| Anathema | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pagan Angel (1990) |
| Origin | Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| Genres | Death/Doom, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Alternative Rock, Progressive Rock, Progressive Pop, Post-Progressive |
| Years active | 1990 - 2020 |
| Labels | Peaceville, Music For Nations, Kscope |
| Associated acts | Lid, My Dying Bride, Solstice, Cradle of Filth, Antimatter, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, HIM, Anneke van Giersbergen, Arcane Wisdom, Leafblade, The Blood Divine, Vagrant God, Godthrymm, Brujeria, Dimmu Borgir, Leaves' Eyes, Old Man's Child, Testament, |
| Website | Anathema Official |
Anathema are a British rock band originating from Liverpool.
Initially founded in 1990 as Pagan Angel, Anathema originally had formed as a death/doom band with brothers Vincent, Daniel and Jamie Cavanagh, alongside drummer John Douglas and vocalist Darren White. Early works such as 1993's Serenades and 1995's The Silent Enigma would label them among pioneers in the developing death/doom genre, often referred to as part of "The Peaceville Three" alongside My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost.[1]
When Darren White would leave the band in 1995 the band's sund would shift into more of a gothic and alternative sound, with Vincent Cavanagh taking over the lead vocal role. By the time the band had left Peaceville in the late nineties their sound would drastically change even further, leaning into alternative rock, with elements of progressive rock and pop. 2001's A Fine Day to Exit, aided by excellent songs like Release and Pressure, was an artistic breakthrough, as the band completely shed themselves of their metal roots, while still putting out powerful, brooding atmospheric rock. After numerous lineup changes the core lineup through the 2010s would consist of founding members Vincent Cavanagh, Daniel Cavanagh and John Douglad, alongside vocalist Lee Douglas and keyboardist/bassist Daniel Cardoso.
In a career spanning thirty years Anathema have managed to release eleven studio albums, all of which exploring various sounds and their latest in 2017's The Optimist being awarded "Album of The Year" at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards.[2] Along with this the band had toured frequently throughout Europe since 1994, eventually touring other continents such as South America, North America and Australia.
History[]
Formation, Serenades and The Silent Enigma (1990 - 1995)[]
Anathema formed in 1990 as a doom metal band, initially going by the name Pagan Angel. The founding lineup would be the three Cavanagh brothers, drummer John Douglas, and singer Darren White. By November of that year the band would establish a name change and released their first demo entitled An Iliad of Woes.[3] This demo caught the attention of several bands and labels from the English metal scene. Further attention would be attained with the release of their second demo All Faith Is Lost in early 1991, leading to a four album deal with Peaceville Records. Jamie Cavanagh would leave the band in 1991 with Duncan Patterson taking over on bass and keyboards.
Anathema's first release with the label would be an EP entitled The Crestfallen, released 2 November 1992. Following a short UK tour with Cannibal Corpse, work would begin on a debut album, recording at Academy Studios in Yorkshire from June - September 1992. Serenades would see release on 28 February 1993 to positive reviews at the time of release and a degree of mainstream attention as the music video for "Sweet Tears" would be shown on MTV. Retroactively it's been acknowledged as a key album in the development of the death/doom genre.[4][5][6]
To support Serenades, Anathema would tour Europe for the first time in 1994, beginning with a tour of Germany alongside Cradle of Filth and At The Gates, followed by touring in other countries. The band also notably made their first appearances in South America, performing at the Independent Rock Festival in Brazil.
In May 1995 vocalist Darren White parted with the band, eventually forming The Blood Divine. Rather than recruiting a new vocalist, the band decided that guitarist Vincent Cavanagh should assume White's role.[7] This new formation debuted by touring with Cathedral in the United Kingdom, and released The Silent Enigma soon after to rave reviews both at the time and retroactively.[8][9] It also showed the band starting to take a direction akin to gothic metal though still attaining some elements of the death/doom style.
