Anathema: I'm thrilled beyond words...

[Azrael LenGraden]

Agree with the DVD being one of the best ever...I had a house full of people in February, everyone was talking and drinking...having a good time...I put in UNIVERSAL and in 10 minutes I had 20 people totally silent, eyes and ears open wide watching and listening... It is a powerful piece of art.

There is a great special edition of DISTANT SATELITES with a 5.1 mix of the audio...put that in the day I got it and before I knew it I had sat there and listened to the entire disc...first time I had down that in about ten years.

I am beyond excited to see Anathema at PP!!!!

 

[SwordLord]

I can't believe you posted this.

I bought the CD with this very live performance on it in the vendor's room, think I got it from Exploding Ned's.

I cannot stop listening to it. This song in particular. I've been listening to it practically non-stop since I've gotten back from PP.

I echo your sentiments. I am really, really looking forward to this performance!

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Wow, I checked out the Distant Satellites title track and that song is heavy as fuck. Like PINK FLOYD, their mellowness is their heaviness. I'm no prog guy by any stretch, but this speaks to me.

 

[TheLongshot]

So Friday I went ahead and ordered Distant Satellites from Amazon. I was thinking about it before because it was at a good price, but this thread pushed me over the edge. I replaced it on my wishlist with the Universal DVD (Hey, my birthday is a month away...)

Just to share, my favorite song from Weather Systems is "The Storm Before The Calm". I just love the way the song is designed, starting off with a lot of tension building up to a hard driving rhythm, winding down before exploding in awesomeness. That being said, until I saw the video, I didn't know that it was Lee doing the vocals on the first part.

 

[Taliwakker]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia

oh dear...as a musician and case manager for people with mental health issues that doesn't bode well lol

I like that Anberlin album but...learn something new everyday

 

[MelbCro]

Also, don't go back too far in the discography...there be dragons. As others have said, stick with CDs after Alternative 4.

Well that would be a shame as you would miss out on awesome releases like the Silent Enigma, Eternity and Pentecost III

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Might check out this Universal BLU Ray. It's only $15 in my neck of the woods.

 

[kellsco]

Well that would be a shame as you would miss out on awesome releases like the Silent Enigma, Eternity and Pentecost III

I've been listening to Eternity all week. That is the album (imo) that started them on the road they are on today. But for those that are just starting to get into Anathema....it's totally different than what you will hear at PP next year, and I'd not recommend it.

 

[March Hare]

I guess I am in the minority here. I'm just not hearing anything spectacular. I mean, they're ok but I could take them or leave them. Maybe seeing them live next year will do it, but right now they are the band I like the least on this roster.

 

[TwizstedJesus]

I guess I am in the minority here. I'm just not hearing anything spectacular. I mean, they're ok but I could take them or leave them. Maybe seeing them live next year will do it, but right now they are the band I like the least on this roster.

+1

To me Anathema is the oddball band that Glenn throws us every year. I'm kinda glad its at the end like Rage was. If I'm not feeling it, its still early enough to head into the city for drinks and wings or something, and it makes Saturdays show much easier to maneuver. Sleep is good!

 

[Harvester]

Finally, Anathema took to the stage. Put simply, I don’t think I have ever seen a crowd get so emotionally swept by a band’s set as I did once the Liverpudlians made their entrance with “Untouchable Part I”. If Alcest and Mamiffer hadn’t felt enough like a departure from metal norms, Anathema were a world away from anything grim and malevolent. I kid you not; I saw people dancing. I saw people smiling and laughing. I saw people visibly happy. I even saw a couple of people crying by the end of “Untouchable”. Have you ever been to a show where people got this emotionally invested? I certainly hadn’t, at least not before this one.

Those uninitiated to Anathema’s music would probably balk at the idea of people expressing such feelings at a show, but I wasn’t surprised at all to see people reacting this way. 2012’s “Weather Systems” emotionally connected with me the first time I heard it, and 2010’s “We’re Here Because We’re Here” had a similar effect. Like Alcest, Anathema put a marked focus on their most recent material. Playing “Weather Systems” through to the optimistic “Lightning Song”, the rest of the setlist was chosen excellently. Crowd favourites like “Deep”, “Fragile Dreams” and “A Natural Disaster” were played, but the highlight was undoubtedly the piano-driven “Dreaming Light”, where the emotional impetus of the performance reached its highest point. Closing the main set with the experimental track “Closer” was pretty surprising, but after seeing it performed, I can’t think of a better song to have capped off the performance.

The emotional resonance of Anathema’s music was heightened by their stage presence. Put simply, it was obvious that the band themselves were as emotionally affected by the atmosphere in the theatre. Unlike Alcest or Mamiffer, Anathema were pretty interactive with the crowd. When Danny Cavanagh told the crowd to ‘put their dancing shoes on’, it was clear that this was not the Anathema that was making anthems to self-defeat and despair not fifteen years ago. Their dedication to the ‘lost souls’ of Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside before playing “Dreaming Light” was also heartfelt. When Anathema is spouting such optimism in their music and image after a history of doing the opposite, it tells a story of hope and redemption unto its own.

Along with Absu this past April and seeing Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps” performed for its 100th anniversary by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, seeing Anathema, Alcest and Mamiffer under one bill was the best show I’ve seen this year. It’s one of the few shows I’ve ever been to where each band was excellent in their own right. In particular, seeing Anathema live finally was something of a revelation for me. Having been a fan of them for years now, to see one of my favourite-ever bands perform right in front of me was something I’m sure to remember forever.

http://www.prog-sphere.com/reviews/...r-rickshaw-theatre-vancouver-bc-september-28/

 

[AngraRULES]

I have said before that this would be the most beautiful 90 minutes we've ever seen in Atlanta, and I will stand by my words.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

I have said before that this would be the most beautiful 90 minutes we've ever seen in Atlanta, and I will stand by my words.

You should change your name to AnathemaRules

 

[AngraRULES]

You should change your name to AnathemaRules

Great idea. They do rule indeed.

 

[johnhead]

I have said before that this would be the most beautiful 90 minutes we've ever seen in Atlanta, and I will stand by my words.

that's saying a lot. especially after this year with two moments - one watching Daniel tear up as Ragnar sang the strong part of This Heart of Mine and Oliva tearing up during Streets.

Seriously, you threw down the gauntlet.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Great idea. They do rule indeed.

Better not. I don't know any Anathema jokes.

 

[Mardoch]

You don't know any Angra jokes either.

 

[zedowns]

You don't know any Angra jokes either.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Knock Knock
Who's There?
Angra.
Angra Who?

Q: How many Angra singers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Three. One to change the bulb, and two to eventually replace him.


Q. How many Angra singers does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Two to do it and the other one to stand around saying that he did it first in the 90s.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Decided to give the band a shot and spent $12 including shipping for a new copy of