Anathema

I prefer to start with “Anathema” from “Distant Satellites” (2014). Yeah, the name of the song is so close to the name of the band, but the lyrics of this song could summarize the journey of the band; “but we laughed, and we cried, and we fought, and we tried and we failed, but I love you.” The music carries beautiful key sounds with charming vocals performance, it is so close to theatrical monologue.

Inner Silence 

It could be not one of the most listened tracks of Anathema, but for me, it is one of the best ones of the band. The track could be short but it is really deep. The intro of the keys and the sounds cellos and guitars conquer your feelings and the wonderful lyrics will absolutely catch your thoughts; “when the light of your life sighs and love dies in your eyes.” Inner Silence is taken from Anathema’s successful release “Alternative 4” (1998).

J’ai Fait Une Promesse 

This song could be somehow unfamiliar to you. This one is taken from Anathema’s first full length “Serenades” (1993) and I was careful to check Anathema’s early stuff. It is closer to early Katatonia, more into death and depressive ones. Moving back to the song, “Jai Fait Une Promesse” is a short French track performed in a pitch closer to the folk music performance. Make sure to listen to it.

Lost Control

“Lost Control” is one of the most listened Anathema stuff and it is one of the definitive tracks of the band. “Lost Control” is a very depressive and heartbreaking song, especially, its final part starting with “yes, I am falling, how much longer till I hit the ground?“. It expresses the human’s tragedy melancholy! The song is taken from the timeless “Alternative 4” (1998).

Springfield

“Springfield” is taken from the band’s latest album “The Optimist” (2017). As for me, this song is so special. It is composed of huge and rich instrumental fusion. Just enjoy the music.

Better off Dead  

“Better off Dead” is also one of the unfamiliar tracks by the band, but it is a beautiful and expressive song. If you a fan of piano songs with emotional pitch, this is for you. “Better off Dead” is added to “Alternative 4” in the later versions of the album. Please note that this song is not an Anathema original, but it is a Bad Religion band cover.

Sentient

“Sentient” is an instrumental track taken from “Eternity” (1996). It is the most track suitable for Autumn, it is cold, full of shivers, melancholic. You can hear the sound of the gray clouds, misty sky, and ghostly nights.

One Last Goodbye

There is no Anathema list without “One Last Goodbye”. This song has unforgotten memories with me, I remember every tune of, it could be a song for forever farewell or a long-gone lover! death, fear, coldness, and sorrow! “One Last Goodbye” is taken from “Judgment” (1999).

 Harmonium

“Harmonium” is a surprising track! It is taken from “A Natural Disaster” (2003) and it is a wonderful progressive track. There are different musical combinations as rock, depressive/atmospheric, and orchestral. I feel strange heat and hate in this music, “I was trying to live my life, it wouldn’t let me feel free to comprehend, what I see will never end.”

Regret

“fear, regret, loneliness,” those three words summarize Anathema’s lyrical themes, and “Regret” is a gate for many people to cross to Anathema’s music. I still remember the moment my best friend sent me the link of this track to travel to Anathemas’s realm.

 I hope you enjoy our list and keep supporting your favorite music taste. Finally, a few years ago, our co-founder NJ Bakr had the chance to interview Anathema face to face in Dubai, she was the first Middle-Eastern Metal interviewed to had such a huge step in the Middle Eastern metal journalism career, check it through this HERE.

Daylight Dies – A Life Less Lived

A harmonic mixture of melodies and heavy melancholic music with some Death Metal tendencies. If this does not appeal to you, then Doom Metal will never be your thing.

 

Woods of Ypres – Kiss My Ashes Goodbye
The death of vocalist David Gold and split-up after only four albums releases did not stop Woods Of Ypres from topping most of the Doom Metal bands existing today in terms of musical style, quality and popularity. Kiss My Ashes Goodbye comes in two parts- the first one is a bit fast-paced while the second is slow in tempo thus sadder (go figure!).

