Anathema

[ChuckSteak]

A lot of the old stuff is more interesting than what they have been doing since WHBWH period. There's great stuff through their career and an album like The Silent Enigma beats Weather Systems or Distant Satellites meanwhile those beat the somewhat awkward Eternity, which while I still like, is a bit of an awkward transitional album.

I've just heard The Silent Enigma for the first time. Awesome. But I really love Weather Systems. One of my favorite albums of all time, easily.

[ReaperKK]

I listened to The Optimist for the first time a little bit ago and it was the first time I listened through an entire Anathema album. It's not bad, I need to go and check out the rest of their work, I've only hear a few songs here and there.

[Phoenix87x]

I've just heard The Silent Enigma for the first time. Awesome. But I really love Weather Systems. One of my favorite albums of all time, easily.

Hell yeah Weather systems       You are talkin my language

My favorite Anathema album and one of my favorite albums off all time too. So damn good.

[Elite]

Considering the previous 2 albums were lesser versions of WHBWH I think it's baffling to call it disappointment when they finally break that pattern and do something else. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy WS and DS but at this point I almost forgot Anathema could do something else musically so this album was a breath of fresh air in that sense.

I agree with this, but I have only listened to the new album once and thought it was really good. That was probably because the setting was absolutely perfect; I listened to it for the first time on a drive home from a gig. It was the middle of the night, I was alone in the car and there was nobody on the roads. Really set the mood. I'll have to listen to it again in a more 'normal' setting, but my initial reaction was very positive and I don't get where all the negative stuff comes from. The breaking of the pattern is something I'll gladly embraces; I consider WHBWH to be their best album, but I am not a fan of Weather Systems or Distant Satellites, for I feel, like Zantera, like they are weaker, more uninspired versions of the same record. Especially Distant Satellites didn't do anything for me.

[Elite]

That 11:40 track is not 11:40 at all, as I kind of expected. 7:30-ish, then 3 minutes of silence and a hidden track. So Anathema's contribution to the great pantheon of prog epics will have to wait.

I don't consider Anathema to be a prog band that would write 'epics' in the same way other prog bands would, if Anathema are even a prog band. That said, they have a couple of epic songs, most notably (for me) A Simple Mistake from WHBWH.

[BlackInk]

I'd say Anathema is a prog band. A very unique one, but that's prabably what I'd call them.

[Zantera]

I don't think you necessarily need long songs to be considered progressive rock, but even so, I feel like they have some songs that live up to that epicness. (A Simple Mistake, A Dying Wish, Universal, Hindsight, Regret, Violence etc)

[The Letter M]

So, for the longest time, I was convinced that the band's name was pronounced "a-NATH-e-ma", after initially thinking it was "an-a-THE-ma".

Well, I asked the Anathema Facebook page about it after pointing out the underscore in their new album's cover, and lo and behold, it's actually "an-a-THE-ma", which isn't how most pronunciations of it are online.

Does anyone have any video clips of the band saying their own name on stage somewhere? lol

-Marc.

[jcmoorehead]

Does anyone have any video clips of the band saying their own name on stage somewhere? lol

I don't have a link to hand but on the Sort Of Homecoming CD/DVD before the song Anathema they say the name out loud a A-Nath-E-Ma

[The Letter M]

Does anyone have any video clips of the band saying their own name on stage somewhere? lol

I don't have a link to hand but on the Sort Of Homecoming CD/DVD before the song Anathema they say the name out loud a A-Nath-E-Ma

Maybe the band name and the song name are pronounced differently? 

-Marc.

[Lethean]

It's a-NATH-e-ma.  There are plenty of interviews where you can hear them saying the name - here are a few: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkh7LKqJLdY (right at the beginning); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiegBvCSMnc (around 3 minutes), and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te6W3uG2GvI (right at the beginning), and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUCXITdYrZ4 (around 20 seconds).  So that's 3 of the band members.

Also that's how the word itself is pronounced too; there are multiple sites with pronunciation guides: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anathema?pronunciation&lang=en_us&file=anathe01.wav  or https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/anathema

[Mindflux]

https://rockmuzine.com/2017/07/03/interview-vincent-cavanagh-anathema-album-optimist/

Yet the first question asked, seems to suggest they changed the way it's pronounced more recently to cut ties with the past.

[Evermind]

https://rockmuzine.com/2017/07/03/interview-vincent-cavanagh-anathema-album-optimist/

Yet the first question asked, seems to suggest they changed the way it's pronounced more recently to cut ties with the past.

That's curious, and that's also something that just isn't going to work for me. We have a word "a-nath-ema" in Russian too, whereas "ana-the-ma" sounds downright silly. Beyond that, I don't think that changing the pronunciation of the band's name at this point in the career is a wise idea. But hey, as long as the band members agree on it.

[ChuckSteak]

Who cares about the pronounciation of the band's name? It has nothing to do with the music, it is just a name.