Eternity, Alternative 4 and Judgement (1996 - 2000)[]
Anathema would begin work on their third album in early 1996, recording at The Windings in Wales. The band also sporadically toured and performed at Dynamo Open Air.[10] Eternity would see release of Eternity on 11 November 1996, relying more on atmospheric sounds, and starting the transition to clean vocals. The album would see praise at the time and further retroactive praise from the likes of AllMusic[11] and Silencio Hungary.[12] An extensive European tour would follow to support Eternity. Drummer John Douglas would leave the band in the Summer of 1997, who departed in the summer of 1997. He was replaced by Shaun Steels, formerly of Solstice, who would also later play drums for My Dying Bride.
Alternative 4 was released on 22 June 1998, the title derived from Leslie Watkins' book entitled Alternative 3 and their last to be released with Peaceville. During this time the band underwent many line-up changes. Bassist/keyboardist/songwriter Duncan Patterson quit due to musical differences and was replaced by Dave Pybus of Dreambreed, a band which Duncan had played bass for during a short period, and not long after this Martin Powell (who had played keyboards and violin for My Dying Bride previously) joined the band for live performances. Finally, founding drummer John Douglas returned to the drums in place of Steels.
Judgement would see release on 25 June 1999, the band's first with British independent label Music For Nations. This also marked a turning point in Anathema's sound as it would be a complete shift from the doom metal genre, focusing instead on slower and more experimental songs and featuring a female vocalist in Lee Douglas, sister of John Douglas and future full-time singer for the band. This new sound has been likened to artists such as Pink Floyd, Jeff Buckley, and to a lesser extent, Radiohead. Their songs continued to express a feeling of depression and, more often than not, desperation. Judgement would also peak at #151 on the UK Albums Chart.[13] In 2000, Martin Powell switched positions with Cradle of Filth's keyboardist Les Smith, who came to be an integral member of Anathema.
A Fine Day To Exit and A Natural Disaster (2001 - 2009)[]
Anathema would release their sixth album A Fine Day To Exit on 9 October 2001, further embracing an alternative rock sound and followed by a single in "Pressure".[14] Shortly before the release of A Fine Day to Exit, Dave Pybus announced his departure from the band and later joined Cradle of Filth. He was replaced by touring bassist George Roberts, and later by Jamie Cavanagh. Notably Peaceville would also release two best-of compilations of the band's death/doom and gothic metal years in Resonance and Resonance 2.
In March 2002, Daniel Cavanagh announced his departure from the band, joining Duncan Patterson's band Antimatter. However, he later rejoined Anathema in 2003 for the release of A Natural Disaster pm 3 November 2003, and started their European tour. This accelerated the changes in Anathema's tone, towards the atmospheric and progressive, as exhibited in album tracks "Flying" and "Violence". Upon the closing of their label Music for Nations after its purchase by Sony BMG, Anathema found itself without a record label and thus free agents in the Summer of 2004.[15] Despite the lack of label Anathema would tour with Porcupine Tree in 2005[16] a tour with Finnish rock band HIM[17] and the band's first ever live performances in Russia and Jordan in 2006.[18][19]
During their search for a new label, the band adopted a more 'DIY' approach to music release, embracing the internet and releasing songs via their own website, for which fans may donate a monetary sum of their own choice. A new album known at the time as "Everything" was tentatively in the works.[20] Anathema would sign with Kscope in the Spring of 2008, releasing Hindsight on 25 August, a mostly acoustic album re-working several classic songs in the band's extensive catalogue.[21] Notably the band would also perform in a short tour entitled The Unholy Trinity, alongside My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost.
We're Here Because We're Here (2010 - 2013)[]
On 20 March 2010, Anathema announced on their website[22] and Facebook page the release date of their next album. We're Here Because We're Here was released on 31 May 2010 on the Kscope label. John Douglas' sister Lee Douglas joined the band full-time as a lead and backing vocalist during the recording of this album. She had previously performed on the two previous albums as a guest vocalist. Ultimately the album would attain critical acclaim and would be awarded "Prog Album of The Year" by Classic Rock Magazine.[23]
On 6 July 2011, it was announced on the band's official page that their album of re-interpretations, Falling Deeper, would be released on 5 September 2011. The album was a follow-up to Hindsight and contained new orchestral versions of songs from the past, as well as a version of "Everwake" featuring the vocals of Anneke van Giersbergen (A musician Anathema has frequently toured with).