Rapture – To Forget
What’s to expect from ex-members of bands like Shape of Despair, Thy Serpent, Ensiferum (among others)? Can’t figure until you’ve listened. I also recommend you Someone I (don’t) Know off the same album Futile.
 

November’s Doom – Twilight Innocence
It’s slow. It’s romantic. It’s acoustic. And it’ll throw you right into the blues for days to come.

Anathema – A Dying Wish
Needn’t no introduction. They may now strike you as a Depressive Progressive Rock band, but WAY back in the days it was Doom Metal they played. Anathema devotees know that for a fact.

DoomSword – Heathen Assault
Music about battlefield and England in the times of war. This one will bring out the inner Viking in you.

Wine From Tears – The Sinner
“Search for a church..
It overloads my madness..”
Those lines masterfully kick in after a beautifully-played rich-in-melodies solo. WFT’s first album Through the Eyes of the Dead as a whole is a masterpiece if you fancy some dense Melodic/Funeral Doom in cold winter nights.

Doom:vs – Half Light
In the very same rehearsal room Draconian recorded their music, Johan Ericson worked on his own project Doom:vs that has so far released four successful albums. Dead Words Speak is the best (and darkest) of them all.

Officium Triste – My Charcoal Heart
Regardless of the name that I’ll never figure out its meaning, but these guys from the Netherlands knew what it took to master gloomy music ever since album one.
You might also want to check out Your Heaven, My Underworld. 

Or, wait! If not just yet, then the third list will make you rest assured.
Stay tuned!

– You can find here; Part One and Part Three.

Thousands of people were wearing Metallica t-shirts and waiting at the gate. Again, Flash Entertainment impresses me with their organization and disciplines. EYE, a progressive rock band, was the opening act for Metallica. Although I’d expected an awesome show from them, since I saw them two years ago opening for Anathema, they failed me. Their music wasn’t as good as I expected. The only attention-grabber was when the vocalist sang through a megaphone, which was interesting. The vocalist tried to tease the audience with jokes but all the people around me were poker-faced.

About an hour after EYE left the stage Metallica showed up with Hit the lights. I don’t really need to elaborate how crazy people went. I was smashed between 30,000 people head banging and mosh pitting. I wasn’t a huge fan of James Hetfield but he was incredibly funny on stage, saying how they liked being in Abu Dhabi once more! Without saying what their next track was, they started Master of Puppets, it doesn’t need a genius to say what the track was! Metallica performed 18 different tracks from various albums. You can find the complete set list here.

When people used to tell me how Kirk Hammett abuses the wah-wah pedal, I didn’t pay attention to them. But now that I was there, I got the point. He barely moved from his place, while Hetfield and Trujillo were jumping all over the stage.

People were mosh-pitting like crazy on Harvester of Sorrow, then The Unforgiven started and somehow – we don’t know how that happened – the whole general admission turned into couples that were hugging, and lighters in the air. But over 30,000 people singing definitely gave me the chills.
Metallica played some of their heaviest tracks in between, the atmosphere was rocking and the weather was humid! James said a few jokes every now and then, and Lars Ulrich was such an ass! I was a huge fan, but he had a bad attitude on stage. Why Lars? Why?!

Fade to Black was beautifully played and beautifully displayed. The screens showed them in black and white and shifted smoothly between them. Orion came after and Kirk and James exchanged solos. One literally made the whole crowd lose control. Everyone was having a blast and enjoying singing and head banging until that one moment. Nothing Else Matters beautifully started and everyone was cheering, when Kirk slipped. Everyone was shocked, but James saved the moment with his sense of humor “Kirk is too old to play his song, let’s cheer him up everyone!” And fortunately regained grip!

It was only 11:30 when James announced it’s almost over – Are you kidding me? – It didn’t even feel close to midnight! However, they entertained us with their final encore tracks that included Creeping Death, Fight Fire With Fire and finally Seek and Destroy.

