Anathema
The Silent Enigma
Peaceville/Music
For Nations, 1995
Dark, bitter, and bleak, The Silent Enigma is Anathema's most dejected,
obscure
and angry effort. Desperate in its emotion, the album is a foray into deep
despair through a doom/death that strives for a more penetrating and personal
expression in both its content and structure. Pleading, anguished screams and brooding
passages converge with devastating drums and immense weight of riffs, as to
cover one's entire world with blackness the pressure of which is far too much to
overcome. Existential anguish bleeds from this album, which means it needs to be
taken in alone, in undisturbed darkness.
Tracklisting
1. Restless Oblivion
2. Shroud Of Frost
3. ...Alone
4. Sunset Of Age
5. Nocturnal Emission
6. Cerulean Twilight
7. The Silent Enigma
8. A Dying Wish
9. Black Orchid
Running Time - 54:37
Line-Up
Vincent Cavanagh - Vocals, Guitar
Daniel Cavanagh - Guitar
Duncan Patterson - Bass
John Douglas - Drums
Production: Recorded at
Lynx Studios, Newcastle ("Alone" recorded at M.A. Studios, Liverpool).
Produced by Anathema. Mixed at the Academy, Dewsbury by Mags.
Anathema
A Vision Of A Dying Embrace
Peaceville, 1996 VHS/Peaceville
2002 DVD
Anathema’s
debut video documentary, A Vision Of A Dying Embrace, was released
in 1996 on VHS format, then re-released as DVD in 2002. The footage on
both versions is identical, as there was no extra media or bonus material
featured on the re-release. There are four promotional videos, each of
which are low-budget affairs generally consisting of collages of images
ranging from the band onstage to landscape scenery with a commotion of
unclearly defined images moving in quick succession throughout. The
exception is "The Silent Enigma", in which the band are shot performing in
an open field, with occasional scenes of vocalist/guitarist Vincent
Cavanagh walking through the ruins of a Gothic cathedral with a fair
maiden, hand in hand. Overall, the videos don’t do much to enhance the
songs by presenting a visual dimension to them, and as a result, they are
most likely to be taken in once or twice, after which there will be no
particular reason to sit through them again. They are decent enough
considering the band’s early status, yet the low quality and largely
unrealized visual conceptions render them nonessential following the
initial viewing or two.
The second half of A
Vision Of A Dying Embrace showcases the band live onstage in Krakow,
Poland, in March 1996. The quality of professionalism with regards the
camera operation, and clarity of visual and sonic representation, combined
with the band’s strong performance, make this section of the release quite
engaging for the viewer. The majority of the material is taken from the
band’s second release, The Silent Enigma, which was the most recent
release from the band during this time, as well as the Pentecost III
EP, and only one song from the Serenades debut. This was the
band’s first tour after the departure of original vocalist Darren White,
and as this material was written for White’s manner of expression and
delivery, Vincent struggles through much of the set. While Vincent made
his vocal debut on The Silent Enigma, the songs were not suited to
his vocal strengths, and though he does fine work on the album regardless,
his replication of those vocals on this set are strained and lacking in
the emotional conviction he so effectively produced on the album. Indeed,
Vincent Cavanagh would soon discover his voice in Anathema’s music and
evolve into quite an engaging live vocalist, though here his discomfort is
evident. Instrumentally, the performance is excellent.
Needless to say, despite
the shortcomings of the videos and Cavangah’s vocals on the live set, this
is essential for Anathema fans, particularly of the earlier, doom/death
era of the band.
