Anathema ilmasüsteemid

Anathema ilmasüsteemid

Aprillikuus andis Liverpooli rockgrupp Anathema välja oma üheksanda albumi “Weather Systems”. Toimus see suurema kärata ning võib-olla nii parem oligi - pole ehk väga vale öelda, et “We’re Here Because We’re Here'i” (2010) räsisid omajagu nii hädad plaadifirma otsimisel, kauale veninud lindistusperiood kui ka pidevalt muutuvad uudised bändilt endalt. “Weather Systems” tuli vaiksemalt ja oma eelkäijaga võrreldes nii suuri lootusi ette ei lubanud. Ometigi on Anathema uusim tuumas väga sarnane “We’re Here Because We’re Here'iga”, tehes seda kõike suurepäraselt paremini.

Anathemaga lähemalt tuttav kuulaja teab ehk rääkida “vanast” ja “uuest” Anathemast. 90nendate doom metali ühest olulisemast esindajast ning „emotsionaalset“ (alternatiiv/progressiiv/vms) rokki harrastavast bändist. See erinevus on nii piisavalt fundamentaalne, et Last.fm-is õilmitseb eraldi grupp “varajase Anathema armastajatele”. Järkjärguline stiilimuutus on Anathemat aeg-ajalt (mõnevõrra vääriti) sildistanud ka “üleminekubändiks” noortele ekstreemmetali entusiastidele malbemate stiilide suunas.

Nüüd, aastaks 2012, pole ehk aga täiesti võimatu jagada bändi arengut kolme perioodi vahel, kus murdepunkt “uue” ja “uusima” vahel on 2003. aasta “A Natural Disaster”. Sest kui võrrelda Anathemat albumitel aastatest 1998-2001 tänasega, on erinevused täielikud, isegi kui muudatused bändi kuvandis kõrvale jätta. Kadunud on kõik meeldejäävad kitarrimeloodiad ja -käigud. Kadunud on geniaalsed laulusõnad isiklikest südamevaludest. On kuidagi raskem ette kujutada saalitäit fänne kaasa karjumas kõiki sõnu - uusim Anathema lihtsalt ei jäta selle jaoks erilist ruumi. Pole enam eraldi lugusid Vincenti, Danny või Lee vokaalsel juhtimisel. Kõik on omavahel põimunud ja mattunud ühtlasesse helimassiivi.

Sellest hoolimata ei ole vaja vast üleliigset arutelu teemal, kas uus on ikka sama hea kui vana. Daniel Cavanaghi mõte loomingulise tipuni jõudmisest ei tundu kuidagi liialdusena. Lee Smithi vokaal lugudes "Untouchable, Part 2" ning “Lightning Song” tunduvad tema säravaimad esitlused. Trumm “The Storm Before The Calm'is” lööb läbi samamoodi nagu see juhtub “Inner Silence'is”. Monoloog “Internal Landscapes'i” alguses juhatab sisse ühe kõige kurvema momendi selle üsna nukrameelse bändi ajaloos. Mitte kunagi pole Anathema olnud nii edukalt sümfooniline, kitarride lisandudes muusika aga lihtsalt plahvatab.

Nagu öeldud pole “Weather System” kategooriliselt erinev oma eelkäijatest. Pigem vastupidi - saaks väita, et just sellist albumit Anathemalt oodata oligi. Revolutsiooni läbi viidud pole ning uus album tahab öelda kõiki samu asju, mis “We’re Here Because We’re Here.” Selle viimase võtsid kokku sõnad: “if you could love enough, you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world”. Anathema uusim hoiab küll kuulajat sellistest otsestest väljaütlemistest, kuid muusikaliselt ei halasta ta hetkekski. Taustamuusikat pidude jaoks siit ei tulnud.

