Weather Systems
„Ocean Without A Shore“
Alternative, Rock. Blue Marbeld Vinyl, 2-LP Gatefold, 2024

After the breakup of Anathema, Danny Cavanagh, along with drummer Daniel Cardoso (also of Anathema), dedicated himself to his new project, Weather Systems. The name was intentionally chosen after Anathema's 2012 album, "Weather Systems." This naturally led some fans to hope for some kind of continuation of Anathema. But who would have taken over Vincent Cavanagh's vocals? Should Danny Cavanagh really take the plunge or choose the safety net of familiar territory? After all, Anathema had a solid fanbase. Can a musician truly fail because of heightened expectations? Was every Anathema album a masterpiece? Certainly not. I won't be viewing this release through Anathema-tinted glasses, as I only own the CD "Judgement." I'm familiar with other songs and albums, but I can still approach Weather Systems' music with an open mind and examine "Ocean Without A Shore" purely from a musical perspective.

Let's start with the production quality. The very long run-out grooves on these beautifully designed vinyl records are striking. They lie flat and run with the typical play of vinyl. The sound is clean, and any dust deposits are normal for vinyl. However, since I clean every record with my record cleaning machine, this is negligible. The long run-out grooves result from the fact that there are only a few songs on each LP. This produces a better sound, as the cut grooves have more space.

Side A (14:17)
„Synaesthesia“ 9:11
„Do Angels Sing Like Rain?“ 5:06
Side B (16:07)
„Untouchable Part 3“ 5:55
„Ghost In The Machine“ 4:53
“ Are You There ? Part 2″ 5:59
Side C (12:08)
„Still Lake“ 5:59
„Take Me With You“ 6:09
Side D 13:23
„Ocean Without A Shore“ 7:18
„The Space Between Us“ 6:05

Credits usually come last, but I'm feeling counter-cyclical today.

Backing Vocals: Oliwia Krettek, Paul Kearns
Vocals: Petter Carlsen, Soraia Silva
Drums: Daniel Cardoso
Danny Cavanagh: E-Bass, acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Vocoder, Keyboard, E-Piano and Guitar
Label: Music Theories Recordings

For me, LP A offers a strong start, featuring the proggy "Synaesthesia" and the rocking "Do Angels Sing Like Rain?". LP B begins with the ballad "Untouchable Part 3," which hardly differs from other songs of this type. It's a shame; I almost get thrown off the LP at this point. "Ghost In The Machine" then brings back the quality of side A. "Are You There? Part 2" takes us back to another ballad, which I find too simple and too polished. Side B only maintains this high level in the middle. The songs that are meant to evoke the album "Weather Systems" are the weakest here. Side C, with the good "Still Lake" and the weak "Take Me With You," is once again a mixed bag. Side D initially compensates with the slightly proggy, vocoder-heavy "Ocean Without A Shore." But then I feel like I've been transported into some shallow Disney movie and can't make heads or tails of "The Space Between Us." While it's all simple and pleasant, it just doesn't work for me as a way to end this album.

So, I don't like the album? I don't like the "wasted" potential of this good-sounding and beautifully designed LP. Unfortunately, the strength of side A, and especially "Synaesthesia," isn't maintained. I have nothing against ballads if they're not too slick, but Weather Systems fails to achieve that here. Simply sounding good isn't enough. Nevertheless, this LP gets played occasionally, even if it's not a masterpiece. 

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©16.12.2025