Gabriel 2000 Ascension

The New Southwest is a raw, mystical place. A land of sun-bleached rock and crusty, windswept desert blues. Magick runs deep in the earth here; a sense of the macabre too. Scoundrels and coyotes roam free, howling at the moon, as a seductive, psychedelic rhythm echoes over the horizon. XIXA, Tucson’s dark, dusty gothic overlords, have their genesis here; it has nurtured them, and it is home. It’s also the setting for Genesis, the new album that sees the band return triumphantly to their roots, and give voice to their most primal instincts.

Although the British band Anathema left their traditional death metal sound behind on The Silent Enigma with guitarist Vincent Cavanagh taking over vocals duties from growler Darren White, the dark themes continue. Shifting their morbid focus from God-bashing and destruction, the chaps focus on suicide and the meaningless of life. The blistering guitars have been replaced by atmospheric keyboards making this come off as a twisted combination of Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel, and there is even some spoken poetry here. As a whole, Anathema has proven that they are an original band, not content to repeat history. Unfortunately, there is a place in this world for such dark subject matter, and for those who care, Eternity fits the bill.