On 11 September 2011 work would begin on a follow-up album, following parting ways with keyboardist Les Smith due to creative differences.[24] On 16 April 2012, the band's ninth studio album, Weather Systems, was released via Kscope. The album entered the UK album charts at No. 50, the German album charts at No. 19 and No. 22 on the Top New Artists Charts in the United States.[25][26] Anathema would extensively tour through Europe to support Weather Systems alongside the likes of Amplifier, Petter Carlsen, A Dog Called Ego, Astra and Opeth. The next year would see the band touring the album in an acoustic style in the Summer and Fall of 2013, with tours of North and South America in between. The band also participated in the Five Years of Kscope anniversary marquee.[27]
Distant Satellites and The Optimist (2014 - 2020)[]
On 28 March 2014, the band announced their upcoming studio album would be called Distant Satellites. The album came out on 9 June 2014 on the Kscope label, and was produced by Christer-André Cederberg in Oslo, Norway.[28] Several tracks were mixed by Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree). Different from previous albums is the use of more electronica on this album. The album was released in four different versions: CD, vinyl, media book, and a deluxe version.[19] The band toured the album starting 22 May in Istanbul, Turkey, continuing throughout Europe and travelling to Australia for the first time to perform three dates during August 2014. Following a tour with Mother's Cake, Anathema would continue touring through next year in South America, Europe, the band's first ever shows in Japan and finally returning to South America for a tour with Paradise Lost.
Following the success of their short Australian tour, an acoustic tour was announced for New Zealand and Australia in 2015 among several short acoustic tours. Daniel, Vincent and Lee performed these show without the other band members. Later that year, the band released an acoustic live album and video entitled A Sort of Homecoming, consisting in the record of a concert at the band's hometown Liverpool Cathedral.[29] Work would begin on the next studio album in 2016, recording with producer Tony Doogan at Attica Audio in Donegal, Ireland and Castle Of Doom studios in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Optimist would see release on 9 June 2017 to critical acclaim from several publications such as Prog Report,[30] Drowned in Sound,[31] Blabbermouth[32] and PopMatters among others.[33] Attaining an 80/100 score on Metacritic,[34] The Optimist would also be awarded "Album of The Year" at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards.[35]
Anathema would tour extensively through 2017 and 2018 to support The Optimist, including a return to South America in 2019. On 29 August 2019 it would be revealed that Anathema would leave longtime label Kscope to sign with Mascot Records for their twelfth studio album.[36] On 2 October the band would announce a "We're Here Because We're Here" tenth anniversary tour, intended to perform the entire album along with extras.[37] However with the tour being canceled due to The CO-VID19 Pandemic among other personal issues, Anathema would announce an indefinite hiatus on 23 September 2020.[38]
Discography[]
Anathema - Serenades (Full Album)
Anathema — Untouchable
Studio Albums[]
- Serenades (1993, Peaceville)
- The Silent Enigma (1995, Peaceville)
- Eternity (1996, Peaceville)
- Alternative 4 (1998, Peaceville)
- Judgement (1999, Music For Nations)
