1) Anathema wa… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with the name Anathema.
1) Anathema was a band from Liverpool, England, UK primarily known as one of the pioneering and leading death doom metal acts, incorporating growling, poetic lyrics and complex arrangements into the traditional doom riffage. Later in their career, beginning with "Eternity", they moved away from this sound into more melodic, atmospheric rock.
Anathema formed in 1990 as a doom metal band, initially under the name Pagan Angel. In November of that year, the band recorded their first demo, entitled "An Iliad of Woes". This demo caught the attention of several bands from the English metal scene, allowing Anathema to play gigs with bands like Bolt Thrower and Paradise Lost.
At the beginning of 1991, the band adopted its current name, and gained a lot of attention with the release of their second demo entitled "All Faith Is Lost", resulting in a four-album deal with Peaceville Records. Their first release under the label was "The Crestfallen EP" in November 1992. They took the material from that album on the road, touring with Cannibal Corpse.
"Serenades", Anathema's debut LP, attracted a lot of mainstream attention, propelling their "Sweet Tears" music video onto the MTV playlist. Anathema's first European tour was in 1994, and was closely followed by gigs 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. This new formation debuted by touring with Cathedral in the United Kingdom.
The release of "Eternity" came in 1996, relying more on atmospheric sounds, and starting the transition to clean vocals; the album "Judgement" would later consolidate this style. A European tour followed the album's release.
The second member to leave the band was drummer John Douglas, who departed in the summer of 1997. He was replaced by Shaun Taylor-Steels, formerly of Solstice, who would also later play drums for My Dying Bride.
"Alternative 4" was released in 1998. During this time the band underwent many line-up changes. Bassist/songwriter Duncan Patterson quit due to musical differences and was replaced by Dave Pybus of Dreambreed, where Duncan had played bass for a short period. Martin Powell (who had played keyboards and violin for My Dying Bride previously) also joined the band. Finally, John Douglas returned to the drums.
In June 1999, the album "Judgement" was released, marking Anathema's complete shift from the doom metal genre, focusing instead on slower and more experimental songs. This new sound has been likened to artists such as Pink Floyd, Jeff Buckley, and to a lesser extent, Radiohead. However, the essence of the band remained the same. Their songs continued to express a feeling of depression and, more often than not, desperation.
During the same year Martin Powell switched positions with Cradle of Filth's keyboardist Les Smith, who came to be an integral member of Anathema.
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.
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", 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, despite having completed an extensive tour of the UK with popular Finnish rock band HIM in April 2006. During their search for a new label, the band have 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. Despite the obvious lack of label-based tour support, the band continues to play dates across Europe, guitarist Danny Cavanagh also playing the odd low-key acoustic concert.
The latest album and first in seven years, "We're Here Because We're Here", was released on May 31, 2010. The album was mixed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who has described it as “definitely among the best albums I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on.”. The album was proclaimed "Prog Album of the Year" by Classic Rock magazine, describing it as "A flawless, life-affirming comeback and a gold-plated contender for album of the year". Ville Valo of the band HIM recorded vocals for the song "Angels Walk Among Us".
On July 6, 2011, it was announced on the band's official page that their album of re-interpretations, "Falling Deeper", will be released on September 5, 2011. The album will be a follow-up to Hindsight and will contain new orchestral versions of songs from the past, as well as a version of "Everwake" featuring the vocals of Anneke van Giersbergen. On September 12th, Les Smith's departure due to "creative and musical differences" was announced on the band's website.
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 and the German album charts at No. 19.
On 8 November 2012, Daniel Cavanagh announces at Anathema's official homepage that Daniel Cardoso is joining the band as a full-time permanent basis as a key element of the band.[10]
On 2 December 2012, Anathema announced their first concert in India. Anathema has performed at IIT Madras as part of the Saarang Rock Show on 12 January 2013.
The band's recent live album, named Untouchable, was released as a double vinyl album on 24 June 2013. The album is a recording of a special one-off gig at the ancient Roman theatre of Philippopolis in 2012, where the band were joined by the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. The set was released on Blu-ray, DVD and CD under the name Universal, with an alternate track order, on 17 September 2013.
According to the bands official Facebook site they are currently recording their new album in Norway and it will be released in 2014.