4/4/06
Tracklisting:
Promos
1. Sweet Tears
2. Mine Is Yours
3. The Silent Enigma
4. Hope
Live in Krakow March ‘96
1. Intro
2. Restless Oblivion
3. Shroud Of Frost
4. We The Gods
5. Sunset Of Age
6. Mine Is Yours
7. Sleepless
8. The Silent Enigma
9. A Dying Wish
Anathema
Eternity
Peaceville/MusicFor
Nations, 1996
Leaving behind the doom/death of previous material, Anathema now play
atmospheric rock with slight metallic allusions. Heavily inspired by the
experimental moodiness of Waters/Gilmore-led Pink Floyd, the album flows from
beginning to end in the fashion of classic progressive rock albums, with songs
bleeding into each other as to create a wholeness of experience. The band's
trademark sorrow and despair remain, but these themes are now expressed with a
near disturbing honesty of raw, naked emotion. Vocals are now sung in the
desperate tone and last-words-of-a-dying-man character of Vincent Cavanagh.
Brilliant guitar leads and heavenly synths, along with a phenomenal gift for
song development make this an absolutely fantastic voyage through deep
emotional analysis.
Tracklisting
1. Sentient
2. Angelica
3. The Beloved
4. Eternity Pt. 1
5. Eternity Pt.2
6. Hope
7. Suicide Veil
8. Radiance
9. Far Away
10. Eternity Pt. 3
11. Cries On The Wind
12. Ascension
Time - 57:54
Line-Up
Vincent Cavanagh - Vocals, Guitar
Daniel Cavanagh - Guitars,
Keyboards
Duncan Patterson - Bass Guitar
John Douglas - Drums
Les Smith - Session Keyboards
Michelle Richfield - Session
Vocals
Production: Recorded at
The Windings, Wales. Produced by Tony Platt.
Anathema
Alternative 4
Peaceville,
1998
A minimalist approach to the atmospheric rock style the band introduced on
Eternity, Alternative 4 features stripped down songs defined by their
structure and emotional capacity. Introspective and brooding, the album is less
an entirety of experience than the album it follows, aiming rather to isolate
songs as snapshots of a moment in time. Themes of betrayal, broken hopes,
sorrow, and alienation are explored with the band's trademark sincerity. Mostly
free of guitar solos and keyboard experimentation, these songs favor barebones
emotional expression over musical embellishment, as if to reach a deeper and
more intimate connection with their substance.
Tracklisting
1. Shroud Of False
2. Fragile Dreams
3. Empty
4. Lost Control
5. Re-Connect
6. Inner Silence
7. Alternative 4
8. Regret
9. Feel
10. Destiny
Time - 44:58
Line-Up
Vincent Cavanagh - Voice, Guitar
Daniel Cavanagh - Guitars, Piano,
Keyboards
Duncan Patterson - Bass, Piano,
Keyboards
Shaun Steels - Drums
George Ricci - Session Violin
Andy Duncan - Session Programming
Production: Recorded at
the Windings Jan/Feb '98. Produced by Kit Woolven.
Anathema
Judgement
Music For
Nations, 1999
Returning to the elaborate musical approach of Eternity, though with a
heightened maturity and fuller development in execution and composition,
Judgement is Anathema's finest moment. Powerful songwriting, paralyzing
emotional honesty, incredibly guitar leads rich with pure feeling, and an
enveloping atmosphere, the album is a rare work of musical genius and genuine
expression. Striving for a purer understanding of themselves and their relation
to the world around them, Anathema discover a hope through the beauty of the
experience of life, crawling out from the dark shadows of despair to make a
genuine attempt to thrive on the dreams, love, and range of possibility that
life holds for those who dare to explore the journey. No longer threatening to
end it all, Anathema can see now a brightness through the bleak elements of
existence, wanting to move closer to the warmth of the realization of inner
truth and the grandeur of this world.
Tracklisting
1. Deep
2. Pitiless
3. Forgotten Hopes
4. Destiny Is Dead
5. Make It Right (F.F.S.)
6. One Last Goodbye
7. Parisienne Moonlight
8. Judgement
9. Don't Look To Far
10. Emotional Winter
11. Wings Of God
12. Anyone, Anywhere
13. 2000 & Gone
14. Transacoustic
Time - 56:56
Line-Up
Vincent Cavanagh - Vocals,
Guitar
Danny Cavanagh - Electric &
Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards
Dave Pybus - Bass Guitar
John Douglas - Drums
Lee Douglas - Session
Vocals
Production: Produced
by Kit Woolven. Recorded at Damage Inc. Studios, Ventimiglia, Italy Feb.