Falling Deeper into Anathema

It took Anathema seven years to finish their latest album We're Here Because We're Here. Yet when the compilation album Falling Deeper came out on the fifth of September, it was only three years after its predecessor, Hindsight (released 2008). A mere comparison of numbers would reveal a troubling tendency – it is as if after 20+ of activity and constant changes in style, the band has exhausted its reserves and, rather than creating new material, has started to repackage old ideas. Neither do not bode well when considering the immense My Dying Bride's immense compilation Evinta from the end of May. As Evinta three months earlier, Falling Deeper is based on radical reworking of songs through (mostly) symphonic means. In the case of Evinta, new compositions altogether are born and that far Anathema's new compilation will not be going. Yet at the same time, the musical changes are considerably more radical as the more than 15-year-old material is rewritten distinctly with the band's modern handwriting.

If Hindsight had pretty much been representative of the band's modern repertoire, even putting them to an already familiar acoustic form (perhaps those saying that Hindsight is Daniel C. playing the band's songs acoustically were not really that far from the truth), then Falling Deeper glances more towards the band's doomy youth. No song is later than The Silent Engima album (1995) and a portion of attention is also given to Pentecost III – the last release with Darren White on board which so far has remained rather obscure. On this 1995. EP, Anathema is at its extremest and the core of Falling Deeper very much consists of new instrumental versions of the songs from the Pentecost III. Another telling part of the tracklist are Anathema's three “acoustic interludes” (Everwake, J'Ai Fait Une Promesse, Alone) which in their initial context formed the least important part of the album(s). In 2011 these short songs of few minutes have nearly been elevated as the most important on the compilation: if ten minute long doom metal tracks have been concentrated into soundscapes of few minutes, the afore-mentioned Alone is in essence doubled in length.

Concentration is also perhaps the reason why Anathema's Falling Deeper is a far more successful attempt than My Dying Bride's Evinta. Unlike it, Falling Deeper does not attempt to be a summary of the band's entire history but rather offers a new interpretation to a single period. Yet it is not the first time for Anathema to do that and parallels with the band's first compilation, Resonance (2001) are very much apparent. Here too the band's entire metal-period was interpreted through acoustic and symphonic remakes and in essence the orchestral version song The Silent Engima concurs with the concept of Falling Deeper ten years later. Because of this, most of early Anathema's lyrics are gone as well and this is where the compilation's desire for reinvention is apparent the most; if the “Kingdom” of Pentecost III is an abstract landscape of gloom and violence, then in its new form, it possesses almost a religious undertone. Still, the band has not completely changed its past and the band's promise of few years back never again to make depressive music has firmly been broken. The compilation's greatest success is one of the warmest sound in the band's history, but the compositions do remain faithful enough to their originals fifteen years back to make Falling Deeper in total more minor result than the recent We're Here Because We're Here. The new version of Alone is most remarkable in this regard as it rather goes out to expand the original's minimalistic via negativa. It is perhaps Anathema's most pessimistic recording since 2003 and the only on the compilation which forwards the emotion of early Anathema nearly unchanged. Despite the fact that Falling Deeper emphasises more on soundscapes than “ordinary” music, it will not remain stuck in the genre of ambient or “background music” and the closing track, Sunset of Age, does surprise with its more rock-like approach in the spirit of We're Here Because We're Here.

How does, however, Falling Deeper fall together with the rest of band's material? The title quite aptly sums up the content and perhaps the FD's greatest consequence would be, for the listener of “new” Anathema, the elevation of their early work from obscurity. One can hope that a few of the compositions here would actually reach the band's repertoire during live shows. Yet the dramatic difference between the new and old Anathema does remain a focal point and this difference is rather further deepened than resolved. Even if we discard the transformation of the songs from 'doom metal' to 'atmospheric rock' much of original content is lost in the compression. The proportion is comparable to that between a trailer and a full-length movie one does not have to be a fanatic of early Anathema to mind that. Still, the new versions are wholly masterful, creative and beautiful and the compilation itself bears the characteristics of a band fully content with its direction.