Before they left, James, Lars and Robert threw lots of picks on their audience and Lars threw drumsticks. Obviously, only the people who were standing in the front got them. No, I’m not upset or anything.

It was an amazing concert. It might not have been the most perfect concert that I attend professionally, but hey! I saw Metallica live!

There were four magazines including Rock Era (Yours Truly) there; and we shared funny moments with the Cavanagh brothers and Lee Douglas. John Douglas and Daniel Cardoso (Live Keyboardist) were busy checking their equipment for that night’s show.

They were showered with questions, but they were friendly enough to give us 10 minutes of their precious time.

• What kind of advice would you give to the Arab bands that play rock and metal?

Vincent Cavanagh: You have to love it. It’s the youth who’ve got to do it; the government has to make sure to give them the chance. One day, all of the old establishments will die off and the youth will carry things forward. The time to think that rock music and metal music is the devil’s music, which is in the past, it doesn’t exist. This is about music, it’s not about religion, and it’s not about politics. It’s about music and good positivity. There’s nothing wrong with it, and nothing immoral about it, and there’s nothing corrupt about it.

Lee Douglas: It’s a hard business!

Who mainly writes the lyrics for the band?
[Daniel Cavanagh raises his hand]

• While writing, do you set up a specific mood for writing, or do you just go ahead and write anything that’s on your mind?

Daniel Cavanagh: It’s all real emotions; it’s all from the heart. It usually comes out from a particular emotional state, maybe a good one or not so good. It’s about people that I’m really close to, in various ways… And, it’s all real. I might be saying the word “you” so many times, but I’m really talking to so many different people. It could be parents, it could be lovers, it could be friends, it could be myself, or even the listener, but most important that it really comes from the heart. And it’s all really connected to love in one way or another and different emotions.

While searching your music I found lots of people wondering, are “Lost Control” and “Forgotten Hopes” are in any way connected to each other?
Daniel Cavanagh: Not really, no. Every lyrics and every song has different feelings and different stories behind them.

• Alright, what are the bands you guys are most influenced by?

Vincent Cavanagh: This is a double-edged question, because if you say “influenced” it’s like well, we want to sound like this or that. And the music that we listen to, those bands want to sound like themselves and we’re the same. We don’t really want to sound like anybody else and we have our own way of doing things, and they have their own way of doing things. So, the music that we listen to, whether it’s a band or an individual composer, is quite original. Everyone here has a different taste of music. I like contemporary classical composers. I like people who mix modern electronics with rock, post-rock and classical music and who do lots of sounds scape and soundtrack music, like Jóhann Jóhannsson, Max Richter, and John Murphy… people like that.
Daniel Cavanagh: I like 80s pop!
Vincent Cavanagh: Danny is different, he likes 80s pop! Lee likes The Carpenters, Blues and Soul.
Lee Douglas: The Doors for the win!
Jamie Cavanagh: I like any band that begins with the letter T! Take That, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, Talking Heads, t.A.T.u from Russia.

• Can you give us three words that describe Anathema?

Daniel Cavanagh: Love is all!

Share with us your funniest, or most embarrassing moment on stage.
Vincent Cavanagh: I once tried to spin round; I got my foot caught in a cable. I fell backwards with my leg in the air. I landed on my back and I split my trousers from the knee open till right through the groin until the other knee and we had to pause and go off stage to change my trousers. I was glad I was wearing underwear that day!

• One last question, are you guys going to visit Egypt anytime soon?

Jamie Cavanagh: I’d love to. I’d love to visit all the Arabian states, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, everywhere!
Daniel Cavanagh: We would just like give a tribute to all the people who can’t come to the gig today, who can’t afford to come today, we are thinking of them tonight!
Vincent Cavanagh: And we hope one day we get the chance to go there. Egypt is an amazing country. I think we’ll end up going there on holiday before we actually manage to play. We’ll see. Keep your fingers crossed.

Vincent: Thank you for that amazing time! Shukran!

Photographed by: Bill Mullally