1st. - Apr. 15th 1999.
Anathema
Resonance
Vol.1
Peaceville, 2001
Resonance Vol I. is
a compilation emphasizing Anathema’s "mellow" moments (Vol. II,
released a short time after, focuses primarily on the heavier end of the
band’s sound-spectrum). The material on offer spans the band’s career
during the years 1992-1998, when they were signed to the Peaceville
roster. The disc aims to represent the less metal side of the band’s
approach by compiling songs based on or guided by acoustic guitars, piano,
ambient keyboards, and occasional female singing. Selections from the
band’s first four full-length recordings, as well as the Crestfallen
and Pentecost III EPs are featured. Additionally, bonus tracks from
the Japanese version of Eternity (acoustic takes on "Far Away" and
"Eternity Pt. III"), three tracks from the Peaceville X compilation
from 1998 (covers of Bad Religion’s "Better Off Dead" and Pink Floyd’s
"One Of The Few" and "Goodbye Cruel World"), an orchestral version of "The
Silent Enigma", a live recording of "Angelica" from a show in Budapest in
1997, and a video enhanced track for "Hope" are also included. The adding
of these non-album songs significantly enhances the appeal of the
compilation not only in terms of contributing to the overall quality and
concept, but also by allowing the Anathema fan an opportunity to acquire
this material on a single disc.
Issue should be taken with
Peaceville’s marketing of this disc as "The ultimate chill out album for
the metallic masses". Indeed, the material showcased here represents the
more ethereal aspect of Anathema’s art, yet quite often it is from this
direction that the band’s most emotionally penetrating moments arrive. The
sheer emotional weight of moments such as "Inner Silence", Vincent
Cavanagh’s desperately anguished cries in the acoustic version of
"Eternity Pt. III", or the paralyzing beauty of "Better Off Dead", in
which the lyrics from the Bad Religion song are gorgeously sung by
Michelle Richfield amongst an achingly beautiful piano/violin arrangement,
contain an essence of "heaviness" that strikes the listener in an often
deeper and more profound manner than much of the band’s louder, or
heavier, sonic expressions. These quieter, more musically relaxed songs
contain an overwhelming degree of emotional and intellectual agony that is
intensified by its delivery through a quiescent tranquility of sound, and
it is this realization that exposes the inappropriateness of labels such
as "mellow" or "chill out album" in the application to this music.
Anathema do not make easy-listening music, and those listeners who are
aware enough to connect with a song’s inner core, the soul of the song,
will undoubtedly realize such a distinction.
4/4/06
Tracklisting:
1. Scars Of The Old Stream
2. Everwake
3. J’fait Une Promesse
4. Alone
5. Far Away (Acoustic)
6. Eternity (Part 2)
7. Eternity (Part 3)
(Acoustic)
8. Better Off Dead
9. One Of The Few
10. Inner Silence
11. Goodbye Cruel World
12. Destiny
13. The Silent Enigma
(Orchestral)
14. Angelica (Live in Budapest
1997)
15. Horses
Video Enhanced Track - Hope
Anathema
A Fine Day To Exit
Music For
Nations, 2001
Going into an Anathema album, one can be assured of an emotionally moving,
deeply introspective listening experience. Masters of self-analysis through
sonic expression, Anathema write songs/albums that serve as soundtracks to a
wide range of emotional landscapes. With the release of their sixth full-length
recording, we discover the band moving even further away from their metal roots,
while merging their familiar Pink Floyd inspirations with the sounds of indie/post/art
rock acts such as Radiohead. In fact, this is as far from the band's death/doom
metal roots as they have ever been. But that should really be no surprise to
longtime followers of the U.K. troupe, as each passing album has been leading up
to this very moment.