- A Fine Day To Exit (2001, Music For Nations)
- A Natural Disaster (2003, Music For Nations)
- We're Here Because We're Here (2010, Kscope)
- Weather Systems (2012, Kscope)
- Distant Satellites (2014, Kscope)
- The Optimist (2017, Kscope)
Singles[]
- They Die / Crestfallen (1991, Witchhunt)
- We Are the Bible (1994, Peaceville)
- Deep (1999, Music For Nations)
- Make It Right (1999, Music For Nations)
- Pressure (2001, Music For Nations)
- Flying / Unchained (Tales of the Unexpected) (2008, Kscope)
- Everything (2010, Kscope)
- Dreaming Light (2011, Kscope)
- Untouchable (2014, Kscope)
- The Lost Song Part 3 (2014, Kscope)
- Springfield (2017, Kscope)
Compilations[]
- Resonance (2001, Peaceville)
- Resonance 2 (2002, Peaceville)
- Fine Days: 1999-2004 (Box Set) (2015, Music For Nations)
- Internal Landscapes - The Best of 2008-2018 (2018, Music For Nations)
Other Releases[]
- An Iliad of Woes (Demo) (1990, Self-Released)
- All Faith Is Lost (Demo) (1991, Self-Released)
- The Crestfallen EP (EP) (1992, Peaceville)
- Pentecost III (EP) (1995, Peaceville)
- Demos '97 (Demo) (1997, Peaceville)
- A Vision of a Dying Embrace (Video) (1997, Peaceville)
- Were You There? (Video) (2004, Music For Nations)
- A Moment in Time (Video) (2006, Metal Mind Productions)
- Hindsight (Acoustic Album) (2008, KScope)
- Falling Deeper (Orchestral Album) (2011, Kscope)
- Untouchable (Live Album) (2013, Kscope)
- Universal (DVD) (2013, Kscope)
- A Sort of Homecoming (Live Album) (2015, Kscope)
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Vincent Cavanagh - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals (1990 - 2020)
- Daniel Cavanagh - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals (1990 - 2020)
- John Douglas - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards (1990 - 1997, 1998 - 2020)
- Lee Douglas - Vocals (1999 - 2003 as a guest; 2010 - 2020)
- Daniel Cardoso - Keyboards, Drums, Bass (2011 - 2020)
Former Members[]
- Jamie Cavanagh - Bass (1990 - 1991, 2001 - 2018)
- Darren White (1990 - 1995, 2015)
- Duncan Patterson - Bass, Keyboards (1991 - 1998, 2015, 2018 - 2019)
- Shaun Steels - Drums (1997 - 1998)
- Dave Pybus - Bass (1998 - 2001)
- Les Smith - Keyboards (1996 - 1997, 2000 - 2011)
- Martin Powell - Live Keyboards, Violin (1998 - 2000, 2009)
- George Roberts - Live Bass (2001)
- Nicholas Barker - Live Drums (2009)
- Tobel Lopes- Live Bass (2013)
- Charlie Cawood - Live Bass (2020)
List of Known Tours[]
- 1992 UK Tour (With Cannibal Corpse) (1992)
- 1994 Germany Tour (With At The Gates, Cradle of Filth) (1994)[39]
- 1994 European Tour (1994)[40]
- The Carnival Bizarre Tour (With Cathedral, Crowbar, Paradise Lost) (1995)
- Eternity European Tour (With Massacra, Trouble) (1996)[41]
- 1997 European Tour (With Alastis) (1997)[42]
- 1998 European Tour (With Moonspell, Darkside, Therion) (1998)[43]
- Summer 1999 European Tour (1999)[44]
- Fall 1999 European Tour (With Tiamat, Tristania) (1999)[45]
- Judgement Tour (With Artrosis) (2000)[46]
- A Fine Day To Exit European Tour (2001)[47]
- A Natural Disaster Winter European Tour (2004)[48]
- A Natural Disaster Summer European Tour (2004)[49]
- Deadwing Tour (With Porcupine Tree) (2005)[50]
- December 2005 Mini-Tour (2005)[51]
- Dark Light Tour 2006 (Select dates with HIM) (2006)[52]
- 2006 UK Tour (With Wolverine, Leafblade) (2006)[53][54]
- 2006 Russian Tour (2006)[55]
- 2006 South American Tour (2006)[56][57][58]
- 2007 European Tours (2007)[59][60]
- 2007 Russian Tour (2007)[61]
- Fall 2007 European Tour (With Porcupine Tree) (2007)[62]
