Anathema Alternative

If Alternative 4 feels like a rushed album, it’s because, somehow, it is. Prior to its recording, the Cavanagh brothers witnessed the death of their mother: the event is commemorated in the album’s cover artwork, which represents a burial place inside an angel’s shroud. The album’s main theme is based on betrayal. But not the typical relationship issues treated like a game by Chad Kroeger, but rather the realization that the importance of relationships and friendships can be understood only when lost forever, in favor of some sort of “ignorance of convenience” in order to make thoughts of misanthropy, nihilism and suicide hit as much later as possible: a battle against nothing made quietly by every human on Earth, yet widely accepted and practiced by the modern society like an elephant in the room…

After Falling Deeper, Anathema's orchestral detour into greatest hitsville, the Liverpool band return with a true follow-up to We're Here Because We're Here. What Falling Deeper accomplished was to make the band comfortable with the string arrangements of Dave Stewart; they're used abundantly - and to great benefit - on Weather Systems (produced by Christer-Andre Cederberg with Daniel and Vincent Cavanagh). Guitarist Daniel has written a set of songs that are more daring, harmonically ambitious, and poetically sophisticated than anything he's previously attempted. Vocalist and occasional keyboardist Vincent arranges them for drummer John Douglas, vocalist Lee Helen Douglas, and help from Cederberg on bass. Piano, acoustic, and electric guitars continue to dominate Anathema's latter-day sound, but strings are now an immense part of their textural architecture…

Anathema are one of the select few bands that actually progress with each album, honing their songwriting skills to provide a better means for their musical message - but a six-year gap in the recording schedule that preceded We're Here Because We're Here still left many fans wondering, where do they go from here? Turns out, it was in the right direction. The most easily recognized change is the increased emphasis on piano, which is the leading instrument on most songs, but if this description brings the likes of Coldplay and Fray to mind, the music does not, for the simple reason that Chris Martin, let alone the horde of his mainstream rock imitators, can never rival the immense emotional charge of Anathema's music…

Hindsight is a set of unplugged re-recordings of Anathema's own songs from their latter-day, atmospheric period. The band has been increasing the emphasis on acoustic instrumentation ever since they turned away from their doom-death roots, and so the idea of Hindsight seems to have been almost unavoidable. Thankfully, however, unlike most unplugged albums, this one was done in the studio, with obvious care taken to transmit the songs in a new format, as opposed to simply plugging off the distortion pedal and plucking away at the same chords. The songs have been rearranged for an acoustic guitar, piano, and cello, and are barely recognizable, except for the vocals - Vincent Cavanagh's moan is as sad and dejected as ever - and for the parts that were acoustic to begin with, such as most of "Inner Silence"…

Although the band Anathema has since gone down a much more atmospheric and melodic route with their music, it's important to note that the group began as one of the pioneers of death doom metal, a style of music similar in its melancholic feeling to what Anathema has done more recently, but much heavier and darker in the one it is executed. With a few demos and this debut 'Serenades', Anathema would be setting the groundwork for a style that has since become much more popular by the likes of bands like Swallow the Sun. Although 'Serenades' is a classic work for its development in that doom metal sound, it is an incredibly hit-or-miss ordeal throughout, and may be better appreciated for its place in history than as a listening experience of its own.

In the twenty-first century, Anathema have often been mentioned in the same breath as Opeth and Porcupine Tree due to their increased movement towards thoughtful progressive rock structures. It hasn’t always been that way, of course. Like Opeth, the band began life as a totally different musical beast, playing in a melodic death metal style. Shifting line-ups naturally resulted in shifting sounds, and by the time the band signed with the legendary Music For Nations label for their fifth album "Judgement" in 1999, they’d settled on a rather tough but accessible blend of gothy and alternative rock.
Comprising three discs of remastered audio material, "Fine Days 1999-2004" presents a detailed look this important period in the Anathema history, showing the workings of a band very much moving towards the top of their game…

After the mildly disappointing Alternative 4, Anathema strikes back with Judgement. Upon first listen, the music and message seem a bit mellow for these doomy metal moguls. Second listen is like a magical rediscovery of a lost art form, the art of creating simple, depressing hard rock that is so emotionally expressive that it bends one's own constitution. Quiet and introspective on songs like "One Last Goodbye" and "Anyone, Anywhere," Anathema has the ability to spew forth raw, volcanic pain on cuts like "Judgement" and "Pitiless" - the last of which contains the most heart-wrenching solo the Cavanagh brothers have ever penned. Drummer John Douglas also surprises, making an amazing contribution to the album, by writing two of the most memorable songs, "Don't Look Too Far" and "Wings of God." The first is a gorgeous Porcupine Tree-like tune with somewhat upbeat female vocals and melodies…