Tag Archives: emotional music

Anathema – Internal Landscapes

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As one door closes, another opens. Or so the saying goes. Yet the conclusion of the A Natural Disaster (Music For Nations) run saw British Progressive Rock act Anathema complete their second cycle, one that had taken them from Doom (Serenades through The Silent Enigma) through a transitional period through more Progressive and emotional waters (Eternity through to …Disaster including the exceptional Judgement), alone in a room without an opening ahead of them, with apparently limited options. Externally, at least, the future of the band seemed shrouded, and their continued existence, let alone any future success, appeared unlikely. Continue reading →


Anathema – A Sort Of Homecoming

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They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes the front can tell you exactly what to expect and emphasise something’s importance. The stunning scene from Liverpool’s Cathedral which adorns this particular cover perfectly encapsulates not only the grandeur of the cathedral itself, but the stunning atmosphere that any Anathema show has to offer.

A Sort Of Homecoming (Kscope) gives both a live video and audio version of Anathema’s Liverpool Cathedral show; part of a run of stripped down, mostly acoustic shows across similar venues around the UK and Europe, but a show in the band’s home town shows a great personal significance and familiarity to them. Some brief, jovial heckles here and there do not detract whatsoever and even highlights the warmth their music generates.

Much of the set on offer has been in heavy rotation in recent tours, and of course the latest album Distant Satellites (Kscope) gets a heavy airing, but even the regularity many will surely have heard these songs before does not lessen their effect or their presence whatsoever, and in actual fact the band do a lot to keep them sounding fresh.

‘The Lost Song Part 2’ opens the show to a fairly sombre note and curiously is done so without its corresponding parts, as Lee Douglas takes the first vocal duties of the night, and once again showing her improving confidence each and every show. Elsewhere, the poignant ‘Dreaming Light’ becomes a duet with Vincent Cavanagh sharing vocals with Lee, and ‘Internal Landscapes’ gets taken to its bare bones and sees Vincent and Danny singing together. An uncommon airing of ‘Electricity’ also helps to keep this set unique, alongside stunning performances of the likes of ‘Ariel’ and ‘A Natural Disaster’.

The video performance of this does well to showcase the gravitas of the surroundings and offers a clear, well shot document of the event throughout, all the while sounding crisp and note perfect, making this a live album that holds a candle to many of the greats. The largely familiar set list could have been a pitfall for those who have seen Anathema regularly in recent years, but the band’s unsurprisingly resonant and strong performance, plus the originality of the stripped down song versions and the magnificence of the venue itself, make this a very special release, and shows just why these guys are held so dearly in the hearts of many.

 

9.0/10

 

CHRIS TIPPELL

 


The Plot In You – Happiness In Self-Destruction

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While the roots of “emo” can be traced back to the 80’s hardcore scene, it was with the turn of the millennium that, as a style, it really took hold of the conscience of the metal world; a natural response the braggadocio and machismo of a post-Pantera musical environment… hardcore could be sensitive, it didn’t have to be muscle-bound and it was perfectly acceptable to tug on the heartstrings.

“Emo” doesn’t have to be, indeed it shouldn’t be, a dirty word or the negative slur it has become. As the mouth consumes its own tail, that which was a response is targeted by a counter-response for watering down the original substance – an argument which ignores the fact that, by adding a new chemical to the compound, it becomes a different substance.

So, why all the talk of “emo”? Ohio’s The Plot In You are a metalcore band, albeit one to explore introspection and personal difficulties, are they not? Because on third album Happiness In Self-Destruction (Stay Sick), TPIY have moved further down the emo path, seeking to marry the two styles and further establish their own niche and when they’re successful at it, such as ‘Time Changes Everything’ and ‘Take Me Away’, there is a connection and a feeling of genuine emotion. Even when introducing a down-tuned Korn-lurch, such as on ‘Runaway’, they maintain a feeling of misperception, or fear within, and piece tension to desolation.

Yet, this is a high-maintenance style to sustain, and a difficult sheen to preserve. ‘Pillhead’ slips into King 810 territory, but without the hooks or menace of the Flint mob, and the suspension of disbelief is broken. It’s even more difficult to craft 15 songs of this style across 58 minutes and preserve quality and interest as there are just too few colours; everything daubed in greys and browns, yet there are several moments TPIY pull it together splattered at intervals throughout the album, ‘My Old Ways’ picking up the middle of the album just when it needed it.

An hour with them is heavy going, and like a heavyweight boxer, they seem to pick and choose the moments to come out fighting, and when to grab and hold, unable to maintain stamina across all 15 rounds. That said, there is a consistency of style and a Chinese water-torture of atmosphere, and TPIY are shaping their own brand of heavy emo-core. Do you know what, sometimes it only takes a few big haymakers to win the fight.

 

7.0/10

 

STEVE TOVEY