I find it slightly amusing that, to some, Anathema are still considered a metal band. They can’t seem to shake off their past, even though they haven’t produced music that could be described as metal of any sort in about fifteen years. The Liverpool-based band started off as purveyors of doom metal in 1990, but by the time ‘Alternative 4’ was released in 1998, they had long since left behind any associations of that nature. Fast-forward fourteen years and the band, now a quintet – they’ve gone through another lineup change, with ‘creative and musical differences’ surrounding Les Smith’s departure last September – are on the brink of releasing their ninth studio album, ‘Weather Systems’.
As an introduction to the band – it was for me – the album works extremely well, but the best thing about it is how cohesive it all sounds. It’s 56 minutes long and spans nine songs, many of whose titles relate to the moniker of the album itself. Is it a concept album? I don’t think so, but the lyrical content is all linked. It contains music ‘written to deeply move the listener’, and if you’re looking for an intense and emotional experience, then this album should be sought out as soon as possible. It’s the sort of record that perfectly marries euphoric moments with reflective lyrics.
The two-part opener ‘Untouchable’ opens with some impressive guitar work, building through some restrained verse-chorus sections, before moving to a bridge that introduces a key motif that runs through both parts, before finally releasing all the built-up tension in an explosion of soaring guitars and sweeping post-rock dynamics. The shift is sudden and unexpected, and its power is breathtaking. Part 1 is the best song I’ve heard all year, but it’s given a run for its money by its counterpart, a more reflective, piano-led piece which features some beautiful vocal interplay between Lee Douglas and Vincent Cavanagh, expanding on some lyrical themes introduced earlier. It, too, reaches a powerful climax, though one which is less overwhelming and more the natural conclusion of the two-song arc.
The next four songs form another arc, though this is not explicitly stated. ‘The Gathering of the Clouds’ is reserved and understated, featuring lots of strings and piano, as well as complex vocal lines, not to mention simple yet effective drumming – the sort which is repeated in ‘Lightning Song’, another song which allows Lee Douglas’s wonderful voice to shine. It sounds like the song will continue in the restrained manner that its predecessor did, until, about three minutes in, guitars suddenly crash in, and things go stratospheric, opening out for a wonderful finale.
The technical guitar work that has informed much of the album so far is put to very good use in the next song, ‘Sunlight’, which features some fantastic drumming from John Douglas. One thing that can definitely be said about Anathema is that they allow their songs to breathe, giving them plenty of time to build. This is certainly true of the album centrepiece, the aptly-titled ‘The Storm Before the Calm’, which stretches to beyond nine minutes, and is perhaps the darkest song on the album, relying on an unsettling atmosphere and powerful rhythms for five minutes, before everything falls away and the song settles into more measured territory, the sweeping strings that feature so prominently on ‘Weather Systems’ being utilised to great effect, leading the listener towards plenty of changes of time-signature and dynamics before spitting them out the other end.
The entire suite takes up 23 minutes, but there’s still plenty more to come. ‘Weather Systems’ is extremely consistent; I’m still unsure where exactly it ‘peaks’ because each song is very strong in its own right. The minor-key piano heard on ‘The Beginning and the End’ heralds the arrival of another extremely powerful song, gradually build towards a triumphant swell of guitar and pounding drums, delivering just the kind of payoff required. ‘The Lost Child’ takes a little more work, gradually growing from its haunting acapella intro, the tempo increasing steadily throughout the course of the song before the song finishes in style with swooping strings and plenty of dramatic flair.
It’s left to ‘Internal Landscapes’ to close the album, the final destination on what has been an incredible journey, full of emotional peaks and troughs. Opening with an affecting sample in which a man reflects on a near-death experience, the mid-tempo song begins properly around two-and-a-half minutes in. Cavanagh and Douglas once again trade vocals, as the motifs of ‘Untouchable’ are once again recalled, bringing the album full circle. The climax to the song is enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of the neck of any listener, before it gradually begins fading away, left to drift into nothingness with an orchestral coda. It’s a fittingly beautiful finale to what is an astonishing album on any number of levels.
Weather Systems is out now via KScope, and can be sampled and purchased here.