Sügavamale sisse Anathemasse

Läks seitse aastat Anathemal teha valmis nende hiljutisim album We’re Here Because We’re Here. 5. septembril ilmunud kogumikplaat Falling Deeper tuleb aga ainult kolm aastat pärast 2008. aastal välja antud Hindsight-i. Pelgalt arvulisest võrdlusest võib see tendents näida murettekitav – justkui, et pärast 20+ aastat tegutsemist ja pidevaid stiilimuutusi, on bändi jaks lõpuks raugemas ning on uue leiutamise asemel asunud ülessoojendama juba läbiproovitud materjali uues pakendis. Asja kasuks ei räägi ka mai lõpus ilmunud My Dying Bride'i hiigelkogumik Evinta. Nagu Evinta kolm kuud varem on Falling Deeper rajatud lugude radikaalsetele muutustele (peaasjalikult) sümfooniliste vahenditega. Evinta puhul sünnivad nendest suisa uued kompositsioonid, kuid Anathema kogumik nii kaugele ei lähe. Samas on muusikalised muutused märksa radikaalsemad, sest kirjutatakse enam kui 15 aasta vanuse materjal üle bändi tänapäevase käekirjaga.

Kui Hindsight oli lugudevalikus enam-vähem vastavuses bändi kaasaegse repertuaariga, pannes need ka juba üsna tuttavasse akustilisse vormi (kes ütlesid, et Hindsight on Daniel C. mängimas bändi lugusid akustiliselt, tõest ehk nii väga kaugel ei olnudki), siis Falling Deeper heidab pilgu bändi doomisesse nooruspõlve sügavaimatesse aukudesse 90nendate alguspoolel. Ükski lugu pole hilisem kui 1995. aasta The Silent Engima album ja oma osa tähelepanu saab ka seni üsna vaka all hoitud viimane üllitis Darren White-iga, Pentecost III. Sellel 1995 aasta EP-l on Anathema  oma ajaloo ekstreemseim ja kogumiku tuuma moodustavadki Pentecost III-e instrumentaalsed uusversioonid. Teine kõnekas osa tracklistist on varajase Anathema kolm „akustilist vahepala“ (Everwake, J'Ai Fait Une Promesse, Alone), mis oma esialgses kontekstis moodustasid albumite kõige kõrvalisema osa. 2011. aastal on need paariminutilised laulukesed tõstetut peaaegu et kogumiku olulisimateks lugudeks: kui kümneminutilised doom-palad on üldjuhul kontsentreeritud paari minutilisteks helimaastikeks, siis näiteks eelmainitud Alone-i pikkus on suisa kahekordistunud.

Kontsentreeritus on ehk ka põhjus, miks Anathema Falling Deeper on palju õnnestunum üritus kui My Dying Bride'i Evinta. Viimasest erinevalt ei ürita see olla kokkuvõte tervest bändi ajaloost, vaid pakub pigem uut tõlgendust ühele spetsiifilisele ajaperioodile. Samas pole see Anathemale esimene kord nõnda teha ja paralleelid bändi esimese kogumikuga Resonance (2001) on hästi nähtavad. Ka siis käsitleti kogu bändi metal-perioodi akustiliste ja sümfooniliste ümbertegemistega ning sisuliselt  on toonane The Silent Enigma (lugu, mitte album) orkestraalversioon kümme aastat hilisema kontseptsiooniga sama. Sellest tulenevalt on kadunud ka suurem osa varajase Anathema lüürikat ja selles väljendub kogumiku ümberleiutamine enim; kui Pentecost III-e „kuningriik“ on kõleduse ja vägivalla abstraktne maastik, siis oma uues vormis omab see suisa religioosset varjundit. Siiski ei ole bänd oma minevikku päris lõplikult ära muutnud ning vastu oma paari aasta tagust lubadust mitte kunagi enam teha depressiivset muusikat eksitakse kindlasti. Albumi suurim õnnestumine on üks soojemaid kõlapilte bändi ajaloos, kuid kompositsioonid jäävad 15-aasta tagusele siiski niipalju ustavaks, et Falling Deeper kokkuvõtvalt märksa minoorsema tulemusega kui hiljutine We're Here Because We're Here. Seitsme minutiline Alone on selles perspektiivis tähelepanuväärseim, kuna ta pigem laiendab oma esialgset minimalistlikku via negativa-t. Tegemist on ehk Anathema pessimistlikuima lindistusega pärast 2003. aastat ja ainus kogumikul, mis annab pea muutmata kujul edasi varajase Anathema emotsiooni. Hoolimata, et Falling Deeper rõhub teadlikult pigem helimaastikutele kui “tavalisele” muusikale,  ei jää see kinni ambient-i või “taustamuusika” žanri ja lõpetav Sunset of Age üllatab oma rokilikuma suunaga We’re Here Because We’re Here vaimus.