It is evident from the first glance at the initially head-shaking album cover
that there is a conscious attempt to break into new sonic territories. But in
grand Anathema tradition, it is this very image that reflects the core of what
A Fine Day To Exit is about. Tranquil waters meeting the shore viewed
from the driver's seat of a vehicle, complete with a family photo, cell phone
(one missed call), and crumpled soda can decorating the dashboard, perfectly
symbolizes the desperate need we all feel to escape from the loud chaos of
day-to-day life for a sense of inner-peace and harmony. But to what extreme do
we go to achieve this serenity? Is it a "Temporary Peace" we long for? How much
does the hectic pace of this world have to wear us down before we take the
plunge into a state of (possible) permanent tranquility? Anathema seem to have
purposely left this open to the listener's interpretation.
Album opener "Pressure" marches along at a piano-punctuated, slow to mid-paced
current, with a chorus line stating "No matter where you go you won't get away
from me..". It's a coming to terms that no matter who we are, or what our
position in this world is, we can never escape from ourselves. We may find
temporary getaways through whichever medium we choose, but we always have to
return. Those demons that haunt us, even through the closets in our minds we
attempt to shut them in, are forever present to remind us of who we really are.
Though a strong opening track for the album, there is a sense of hesitation in
the delivery of this piece that is initially a bit worrisome. Indeed, the
delivery of these constructions is not as emotionally overwhelming as it has
been on past efforts. There is certainly not an emotional vacancy at the heart
of these songs, but things are a bit more restrained this time out. The
outbursts are reserved for certain moments within a track, and usually delivered
in a more subtle fashion than we might be used to from this band.
One such moment can be found in "Release". Opening with cleanly picked
acoustics, and featuring some beautifully phrased vocal melodies, the track
explodes into rise and fall dynamics of emotional tidal waves, before its
closing clean guitar notes descend into "Looking Outside Inside". Ever masters
of weighty build-ups that climax into soaring passionate waterfalls of glory,
Anathema solidify themselves as fantastically powerful songwriters with these
compositions. In "Looking Outside Inside", feelings of detachment from all that
surrounds us are explored. We've all experienced those moments when we feel
utterly alone and separate from all and everything that is moving so fast around
us in every direction. Searching for something to hold on to…to believe in.
'…too much is coming through someone please tell me what to do…"
The desperation in Vincent's voice mirrors the turmoil of this experience.
Cascading from fading embers into a pool of brief distortion, "Leave No Trace"
settles down into pleasant tones and serene melodies. Again, a bit apprehensive
in approach, until the closing moments when Vincent's pleading vocalizations are
haunted by the background cries of "No Future…No Warning". This is as classic
Anathema moment and one of the highlights of the album. Lost in a world sick
with disillusion and deceit, we lose sight of a deeper meaning. Searching high
and low for something to hold onto, pleading for someone to hear us…We need
things.
In a world of justice, "Underworld" would be a sure "hit" for the band, with its
emo-rock styled fashion and big, powerful chorus ("This feeling is over me…").
But there is no justice in the world, so it will merely stand as another
highlight in the band's illustrious career. When the psychedelic strains of
"Barriers" set in, you know you are in for a classic introspective Anathema
moment. As is often the case with this band, the "mellowest" moments on an album
are usually the "heaviest", and "Barriers" is no exception. With vocals shared
by guitarist Daniel and the angel-voiced Lee Douglas, it poses the question "How
did we get here?". In an age when we have made great advancements to become more
"connected", how is it we often feel so disconnected?
A quick change of pace is delivered in "Panic", easily the most rocking song on
offer. The quick rhythm and verse delivery catches the listener off guard, while
the Cavanagh brothers sculpt a seemingly nonsensical image through their vocal
tirades. But we know better. A stunning chorus melody and some great, quick
fills by drummer John Douglas make this an enjoyable (fun Anathema?) ride
through the chaotic confusion and daily blur of life. But perhaps the most
significant moment of this piece comes at its end, when the tranquil clean
guitar melody grabs you from the spinning cycle and places you in a silent
meadow, allowing you to feel nothing but the warmth of the shining sun.