On 28 March 2014, the band announced their upcoming studio album to be called Distant Satellites. The album came out on 9 June on the Kscope label, and is produced by Christer-André Cederberg in Oslo, Norway. Several tracks were mixed by Steven Wilson. Different from previous albums is the use of more electronica on this album. The album is released in 4 different versions, a cd, vinyl, Media Book, and a Deluxe version.[12] Tour dates have been announced starting 22 May in Istanbul, Turkey, then throughout Europe and 3 dates in August 2014 in Australia.
Following the success of their short Australian tour, an acoustic tour was announced for New Zealand and Australia in 2015. 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.
Anathema went on their Resonance Tour through Europe in April 2015. These concerts served as live retrospective efforts, featuring songs throughout their catalog, including from their debut album Serenades. Former vocalist Darren "Daz" White and former bassist/keyboardist Duncan Patterson joined the band on stage for these concerts.
In 2017, the band released The Optimist, which won Album of the Year at the Progressive Music Awards.
At the end of August 2019, it was announced that Anathema would be leaving the Kscope record label and had signed a new deal with Mascot Label Group. Anathema planned to release their 12th studio album in 2020. However, Anathema announced an indefinite hiatus on 22 September 2020 due to hardship with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2024, the band management confirmed in the bands Facebook that the band had split up.
Members:
Current lineup
Vincent Cavanagh - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (1990-2020)
Daniel Cavanagh - lead guitar, vocals (1990-2002, 2003-2020) (Lid, Antimatter, Leafblade)
Jamie Cavanagh - bass (1990-1991, 2001-2020)
John Douglas - drums (1990-1997, 1998-2020)
Lee Douglas - vocals (2000-2020)
Daniel Cardoso - keyboards (2012-2020)
Former members
Darren White - vocals (1990-1995) (The Blood Divine, Dead Men Dream, Serotonal)
Duncan Patterson - bass, keyboards (1991-1998) (ex-Antimatter, Dreambreed, Íon)
Shaun Taylor-Steels - drums (1997-1998) (ex-Solstice, ex-My Dying Bride)
Martin Powell - keyboards, violin (1998-2000) (ex-My Dying Bride, ex-Cradle of Filth, ex-Cryptal Darkness)
Dave Pybus - bass (1998-2001) (Dreambreed, Angtoria, Cradle of Filth, Darkened)
Les Smith - keyboards (2000-2011) (ex-Cradle of Filth, Antimatter, Ship of Fools)
2) Anathema was a British anarcho-punk band. They released two demos, "Shit You Choose to Take" and Make the Fighting Cease" in 1984 and 1985 respectively.
They also appeared on Mortarhate’s anarcho-punk compilation "Anti Capitalism" with a re-recording of the "Make the Fighting Cease" song “Your Ulster”, as well as appearing on the 1985 “Somewhere Over the Rainbow Theres a Better World” compilation tape and the second part of “Ha! Last Week I Saw This Fella With Your Tife” tape, also released in 1985.
3) Anathema was an Italian heavy metal band from Milan, Lombardy, formed in 1986. They released a demo, "Salem Lunacy" in 1989.
4) Anathema was an Finnish death metal band from Iisalmi, formed in 1989. They released a promo and a demo in 1991.
5) Anathema was a thrash metal band from Colorado, United States, formed in 1987. They released two demos, "The Trauma Never Ends" in 1988 and "Knife and Gun Club" in 1990.
6) Anathema was a thrash metal band from Levittown, Pennsylvania, United States, formed in 1989. They released one demo, "Spiral of Hatred" in 1990.
Electricity
Anathema Lyrics
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Seems like you never understood me
Seems like you never really knew how to feel
But electricity ooh it drew you near to me
What you needed was to be rid of me
There were times you really made me smile
And there were times you really made me cry
And there were times I never really knew how to feel
What you needed was to be rid of me
And the fear made you so unsure of me
What you needed was to be rid of me
But electricity ooh it drew you near to me
What you needed way to be rid of me
And the fear made you so unsure of me
What you needed was to be rid of me
The lyrics of Anathema's song Electricity seem to be about a relationship that has ended. The singer is suggesting that their former partner never really knew or understood them. There were times when this partner made them happy, but also times when they made them sad. However, there was something about the electricity between them that always drew them back together. Despite the fact that the partner wanted to be rid of the singer, the electricity always kept them close. The partner was unsure of the singer, and in the end, they needed to be rid of them.