Kuidas aga suhestub Falling Deeper ülejäänud Anathema tegemistega? Kogumiku pealkiri üsna suurepäraselt võtab kokku tema sisu ja ilmselt suurim tagajärg on varajase Anathema kergitamine tundmatusest “uuele” kuulajale ning tasub loota, et nii mõnigi siinsetest kompositsoonidest jõuab ka bändi repertuaari kontserditel. Samas jääb pingepunktiks dramaatiline erinevus vana ja uue Anathema vahel ja seda uus kogumik pigem kaugendab kui lähendab. Isegi kui jätame kõrvale muutumise lugude doom metalist atmosfääriliseks rokiks läheb tihenduses kaotsi palju esialgsest sisust. Suhe on võrreldav treileri ja täispika filmiga ning selle pahaks panemiseks ei pea olema isegi paandunud varajase Anathema fänn. Siiski on uued versioonid läbinisti meisterlikud, loomingulised ja kaunid ning kogumik iseloomulik bändile, kes on oma suunaga kindel ja rahul.

Tracklist:

1. "Crestfallen" - 3:07 (EP The Crestfallen)
2. "Sleep in Sanity" - 3:54 (album Serenades)
3. "Kingdom" - 4:28 (EP Pentecost III)
4. "They Die" - 2:11 (EP The Crestfallen)
5. "Everwake" - 3:09 (EP The Crestfallen)
6. "J’ai Fait Une Promesse" ("I Made a Promise") - 4:24 (album Serenades)
7. "... Alone" - 7:17 (album The Silent Enigma)
8. "We, the Gods" - 3:03 (EP Pentecost III)
9. "Sunset of Age" - 7:41 (album The Silent Enigma)

Anathema – Resonance

In autumn 2006, when ongoing a brief visit to Scotland, I picked from retail several albums by Anathema  (a name I had repeatedly heard in relation with Paradise Lost which at the time had reached its pinnacle in my listening habits). The first album for me to listen, still abroad and on the road, was by chance Resonance – a compilation of odd B-siders, covers and acoustic rearrangements from a period when the band was predominantly still that mid-1990ties death-doom act. Many albums have come between the now and then, and I have on occasions halted the Anathema-experience, but I will say, never forgot, and with the benefit of a retrospect some 4.5 years long, I will give this compilation the comprehensive attention it would not receive otherwise.

It all starts with Scars of the old stream  - a 1:10 minute long ambiance made from looping the guitar, its feedback and whatnot, and serves an “intro” for the disc, even though its original context is nothing like this at all, being placed as the 7^th track of the 1993 Serenades. A listener of that earlier album might hardly even notice track as it functions as something of a transition between the longer Sleep in Sanity and Under a Veil (of Black Lace). By bringing this track to the very front of the disc, Scars of the... very honestly sums up what to expect from much Resonance: a series dislocated soundscapes and short musical ideas that have now been brought to the foreground.

