History & Biography The An Iliad Of Woes demo was the band's kick-start in 1990. Always a death/doom outfit, the band changed its name to Anathema inspired by a quote from the bible and ventured out of Liverpool to play with the likes of Bolt Thrower and Paradise Lost. Another demo, called All Faith Is Lost, and 7" on Witchhunt entitled They Die, followed and with a following garnered the band signed with Peaceville for four albums.
The band supported Cannibal Corpse, got video airplay on MTV Europe and landed on Kerrang's Indie Charts at position #2.
In 1995, Darren White was fired from the band and replaced by guitarist Cavanagh. White found half a dozen former Cradle Of Filth members and formed The Blood Divine. Judgement saw the band taking a lighter route. A Fine Day To Exit took things a step further and chartered serious pop territory. Pybus left the band for Cradle Of Filth in 2000. Daniel Cavanagh would leave to Antimatter in 2002, but would return to the fold quite quickly.
A Natural Disaster was issued in the autumn of 2003. It would mark the band's first album for Music For Nations. George Roberts would session for the band live. Music For Nations released the band's Were You There? DVD on June 28th, 2004. The DVD was recorded in Krakow, Poland. On the 29th of May, 2006 Metal Mind Productions releases a new DVD called A Moment In Time. The footage was recorded in Poland at the Metal Mania festival. Anathema completed an album called Everything in late 2006, although the group was seeking a new label after being dropped by BMG following the label’s dismissal of the Music For Nations imprint. A new label called Kscope announced August 25th, 2008 as the release date for a semi-acoustic album from the band entitled Hindsight featuring remakes of the band’s songs. Anathema released its next studio album, We're Here Because We're Here, on May 31st through Kscope Records. The album was self-produced. It was initially announced as Horizons and due in 2008. In May of 2011, U.K.'s Anathema would tour North America as guests to Blackfield on the East Coast/Canadian leg of the tour. Anathema would release its 2014 album, Distant Satellites, on June 10th through Kscope. The alternative band issued an album called The Optimist through Kscope on June 9th 2017. Anathema signed with Mascot Records in mid-2019. Anathema commemorated the tenth anniversary of its We're Here Because We're Here album by playing the record on the road in the winter of 2020.
The band announced it is on hiatus in September 2020. This was induced by the pandemic and a tour cancellation. Daniel Cavanagh announced a new project called Weather Systems (the name of an Anathema album) in the summer of 2021, which he described as a "continuation of the previous band's legacy." The man's next project was The Radicant (with a fusion and "cinematic electronica" sound), which was also on Kscope.
Lee and John Douglas are siblings. Vincent Cavanagh is the twin brother of Jamie and the younger brother of Daniel.
Reviews ANATHEMA - A NATURAL DISASTER - KOCH
A couple of guys have gotten the boot and are no longer in Anathema, a couple of guys have had their fill of packing groceries at the local market and returned to Anathema; yet it is all irrelevant to metal fans for A Natural Disaster is just that. It was a natural for Anathema to finally release this disaster seeing how the band sucked from day one, as well as been deteriorating steadily ever since.
This disaster is the type of unsound sound that will surely get rave reviews from all the usual comics that love albums like these. Those outlets give everything that comes in a great review because a- everyone is a potential advertiser, b- the sissy, wimped-out band's powerless album matches the disposition of the reviewer/magazine and c- the lowest grade possible is a seven out of ten to begin with! In short, fans should not be mislead by the inevitable barrage of good reviews bound to accompany kerrap like this. Anathema anno 2003 is a doubleringer for Moby, Pink Floyd or, hell why not, The BeeGees. At this point, it does not matter. It is not metal, never was and never will be.
In fact, Anathema has every trick in the book sussed to get good marks and reputation apart from the one involving good material. - Ali "The Metallian"
ANATHEMA - A MOMENT IN TIME (DVD) - METAL MIND 
In interviews, featured here and elsewhere, Anathema have sought to spin the idea that change is normal and as part of that belief even leave open the possibility that a future release might feature a return to heavier times. One is never convinced, but alas, the band is the latest participant in the professionally produced Metal Mind series of DVDs recorded at the 2006 Metalmania festival. The stage show itself features only few light effects and the music is interspersed with hints of some metal riffing, but the emphasis of course is on Pink Floyd-ish sounds as the band start off with the accompanying Bacchus String Quartet performing a classical piece and then plunge into Shroud Of False and Fragile Dreams. Closer and Lost Control follow as the band play many of their more recent songs and only go as far back as 1996 in Angelica. The band close their set with a rather apt cover version in Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. A bonus is provided with a four song recording at a 2004 show in Krakow, Poland where the band play Sleepless, A Dying Wish, Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross and Fragile Dreams. - Anna Tergel
Interviews
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