After Falling Deeper, Anathema's orchestral detour into greatest hitsville, the Liverpool band return with a true follow-up to We're Here Because We're Here. What Falling Deeper accomplished was to make the band comfortable with the string arrangements of Dave Stewart; they're used abundantly - and to great benefit - on Weather Systems (produced by Christer-Andre Cederberg with Daniel and Vincent Cavanagh). Guitarist Daniel has written a set of songs that are more daring, harmonically ambitious, and poetically sophisticated than anything he's previously attempted. Vocalist and occasional keyboardist Vincent arranges them for drummer John Douglas, vocalist Lee Helen Douglas, and help from Cederberg on bass. Piano, acoustic, and electric guitars continue to dominate Anathema's latter-day sound, but strings are now an immense part of their textural architecture…

In the twenty-first century, Anathema have often been mentioned in the same breath as Opeth and Porcupine Tree due to their increased movement towards thoughtful progressive rock structures. It hasn’t always been that way, of course. Like Opeth, the band began life as a totally different musical beast, playing in a melodic death metal style. Shifting line-ups naturally resulted in shifting sounds, and by the time the band signed with the legendary Music For Nations label for their fifth album "Judgement" in 1999, they’d settled on a rather tough but accessible blend of gothy and alternative rock.
Comprising three discs of remastered audio material, "Fine Days 1999-2004" presents a detailed look this important period in the Anathema history, showing the workings of a band very much moving towards the top of their game…

Hindsight is a set of unplugged re-recordings of Anathema's own songs from their latter-day, atmospheric period. The band has been increasing the emphasis on acoustic instrumentation ever since they turned away from their doom-death roots, and so the idea of Hindsight seems to have been almost unavoidable. Thankfully, however, unlike most unplugged albums, this one was done in the studio, with obvious care taken to transmit the songs in a new format, as opposed to simply plugging off the distortion pedal and plucking away at the same chords. The songs have been rearranged for an acoustic guitar, piano, and cello, and are barely recognizable, except for the vocals - Vincent Cavanagh's moan is as sad and dejected as ever - and for the parts that were acoustic to begin with, such as most of "Inner Silence"…

Anathema are one of the select few bands that actually progress with each album, honing their songwriting skills to provide a better means for their musical message - but a six-year gap in the recording schedule that preceded We're Here Because We're Here still left many fans wondering, where do they go from here? Turns out, it was in the right direction. The most easily recognized change is the increased emphasis on piano, which is the leading instrument on most songs, but if this description brings the likes of Coldplay and Fray to mind, the music does not, for the simple reason that Chris Martin, let alone the horde of his mainstream rock imitators, can never rival the immense emotional charge of Anathema's music…

If Alternative 4 feels like a rushed album, it’s because, somehow, it is. Prior to its recording, the Cavanagh brothers witnessed the death of their mother: the event is commemorated in the album’s cover artwork, which represents a burial place inside an angel’s shroud. The album’s main theme is based on betrayal. But not the typical relationship issues treated like a game by Chad Kroeger, but rather the realization that the importance of relationships and friendships can be understood only when lost forever, in favor of some sort of “ignorance of convenience” in order to make thoughts of misanthropy, nihilism and suicide hit as much later as possible: a battle against nothing made quietly by every human on Earth, yet widely accepted and practiced by the modern society like an elephant in the room…

Wisdom of Crowds is the debut album from an exciting project featuring Bruce Soord from The Pineapple Thief with Jonas Renkse from Katatonia.
As Wisdom of Crowds was originally written with Renkse’s voice in mind, Soord sought out the acclaimed Katatonia vocalist to complete the compositions and release the music to the masses in 2013. Despite the rigorous schedules of The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia, the two musicians were eventually able to connect to record an album that swings between fragile acoustic motifs and pounding rock riffs. The partnership unleashed an unparalleled imaginative force that gives listeners more with every listen - a progressive album for curious fans of either Katatonia or The Pineapple Thief.

As many lovers of progressive rock know a great progressive rock tune is not always dependant on how many Minimoogs, Hammond organs or Mellotrons are used on it. A beautiful piece of music can sometimes also be enjoyed when it is performed on an acoustic piano or sometimes accompanied by some violins and cellos…