Anathema are all about atmosphere and feeling, and the deeply penetrating title
track displays both aspects to stunning effect. The haunting atmosphere that
forms the foundation of the first two verse/chorus sections builds
climactically, making this a great exercise in peak-and-valley dynamics. When
there is no one left to rely on, when it seems that we are alone in our
alienation, we turn to ourselves to try and sort it all out. It's the relation
between lines like "…no longer have the will to survive…" and "You've got to
face it head on…cause this ain't right.." If you close your eyes to this one,
you may feel like you are the one sitting in that very car watching the shore.
Talking to yourself…trying to make some sense of it.
…But those waves are calling. You can hear them as they usher in the brooding
intro to "Temporary Peace". More than just a song, this is a clear example of
how music can be more than just music. It takes you out of yourself. It can
overwhelm your senses and embrace your very soul. The dark mood switches to
intoxicating serenity as Vincent, together with Lee Douglas, beautifully
expresses words of sincerity and realization.
"There's so many, many thoughts
as I try to go to sleep
but with you I start to feel a sort of temporary peace
as we drift in and out…"
The closing moments of this song are paralyzing, breathtaking beauty. This
tranquil harmony in sonic form conveys the grasp of just a moment's peace. While
the final acoustic strings are picked, the waves roll on, effectively ending a
thoroughly moving listening experience.
As compelling an album as this is, it does not rise above its predecessor,
Judgement, which is this band's crowning achievement. It also feels
uncomfortable placing it above their 1996 effort Eternity. The more
restrained emotional expressions and the lack of lead guitar work from the
unparalleled Daniel Cavanagh are initially a bit disappointing. Though the
question of whether or not these aspects would be appropriate for this material
or not is valid. But this aside, A Fine Day To Exit stands as a
fantastic effort. Anathema don't just write albums, they construct experiences.
They continuously release stunning works of sonic self-realization and
awareness, questioning the world around us, digging deep within for a truer
meaning. They're just aren't very many bands producing such emotionally
challenging, thought provoking music as Anathema.
12/2003
Tracklisting
1. Pressure
2. Release
3. Looking Outside Inside
4. Leave No Trace
5. Underworld
6. Barriers
7. Panic
8. A Fine Day To Exit
9. Temporary Peace
Time -
62:30
Line-Up:
Vincent Cavanagh - Vocals,
Guitar
Daniel
Cavanagh - Guitar, Vocals
Les Smith - Keyboards
John Douglas - Drums
Dave Pybus - Session Bass
Guitar
Lee Douglas -
Session Vocals
Production: Produced by Nick Griffiths. Mixed by Colin Richardson.
Recorded at The Windings & Chapel Studios.
Anathema
A Natural Disaster
Music For Nations, 2003
Having gone under a momentous shift in approach and presentation during
the course of their career, Liverpool’s Anathema continue to expand their
sonic horizons in search of the ultimate emotional truth through musical
expression. Each effort sees the band further developing their sound away
from their doom/death roots towards the experimental and harmonious, while
remaining faithful to the unparalleled power of their song-writing and
introspective melancholy. Indeed, no band in modern music has surpassed Anathema in terms of emotional awareness through
climactic song-craft.
"Did you try
to reason why? Look yourself in the eye? What you are is all you have
been. What will be is all you do. Now spill a tear as your sense of self
slowly melts away. Until death’s mirror reflects the meaning of our lives,
we wander aimless and mesmerized as the fear starts to rise."
The band’s seventh
full-length recording, A Natural Disaster, is yet another exhibit,
as if any more proof were required. Composed entirely by guitarist Daniel
Cavangah, the album does not venture far from the course explored on A
Fine Day To Exit, yet is an overall darker and more personal work.