[Mindflux]

Who cares about the pronounciation of the band's name? It has nothing to do with the music, it is just a name.

Well it's just topic relevant conversation.

[Mindflux]

I know this news is 7 years old now, but WHBWH is really great. I didn't get into Anathema until after Weather Systems (between that and Distant Satellites) and just started to finally buy some back catalog.  I got WHBWH and A Natural Disaster.

"Dreaming Light" almost makes me want to tear up.

[Lethean]

https://rockmuzine.com/2017/07/03/interview-vincent-cavanagh-anathema-album-optimist/

Yet the first question asked, seems to suggest they changed the way it's pronounced more recently to cut ties with the past.

Thanks for that!  When I saw them last they were still saying Anathema on the stage, and I had no idea they decided to change it.  Good luck to them with that.    I suppose it'll eventually take hold - first with new fans who don't know how the word itself is pronounced, then those that do but hear them saying it differently on stage, then eventually maybe everyone else.  Very odd move to me - wouldn't it make more sense just to choose a different name?  (Actually I think the most logical thing would have been to leave it alone, but clearly they didn't want to).

[Ben_Jamin]

The Optimist makes me want to go out for a drive on a rainy night.

[Zook]

I've only listened once, but it didn't have that awe like the last 2 albums. Maybe it takes a few listens, but I was disappointed.

[ChuckSteak]

I listened to it again a couple of times and still think it is not so good. 

[Phoenix87x]

I tried listening to it again too and am still very disappointed.

[Zantera]

It's not one of their best album but it holds up to Weather Systems and Distant Satellites for sure. Not as good as WHBWH or Judgement or their classics tho.

[Prog Snob]

I'm listening again now. It's such an intriguing piece of work. I mean, with them I'm used to something extraordinary but this seems even more explorative.

[ReaperKK]

Listened to the album again. It's not bad at all, good background music.

[T-ski]

I like it and think its on par with their last couple albums.

[Sacul]

Hey guys, I've remade my Anathema flowchart to include the new album. I'd appreciate any feedback 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-KNQUryhbLcbGRUSll6Wm4zcjg/view?usp=sharing

[Phoenix87x]

Hey guys, I've remade my Anathema flowchart to include the new album. I'd appreciate any feedback 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-KNQUryhbLcbGRUSll6Wm4zcjg/view?usp=sharing

That's a great flow chart. I am still trying to figure out how I would place the new one in to it though. It might be my own personal hearing, but it doesn't seem more electronic than DS, which I feel is their most electronic. The new one is more stripped down in sound, at least from what I am hearing.

Having an arrow go from A fine day to exit to The optimist makes sense.

[twosuitsluke]

So I have just listened to The Optimist for the first time and it was ok. I'm a not really a fan as such and I've only listened to a few songs. I liked the closing two songs on this album, the rest was fairly forgettable on first listen tbh.

Back to working my way through other 2017 releases...

[SoundscapeMN]

"Endless Ways" just hit me like a ton of bricks
https://allmediareviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/anathema-endless-ways.html

[Ben_Jamin]

"Endless Ways" just hit me like a ton of bricks
https://allmediareviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/anathema-endless-ways.html

I love that one, it hit hard for me as well.

[Prog Snob]

That's the first song that really clicked for me. It's something about the way she sings a song. Between her and Vinny, they are two exceedingly emotive singers.

[Nekov]

Last night's show was amazing! Setlist here I love how engaging these guys are with the crowd, they bring a lot of energy and fun. But I must say, Danny needs to begin a diet right now, he's put on a lot of weight

[Evermind]

Huh, that's a way better setlist than we've got. Good for you guys!

[?]

Last night's show was amazing! Setlist here I love how engaging these guys are with the crowd, they bring a lot of energy and fun. But I must say, Danny needs to begin a diet right now, he's put on a lot of weight

That must be a guitarist thing, aka the Steve Rothery effect

The recent Latin American setlists look pretty cool, plenty of Alt 4/Judgement stuff in rotation, and apparently Duncan Patterson joined them on stage in Mexico: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/anathema/2017/el-plaza-condesa-mexico-city-mexico-2be53c9a.html I hope they'll keep at least some of those oldies for the Euro tour, though I think Vincent said they'll play the whole new album in some interview.

I'm looking forward to hearing the new songs live, because they might click properly in that environment (especially if they've got visuals) - right now I think the album is alright, but I'm a little bummed out by the little amount of vocals, and the music feels like a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist; in other words, it's nice background music, but doesn't totally captivate me.

[Sacul]

Last night's show was amazing! Setlist here I love how engaging these guys are with the crowd, they bring a lot of energy and fun. But I must say, Danny needs to begin a diet right now, he's put on a lot of weight

All of this, fantastic gig! I was in fucking trance during The Storm Before the Calm, and crowd went fucking nuts with Closer and Fragile Dreams Loved how they improvised and extended some sections of all songs a bit, whole band was on fire. Vinny teased they were talking about maybe coming back next year, hope they do!