The theme of electricity in the song could be seen as a metaphor for the uncontrollable force that draws people together, no matter how much they try to resist it. Just as electricity can be dangerous and unpredictable, so too can love.
Another interpretation could be that the electricity represents the passion and intensity of the relationship. Even though the partner may have tried to end things, they couldn't resist the attraction and connection that they had with the singer.
Overall, the lyrics of Electricity are open to interpretation and can apply to many different situations. It is a song that speaks to the complexity of human relationships and the powerful forces that drive people apart or bring them together.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems like you never really knew me
It appears that you never really understood who I am
Seems like you never understood me
It appears that you were never able to comprehend my true self
Seems like you never really knew how to feel
It seems that you were uncertain about your emotions towards me
But electricity ooh it drew you near to me
Despite everything, the electricity between us brought you closer to me
What you needed was to be rid of me
You desired to separate yourself from me
There were times you really made me smile
There were moments when you brought joy to my life
And there were times you really made me cry
Conversely, there were moments when you caused me pain and sadness
And there were times I never really knew how to feel
There were instances where I was uncertain about my own emotions
And the fear made you so unsure of me
Your fear caused you to be uncertain about our relationship
What you needed was to be rid of me
You felt the need to separate yourself from me
But electricity ooh it drew you near to me
Despite your desire to leave, the intense chemistry between us kept you close
What you needed way to be rid of me
You had a strong desire to rid yourself of me
And the fear made you so unsure of me
Your fear of the unknown caused you to be unsure of our relationship
What you needed was to be rid of me
Once again, you felt the need to separate yourself from me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN HARTMAN, NONA BERNIS HENDRYX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cansndurusoy1877
Turkish translation:
Beni gerçekten hiç tanımamışsın gibi görünüyor
Beni hiç anlamamışsın gibi
Nsıl hissedeceğini hiç bilmemişsin gibi
Ama elektrik, seni yanıma çekti.
İhtiyacın olan benden kurtulmaktı.
Beni gerçekten gülümsettiğin zamanlar vardı
Ve gerçekten ağlattığın zamanlar
Ve nasıl hissedeceğimi hiç bilmediğim zamanlar
Ama elektrik seni yanıma çekti
İhtiyacın olan benden kurtulmaktı
Ve korku benden emin olmamana sebep oldu
İhtiyacın olan benden kurtulmaktı
Ama elektrik seni yanıma çekti
İhtiyacın olan benden kurtulmaktı
Ve korku benden emin olmamana sebep oldu
İhtiyacın olan benden kurtulmaktı
@yassirabj9577
I was 13 years old when I met my first friend, we became best friends and now we’re rolling as brothers. He inducted me to the world of Anathema since then. we used to sit in the garage and spending time listening to music, sharing our playlists. Electricity just reminded me of a day we were feeling bad and we played it many times in a row. Just feeling grateful for having a brother from another mother, and that some songs bring back the priceless memories. A shoutout to Youssef!
@darklynumb5601
That’s so beautiful,i wish i had a friend to share this with,ive always listened to this song alone when i was 16 and listening to it now reminded me so much of all the days i spent alone listening to this,but im deeply grateful for that
@kabirrubaiyat
Unbelievable!! I just discovered this song. Stunning and hypnotic. I’m in love. ❤
@lsandoval1620
My friend introduced me to Anathema a few months ago. He's a die hard metal fan & I'm a die hard hip hop/ rap girl (not this new crap, but OG shit)
Anyway... We've been sharing music & going to each other's shows & I can't believe how incredibly beautiful this band is. Especially this song. Touches the soul
@mar666lo
once a masterpiece, always a masterpiece
@sjice69
Well I'm breaking down and finally ordering just about all their cd's off Amazon today. Love this band.
@Moody19922
this is veryy beautiful I like anathema's new sound more than their doom sound they really found themselves this song is very beautiful <3
@ffcukgod
this is so beautiful, it makes me think of all those magnetic relationships that compel and yet repel, those classic romantic and destructive marriages of minds that flow through the history of literature and love....
@frsfranciscojavierreyes9005
Es el mejor comentario que he leído de ésta mágica canción.
@belcardoso1170
essa musica é a coisa mais perfeita que existe