There is a more prominent ambience to this material that lends the album a
deeper sense of self-contemplation. Songs are generally given more of a
relaxed position upon which the band’s mastery of dynamics operates,
occasionally rising to powerful outbursts of metallic root, as in
"Closer", "Balance" and the gorgeous and touching closing instrumental,
"Violence", which unexpectedly erupts from a plaintive piano/guitar
foundation into a fury of breakneck drums and yearning guitars before
settling back into its opening theme. Elsewhere, songs such as "Are You
There" and "Electricity" hold true to their atmospheric tranquillity in
the expression of the band’s trademark heartbreaking sadness, while
"Pulled Under At 2000 Meters A Second" is the heaviest, fastest, and
darkest moment of the disc, a whipping, angry song that can perhaps be
viewed as the nihilistic twin of A Fine Day To Exit’s "Panic".
"Freedom is
only a hallucination that waits at the edge of the distant horizon. And we
are all strangers in global illusion, wanting and needing impossible
heaven. Chasing the dream as they swim out to sea, the mirage ahead says
that they can be free. Become lost in delusion, drowning their reason,
swept on by the current of selfish ambition. Frightened, ashamed, and
afraid of the blame. The questions are screaming, the answers are hiding.
The sickness is growing. Distracted condition. You can feel the disgust
and smell the confusion. Lying insane, getting soaked in the rain,
draining the sky of the guilt and the shame. The nightmare is coming, the
clouds are descending..."
As brilliant as this music
is, the album does not attain perfection. The production is uneven, and at
times this unfortunately interferes with the overall mood of a particular
song, such as the flat drum sound during "Are You There?" and the far too
low vocals during "Electricity". The songs are fantastic in their own
right, yet should have been allowed more consistency of flow through a
suitable sound. The vocal performances by Vincent Cavanagh and Lee Douglas
are gripping and spectacular, yet Daniel’s singing on "Are You There?" and
"Electricity" is simply too restrained for such emotionally penetrating
lyrics and music. It is quite understandable that these songs are deeply
personal to him, hence his decision to sing them, however, the impact of
these songs would no doubt be enhanced by the lead voice of Vincent
Cavanagh, or Douglas. Daniel Cavanagh is, to my ears, the finest guitarist
in music in regards to pure feeling generated from his instrument in
relation to a composition (witness his supreme ascension in the final
moments of "Flying" and his excellent subtlety throughout "Violence") ,
yet his voice is simply not suited to carry an entire song that demands a
convincing and powerful vocal performance. Vincent Cavanagh is a highly
gifted vocalist who possesses a phenomenal range of expression. He is the
band’s vocal ticket to achieving the ultimate emotional truth their music
aspires to, and he should be utilized to the greatest extent.
A Natural Disaster,
in spite of its slight shortcomings, is another fabulous album from this
incredible act. Their sound is clearly showing the inspirations of modern
art-rock acts such as Mogwai and Radiohead while maintaining the long
established Pink Floyd admiration, yet what makes Anathema a more
rewarding proposition is the emotional honesty and genuine sincerity that
forms the core of everything this band has ever produced. Equally,
Anathema are unrivaled in the arena of dynamics. The art of building
towards a sweeping climax is mastered only through an understanding of
perfect hesitancy and patience, and in this, Anathema know no masters.
While 1999's Judgement remains the band’s finest hour, A Natural
Disaster is a special work that should elevate this band to a higher
status of appreciation, beyond it being universally understood as good
music.
4/8/06
Tracklisting:
1. Harmonium
2. Balance
3. Closer
4. Are you there?
5. Childhood dream
6. Pulled under at 2000 meters
a second
7. A natural disaster
8. Flying
9. Electricity
10. Violence
Time - 55:23
Line-Up
Vincent Cavanagh - Vocals,
Guitar
Danny Cavanagh
- Guitars, Keys, Vocals
Jamie Cavanagh - Bass,
Programming
Les Smith
- Programming, Keys
John Douglas - Drums
Anna Livingstone - Session Vocals
Lee Douglas - Session Vocals
Production: Produced by
Anathema and Dan Turner. Recorded and Mixed at parkgate Studios, Battle,
Summer 2003.
