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Reviewer: Einar Sjurso From Terrorizer, June 1998

In several ways this is the most accomplished Anathema work to date. At last the Liverpool foursome (or whatever they are these days) have achieved a flawless results both in execution and production. That aside, I can lend my full concentration to the actual musical revelation that is Anathema. Like a fine wine, this band has ripened steadily over the years, and I believe the bottle will be broached any day now. Like we have grown used to with Anathema, "Alternative 4" demands time and attention. The few days it has been in my posession, I have given it every available moment and all the attention I have been capable of producing. It is slowly sinking in on me, and I am getting to know it better by each listen. I think a great friendship is in the making. One thing that hit me already on the first spin, is the great leap Vinnie Cavanagh has made in the voice department. The vocal melancholy has always been present in Anathema, but I'm now starting to worry about the guy, that's how convincing he is.
I think the wait for an entire album of the "Sleepless" standard is in vein, yet there is no denying that the continiuity of "Alternative 4" is impressive. It is one of those records that's impossible to turn off, the songs drifting in and out of each other, morphing into this long soothing experience that at least I would have given a lot to see lasting for however long I wanted to. As for how it actually sounds, one could describe it as a quite logical follow-up to "Eternity" yet at the same time a totally individual work, as there is a lot of new sonic mutations bonding here, plus, as I already stated entire body of longing in the inner corner, sounding a lot like it could have been one of the highlights of "Eternity", had it been a little less regretful. The most moving music is that which inflicts emotions one can only express through music. Anathema would probably have agreed, had they had time to do anything but play. And feel.

Reviewer: Dave Everley From Kerrang!, June 20th 1998

Vincent Cavanagh is one sad bunny. ' Life has betrayed me,' the Anathema vocalist sings at one point during 'Lost Control', approximately one-third of the way into his band's fourth album. Which goes a long way to explaining why 'Alternative 4' sounds like party music for the terminally depressed.
This is the album Paradise Lost should have made after 'Draconian Times': a soaring, sweeping flight of melancholic grandeur that skims easily over every obstacle it encounters. Where Nick Holmes' mob over-reached themselves by attempting to make the transition from sub-Metallica journeymen to fully-fledged goth heroes in one giant leap, Anathema have chosen to progress as an infinitely steadier pace.
But then the Scousers have always been more than mere one-dimensional doom-mongers. 'Alternative 4', like its predecessor 'Eternity', ushers in influences as disparate as Pink Floyd, the Sisters of Mercy and even Portishead. Hence the delicate piano intro that opens 'Shroud of Flase', or the swirl of strings, acoustic guitar and violin that sends the aforementioned 'Lost Control' spinning off onto another plane.
The likes of 'Fragile Dreams', 'Empty' and 'Destiny' are epic in every sense of the word; grandly ambitious and unafraid of upping the pomp quotient to saturation point. And where in the past Cavanagh always seemed unsure of his own abilities as a vocalist, this time wround he sounds confident and assured - and, more importantly, in tune.
Naturally, the quartet disappear up their own collective ringpiece from time to time: witness the swollen pomposity of the title track, wherein Cavanagh gravely intones the lines ' I'll dance with angels to celebrate the holocaust/ And far beyond my far gone pride/ I knowing that we'll soon be gone' without a hint of irony. Which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't sound like Lily Savage doing her best Andrew Eldritch impression. Portentious tendancies aside, 'Alternative 4' is the most convincing album of its type for a long time. Pretentious, yes; humourless, granted; but also oddly affecting. Anathema, bless their dark hearts, have finally gone and made the album they always promised us.

what about regret... i think tath is the lost song in all comments.. but the perfect one... whit many beautifull "metaforas".. like "fell all alone in a crowded room" uff...
and the change from acustic to hard guittars, and other songs like inner silence whit the words more ..... i dont know... is't a amazing album an so....
i dont want to make a reply but i cant find the way to post... but know i realized how so ... in the next i will try

no need to make further judgements. its quality and uniqueness of beauty is apparent...
and this album contains my favorite song: LOST CONTROL...

there are no words to say.... you have pretty much said it all angelic....
....the weeping sound of a piano drifts in with lamenting guitars.... music that enters your soul........

10/10

<- ...i liked your post!

The clear production, Vincent's improved vocals and Duncan's vision are reasons why this album is so great. Good quality both music- and lyric-vise throughout the entire album is rare! However, "less good" songs such as Empty, Re-Connect and Inner Silence disappoint me slightly. On the other hand, songs such as Lost Control, Regret and Alternative 4 totally compensate!

best album ever i would say, but sometimes i think about Eternity also deserves that too so i never really had an idea about which of them is best album i've ever listened

ı can not choose any album but ıf ı have  to prefer one ...ıt will be ALTERNATIVE 4..

faraway....

thats their best release by far. dunc & danny at their best - proper doom.

That is…
GRIEF AGONY RIGOR CRAVE LIMIT RENEW
a good album indeed.