- The Unholy Trinity (With Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride) (2008)[63]
- Fall 2008 European Tour (With Demians) (2008)[64][65]
- Anathema Unplugged Turkey Shows (2008)[66]
- Summer 2009 European Tour (With Leafblade) (2009)[67]
- Fall 2009 European Tour (With Leafblade) (2009)[68][69]
- Spring 2010 European Tour (2010)[70]
- Fall 2010 European Tour (With Petter Carlsen; Select dates with Anneke von Giersbergen, The Ocean, Long Distance Calling, Slamo) (2010)[71][72][73]
- December 2010 UK Tour (With North Atlantic Oscillation) (2010)[74]
- Winter 2011 UK Tour (With North Atlantic Oscillation) (2011)[75]
- Spring 2011 European Tour (With Petter Carlsen, Cloverseeds) (2011)[76]
- 2011 North American Tour (With Blackfield; Partially Canceled) (2011)[77]
- Summer 2011 European Tour (Select dates with Dream Theater, Anneke von Giersbergen, Agua de Annique) (2011)[78]
- Fall 2011 Greece Tour (2011)[79]
- Fall 2011 Russia Tour (2011)[80]
- Spring 2012 European Tour (With Amplifier) (2012)[81]
- Weather Systems European Tour (Select dates with A Dog Called Ego, Astra) (2012)[82][83]
- European Heritage Tour 2012 (With Opeth) (2012)[84][85]
- Anathema Acoustic Tours (Summer dates with Antimatter) (2013)[86]
- Weather Systems North American Tour (2013)[87]
- Weather Systems South American Tour (2013)[88]
- Fall 2013 Acoustic Tour (2013)[89]
- Spring 2014 North American Tour (With HIM) (2014)[90]
- Distant Satellites European Tours (2014)[91]
- Distant Satellites Australia Tour (2014)[92]
- Satellites Over Europe (With Mother's Cake) (2014)[93][94]
- Satellites Over South America (2015)[95]
- March 2015 UK Tour (With Anna Phoebe) (2015)[96]
- Resonance Tour (Select dates with Darren White, Duncan Patterson) (2015)[97]
- Summer 2015 European Tour (2015)[98]
- Rock of Chaos Vol. 2 (With Solstafir) (2015)[99]
- September 2015 South American Tour (With Paradise Lost) (2015)[100]
- October 2015 Russian Tour (2015)[101]
- Fall 2015 Australian Acoustic Tour (2015)[102]
- Fall 2015 European Acoustic Tour (2015)[103]
- Fall 2016 UK Tour (Select dates with Opeth) (2016)[104]
- The Optimist Summer European Tour (2017)[105]
- July 2017 Acoustic Tour (2017)[106]
- The Optimist South American Tour (2017)[107]
- The Optimist North American Tour (2017)[108]
- The Optimist Fall European Tour (With Alcest) (2017)[109][110][111]
- Fall 2018 Acoustic Tour (2018)[112]
- Acoustic Resonance South American Tour (2019)[113]
- We're Here Because We're Here Tenth Anniversary Tour (Canceled) (2020)
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Decibel MagazineThe Myth of The Peaceville Three, accessed ?? October 2020
- ↑ Team Rock
- ↑ [Larkin, Colin (1999), The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock. p. 27. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.]
- ↑ Doom-Metal.com
- ↑ Sputnik Music
- ↑ Metal Storm
- ↑ [Strong, Martin C. (2001). The Great Metal Discography. pp. 25–6. MOJO Books. ISBN 1-84195-185-4.]
- ↑ AllMusic
- ↑ Metal Storm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ AllMusic
- ↑ Silencio Hungary via Wayback Machine
- ↑ Zobbel.de
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Anathema Official via Wayback Machine
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Prog Report
- ↑ Drowned in Sound,
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Pop Matters
- ↑ Metacritic
- ↑ Team Rock
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Decibel Magazine
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
- ↑ Last.fm
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