Moon & Back Music

The latest offering from the Liverpudlian alternative rock group’s own brand of melodic and atmospheric music.

Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here © KScope

Continuing on their departure from the doom and death metal scene they helped pioneer, Anathema deliver their eighth studio album, We’re Here Because We’re Here. Having started this transition to a much more melodic and progressive sounding rock with their 1996 album Eternity, the Liverpool outfit deliver a beautifully crafted, progressive work of art. No mean feat in an era that has recently seen a resurgence in the prog rock scene this past eighteen months.

Although mostly known to fans of their respective genres, Anathema is a predominantly popular and ever endured band recognised throughout the prog and metal scenes. Suffering from almost uncountable line up changes since their formation and commercial debut in 1991, the Liverpool based band is consistent and resilient if anything. The testament to the core members of the group’s dedication to their music and sound is the impressive back catalogue and discography that includes eight full studio albums, three EPs, eight single releases and three compilation albums all in the space of a nineteen year career.

The somewhat turbulent history of the band can possibly be excused due to the radically different approach to varying music genres they have attempted throughout their careers, from their initial doom metal origins to pioneering the now feverent death/doom metal scene and now as a predominantly progressive unit, musical tiffs and differences of opinion are merely casualties in a war of direction changes.

This varying style and ability to play just about anything within the confines of the metal and progressive rock sounding genres is never more present than in this latest release. We’re Here Because We’re Here opens with two atmospheric songs that immediately serve as an introduction into this brand new world that the band has sought to create. “Thin Air” and “Summer Night Horizon” are standard progressive rock sounding albums that long term listeners will have come to expect from the group. To new listeners however, these tracks not only serves as a prime introduction to the album but double as excellent stand alone tracks that can almost indepednantly encapsulate the sound that Anathema have been trying to peddle now for the better part of a decade.

As the album progresses further into its substantial ten track bulk, the initial atmosphere and self contained world that the opening tracks never truly fulfils its own potential. In retrospect, tracks such as “A Simple Mistake” and “Get off Get out” have much harder sounding, more melodic metal feels about them, the lingering electric guitars of Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh give the tracks a much harder bight to them. This sound, however, transposed into the album which really does serve as one long, progressive story and not individual tracks, makes the overall picture of the album seem a little clunky and perhaps laboured. The production and instrumentation however is flawless but overall the middle crescendo tracks feel poorly placed and forced.

Closing the album are two much more progressive sounding numbers that act as a perfect symmetry, a much more aptly and properly executed piece of art by the band. “Universal” has distinctly Pink Floyd feeling qualities about it, the looming vocals coupled with immaculate percussion and a stomping guitar solo that never comes directly to the fray but more acts like a tormented voice somewhere in the distance create the ambiance and feel that the album and band seem to have been aiming for all along. “Hindsight” continues in this same vein, the much more elevated and positive sounding a song to close out the album that has attempted to take the listener on a journey of joy, loss, love and life.

In all We’re Here Because We’re Here is an enjoyable album that will no doubt have fans scrambling for its download and cd the world over. For new listeners it can perhaps be misconstrued as an attempt at a pseudo, post post modern high art that may potentially distract them beyond purchase. In the current musical climate of progressive/alternative rock and its apparent renaissance with bands such as The Gaslight Anthem, Mark Sweeney and Eden all releasing new material in the past two months or so, the competition is fierce for Anathema. We’re Here Because We’re Here is an album certainly worth a listen if there is a familiarity and fandom for the scene and certainly of their work.

Jonathan Whitelaw