Anathema
Were You There?
Music For Nations, 2004
This DVD presents Anathema live in Krakow, Poland, January 2004 during the
tour for their seventh album, A Natural Disaster. Additionally, a
live acoustic performance assisted by a string quartet filmed in the
band’s hometown of Liverpool, England, a promotional video for the song
"Pressure", and live representations of "Release" and "A Natural
Disaster", are featured.
The Krakow show is
fantastic. Anathema are a powerful live act whose performances are
delivered with a high level of energy and passion, and this document
captures these aspects very effectively. Certainly, it is no substitute
for witnessing the band in person, but it’s difficult to imagine the pure
emotional charge of the band’s live show being captured any better than it
is here. There is an honesty, a pure sincerity, that characterizes
Anathema’s music that also defines the band’s stage presence. The material
here is delivered in spectacular fashion, and the quality of the sound and
visuals is high. The entire set is made up of material from the last three
albums, Judgement, A Fine Day To Exit, and A Natural
Disaster, which unfortunately means that there is nothing on display
from the first four albums released through Peaceville records. As
disappointing as this, once the move is made past it, the viewer can
accept this for what it is: an excellent live representation of some of
the best moments of current-era Anathema.
The live acoustic show is
appealing in that it features stripped down Anathema songs backed by a
string section which provides the songs with an enhanced quality of
elegance. These versions emphasize the root essence of the songs,
expressed with a fine delicacy. It is an attractive idea for Anathema to
release a studio version of this arrangement, though hopefully with the
inclusion of older material such as "Angelica", "Far Away", or "Fragile
Dreams", all of which would translate very nicely to this concept.
The video for "Pressure" is
interesting in its visualization of the songs theme. Basically, it
portrays an ordinary man who is feeling the weight of existential burden
crashing down upon hin during a routine day, eventually finding serenity
in the ocean’s embrace. This is fine, though the individual playing the
role of this man could be a bit more convincing, and the overall sequence
of events would have benefitted from a little more elaboration and
coherence. Otherwise, it works well enough at presenting the idea of the
song through visuals. The live videos for "Release" and "A Natural
Disaster" are well done if not terribly spectacular, "Release" in
particular receiving an added charge through the vitality of the band’s
delivery.
Were You There?
should be of interest to any fan of Anathema, particularly those fond of
the last three studio albums. It provides a solid presentation of the
band’s live show and also reveals the growth the band have undergone since
their first video release, 1996's A Vision Of A Dying Embrace.
Anathema’s music lends itself to visual presentation the likes of which
bands such as Pink Floyd realized. This can be a powerful dimension to
Anathema’s music should they ever reach a level that affords them the
opportunity and resources to fully explore it.
4/4/06
Tracklisting:
Live in Krakow
1. Intro: Childhood Dream
2. Balance
3. Closer
4. Pressure
5. Release
6. Forgotten Hopes
7. Destiny Is Dead
8. Are You There?
9. One Last Goodbye
10. Pulled Under At 2000
Meters A Second
11. Parisienne Moonlight
12. A Natural Disaster
13. Judgement
14. Panic
15. Temporary Peace
16. Flying
17. Live Acoustic Performance
18. Pressure Video
19. Release Video
20. A Natural Disaster Video
Anathema
Anathema Discography
Crestfallen (Peaceville, 1992)
Serenades (Peaceville, 1993)
Pentecost lll (Peaceville, 1995)
The Silent Enigma (Peaceville, 1995)
Eternity (Peaceville/Music For Nations, 1996)
Alternative 4 (Peaceville/Music For Nations, 1998)
Judgement (Music For Nations, 1999)
A Fine Day To Exit (Music For Nations, 2001)
Resonance Vol. 1 (Peaceville, 2001)
Resonance Vol. 2 (Peaceville, 2001)
A Natural Disaster (Music For Nations, 2003)
Were You There? DVD (Music For Nations, 2005)
A Moment In Time DVD (Metal Mind, 2006)