The first bulk of the compilation features three short tracks – Everwake, J'ai fait une promesse and Alone. Each comes from a different release, but the musical similarities make it obvious why the three come together. Adding a fully acoustic track with female vocals on a metal album is perhaps the first early sign of Anathema's inclination for new boundaries genre-wise, but it also allows a clearer vision of the band's development between 1992 (the time Everwake was released on their first EP Crestfallen) and 1996 (Alone coming out on The Silent Enigma album, J'ai fait... was released on the afore-mentioned Serenades). Alone clearly stands apart from the previous two tracks in being more complex but the minimalism of the sound is brought to the extreme, moving further away from what the band was intending to do in the future. If so, it is clear why it remained the last of its kind and perhaps it is only in AND's Electricity in 2003 that an Anathema song again entails a similar introspective reservedness (although the tone there is hardly cold).

Then follow three songs taken from the band's last truly (doom) metal album, Eternity, although in tone with the nature of Resonance, none of the pieces presented are particularly metal. Both Far Away and Eternity Part III are acoustic renditions of their heavier counterparts in the original album (the same acoustic versions did appear as bonus songs on Eternity's limited edition). Between the two retains its original form Eternity Part II - again one of the shorter pieces that originally stood as a transition in the centre of Eternity. All-in-all the altered songs stand well in comparison to their more metal counterparts – as neither has undergone any extensive changes like that would happen with acoustic remakes in the 2008 Hindsight compilation, they fully retain their gloominess, but being stripped to the bare essentials proves a refreshing change and works particularly well with Et. Part 3.

Onwards, there are a series of covers the band made for the Peaceville X compilation – Better Off Dead  (originally by Bad Religion), One of the Few and Goodbye Cruel World (both by Pink Floyd). Better Off Dead is the greatest point of interest here, as it radically changes the upbeat punk rock original to a solemn piano-driven ballad. The two Pink Floyd adaptations are more faithful, though neither the originals or the covers have much content to work with and in the Peaceville's compilation, the two tracks serve as an intro and an outro for the album.

Finally, there are two tracks from Anathema's post-doom period – Inner Silence and Destiny from the  Alternative 4 album. Inner Silence is perhaps the only track of the compilation that fits the definition of being one of the “best of” in Anathema's catalogue. Unchanged in any way, its effects are all the more devastating now that the song is one the heaviest on the album and grand culmination among the laid-back nature of the rest of the compilation. With Destiny, Resonance could very well come to its logical conclusion (in which case the track would retain its original position as the very last song), and for a moment we are led tso believe so, but then the album continues for three more additional tracks that in whole form a sort of an “epilogue” to it.

Thirteenth on the songlist is an orchestral version of The Silent Engima, the title track of the band's second album. Next to the rendition of Better Off Dead, this is probably the second largest alteration, completely reversing the sombre aesthetics of the death-doom original. In essence, the track could be seen looking ten years into Anathema's future, but a certain lushness of sound is lacking for the result to be truly superb. Then a live version of Angelica – one of the key tracks on Eternity. The rough quality of the recording almost destroys the song but the very experience is fascinating in itself – with the frantic cheering and singing from the crowd, the track is probably the most honest example of an Anathema concert (up to the point where the band is asking the overly rowdy audience to “calm down”) and very much in contrast with the rest of the songs.

And lastly, the 15^th track, Horses, which is not a song in its own right. Outside Resonance, it is not even separate track but rather a hidden segment you would reach after twelve minutes into the Memento Mori on the Pentecost III EP. So there would not have been an obscurer thing the band could have put to end a best-of compilation.

In total, the Resonance compilation is the sum of all the material that in its original context would largely pass unnoticed due to their insignificance, limited accessibility or both. As such, it gives new life to all these odd experimentations of early Anathema, although the independent value of the songs may be questionable. It all comes down to how much of a fan the listener is - as a collection of rare songs, Resonance is exemplary, but a broad overview of (early) Anathema it certainly is not.