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.
Memento Mori
Anathema Lyrics
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In a cage solitude locks me in
As the dark blackened walls close in on me
Dementia strikes, there's no turning back
Drowning in the Stygian sea
As those voices repeat to me my malediction
Memento Mori
A gratuitous wrath of violence blots out the light of my mind
For on this night someone must pay for the cost of my life
For me to escape the curse of perdition, this poor, weaker being must receive
Pain
As you wince at the action of my sadist ways and cry at the throes of your
Moribund state
A Daemon issues your last rites
Paster Noster Upto In Terra
I break, I twist, I burn, I destroy
Memento Mori
As the candle of light that burned in your heart is doused by the grip of
Death's hand
Asmodeus, the spirit of lust bears his necrophile ways for the wishes of the
Demon in black
My largesse in life should be immortality dislike the weak, mortal humans
But in life there's always death
A multitude are born to be damned
His perdisized body will burn forever
In the scorching flames of Gehenna
The lyrics of Anathema's song Memento Mori are reflective of the human fear of death. The opening line "My life's mind is plagued by lyssophobia" refers to the fear of going insane, which is often caused by the fear of death. The persona in the song is in a state of solitude and is imprisoned by the fear of dying. The "dark blackened walls" represent death closing in on the persona, and he is unable to escape from the fear.
The chorus of the song, "Memento Mori, remember you must die," is a reminder that death is inevitable for every living being. The persona is drowned in the "Stygian sea," which refers to the river that separated the world of the living from the world of the dead in ancient mythology. The voices that repeat to him his "malediction" represents the fear that death brings into people's lives.
The persona in the song is overwhelmed by the fear of death that he has become sadistic, wanting to inflict harm on someone else to escape his own fate. However, the realization that death is an unavoidable aspect of life forces him to accept his own mortality. The song speaks to the universal fear of death, the sense of solitude that comes with it, and the realization that everyone will die.
Line by Line Meaning
My life's minds plagued by lyssophobia
I am constantly tormented by the fear of going insane.
In a cage solitude locks me in
I am trapped in loneliness and cannot escape.
As the dark blackened walls close in on me
The darkness and despair around me is suffocating.
Dementia strikes, there's no turning back
My mind is slipping away and there's nothing I can do about it.
Drowning in the Stygian sea
I am overwhelmed by death and darkness.
As those voices repeat to me my malediction
I cannot escape the curse that follows me.
Memento Mori
I must remember that death is inevitable.
Remember you must die
There is no avoiding death, no matter how hard I try.
A gratuitous wrath of violence blots out the light of my mind
My rage and anger have consumed me, overwhelming any rational thoughts and emotions.
For on this night someone must pay for the cost of my life
I must inflict pain on others for my own survival.
For me to escape the curse of perdition, this poor, weaker being must receive Pain
I must harm others in order to break the cycle of my own suffering.
As you wince at the action of my sadist ways and cry at the throes of your Moribund state
As I harm you, you suffer and I take pleasure in it.
A Daemon issues your last rites Paster Noster Upto In Terra
A demon is overseeing and celebrating my evil deeds.
I break, I twist, I burn, I destroy Memento Mori
I inflict pain and destruction on others, always remembering that we will all eventually die.
As the candle of light that burned in your heart is doused by the grip of Death's hand
As I inflict harm, I am extinguishing the light of life in others.
Asmodeus, the spirit of lust bears his necrophile ways for the wishes of the Demon in black
Even the spirits of the underworld are enslaved to evil and sin.
My largesse in life should be immortality dislike the weak, mortal humans
I believe that I should be immortal, unlike the weak humans who are doomed to die.
But in life there's always death
Despite my desire for immortality, death is always waiting for me.
A multitude are born to be damned
Many people are destined to a life of misery and suffering.
His perdisized body will burn forever In the scorching flames of Gehenna
Those who are damned will be punished for eternity in the fires of hell.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL CAVANAGH, DARREN WHITE, DUNCAN JOHN PATTERSON, JOHN JAMES DOUGLAS, VINCENT CAVANAGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind