 1993 not only saw some of the best releases from Disembowelment, Katatonia and My Dying Bride, but this was beginning of some of these bands transitioning into the developing Gothic metal subgenre. Anathema's debut album was one such death-doom release.

The timing of this album was better than their previous EP The Crestfallen, as Serenades is another installment in the band's death-doom era that was unique at the time of its release. This was always my least favorite Anathema record out of all of their metal albums, and there have been reasons why. I listened to this album recently for the sake of this review to see if anything changed about the album.

Read more ››
published 28.09.2020 | Comments (3)

Found in 18 lists
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Comments

Comments: 12   Visited by: 567 users
16.05.2011 - 20:41
Rating: 9
Pankar95

Thats a very underrated album. Its a doom metal classic imo.
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03.01.2013 - 23:12
Rating: 8
BigNaughtyV

Sleepless
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24.04.2013 - 23:21
Rating: 8
Erik M.

Definitely a great album. It's the only Anathema full-length album that I can really enjoy, along with The Silent Enigma of course (which is still better than this).
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22.02.2014 - 18:20
Rating: 6
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
People consider this a masterpiece? I haven't listened to it in a while now being that I prefer Anathema's rock era, but I remember there being not a whole lot to like about this album. Pretty stale and unimaginative second/third-tier doom if memory serves...
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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22.02.2014 - 18:27
Rating: 7
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Troy Killjoy on 22.02.2014 at 18:20

People consider this a masterpiece? I haven't listened to it in a while now being that I prefer Anathema's rock era, but I remember there being not a whole lot to like about this album. Pretty stale and unimaginative second/third-tier doom if memory serves...


I really like it but it's the least good debut by the classic Peaceville death7doom triology by faaaaaaar. The Silent Enigma is so much better.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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22.02.2014 - 23:00
Gawain
Account deleted
Written by Troy Killjoy on 22.02.2014 at 18:20

People consider this a masterpiece? I haven't listened to it in a while now being that I prefer Anathema's rock era, but I remember there being not a whole lot to like about this album. Pretty stale and unimaginative second/third-tier doom if memory serves...


hardy a 'masterpiece' but a great debut work In my opinion. troy if you'd want look up the songs on youtube or something "Lovelorn Rhapsody", "They (Will Always) Die" and "Under A Vail(Of Black Lace)" these are my 3 favorites.
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22.02.2014 - 23:01
Gawain
Account deleted
Written by Troy Killjoy on 22.02.2014 at 18:20

People consider this a masterpiece? I haven't listened to it in a while now being that I prefer Anathema's rock era, but I remember there being not a whole lot to like about this album. Pretty stale and unimaginative second/third-tier doom if memory serves...


oh someone who likes anathema's later career, what's your favorite anathema rock album? mine would be weather systems !
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22.02.2014 - 23:23
Rating: 6
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Guest on 22.02.2014 at 23:01
oh someone who likes anathema's later career, what's your favorite anathema rock album? mine would be weather systems !

From Alt 4 to Natural Disaster, anything before or after tends to bore me even though they're completely different sounds. They started out a little unrefined and now their problem (in my opinion) is too much refinement.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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03.03.2014 - 17:02
Gawain
Account deleted
Underrated in my opinion, it has some great tracks and it gets no attention even from anathema fans.
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01.11.2016 - 23:15
Rating: 8
Redel

A very good album.
At that time I was gathering everything I found by this band.
I like J'ai fait une promesse and Sweet tears. Sleepless is outstanding.
Production was clearly subject to improvement.
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05.10.2017 - 00:14
Joppe
Steelemeister
2 or 3 pretty amazin songs, the rest ; ok, but nothing special. Not overrated nor underrated IMO
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My vision is augmented
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28.11.2018 - 13:53
Rating: 9
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Besides Alternative 4 their only full-length album I am still enjoying and a classic release of the golden Peaceville doom/death era.
"J'ai Fait Une Promesse" and "Sleepless" are my favorites on this album.
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signatures = SPAM
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