#anathema — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #anathema, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/14/assisted-dying-bill-return-commons-lauren-edwards. The #LabourParty really hates #disabled #people. They failed in their last attempt to force people with #disabilities to kill themselves - now they're having another go. The idea of #spending more on #disability #benefits or #palliative #care instead appears to be #anathema to them. They certainly don't give a damn about our #rights! They DISGUST me!
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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/14/assisted-dying-bill-return-commons-lauren-edwards. The #LabourParty really hates #disabled #people. They failed in their last attempt to force people with #disabilities to kill themselves - now they're having another go. The idea of #spending more on #disability #benefits or #palliative #care instead appears to be #anathema to them. They certainly don't give a damn about our #rights! They DISGUST me!
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Yer Metal is Olde: Warning – Watching from a Distance By GrymmIt’s not that often that I’ll have difficulty talking about an album that’s hitting its 20 year anniversary soon. In the case of Watching from a Distance, the second (and at the time, final) album from UK doom metal (then-) trio Warning, giving words to the atmosphere, the weight, and the aching hurt emanating from these five songs proved to be more than daunting. It’s not that often that you come across an album that feels like a sonic gutpunch that just doesn’t stop punching you into emotional submission, and guitarist/vocalist/mainman Patrick Walker did so effortlessly. It’s hard to not feel something while listening to the album, then or now. It’s this encapsulation of utter sadness and yearning that would influence many since, and what better time than now to induct Watching from a Distance into the Halls of the Olde?
Warning didn’t come from the more Gothic sounds of their contemporaries (and fellow YMIO inductees) Anathema, My Dying Bride, or Paradise Lost. Lyrically, they also couldn’t be more different. Whereas not many people could sing about fighting the gods like Darren White did, nor can we all take Aaron Stainthorpe’s hand or do we all have the ability to opaque the dissident establishment that we all suffer like Nick Holmes,1 we’ve all encountered the aftermath of a break-up or losing a loved one. If you haven’t, rest assured it’s coming, and no one can articulate the sheer crushing feeling that comes with that like Walker does here, and it’s especially not at the level of maturity he exhibited. No fingers pointed, no blame assigned, no good/bad person(s) to smear… just the aftermath, the pain that comes with it, and the knowledge (or lack thereof) of what to do next to move on.
Take the devastatingly heartbreaking “Bridges,” in which there’s very little variation between riffs and percussive patterns, and that’s on purpose: the rhythm section of bassist Marcus Hatfield and drummer Stuart Springthorpe knew to keep things plodding and controlled by design, further accentuating the repetitive riffs and lyrics of Walker’s. Speaking of, each verse ends with Walker achingly bellowing “I wish you were here with me tonight,” with each passing verse more dire and heartwrenching than the last, with the final pass preceded by “Can someone feel too much?” Tear-inducing on its own, but when it’s immediately followed by Walker harmoniously bellowing towards the end, those who are unprepared2 will be reduced to a quivering pile of sobs. Emotionally decimating.
The other four songs also float by with the grace and delicacy of a cinder block thrown right at your heart and emotions. The closing combo of “Faces” and “Echoes” do a fine job of further bringing the sorrow and pain, with the former lamenting a sense of normalcy amongst the crumble of a failed relationship, while the latter recalls pleasant memories of what was, but will never be again. However, it’s the opening one-two suckerpunch of the title track and “Footprints” that everyone remembers, and with good reason. The title track feels like a moment in time where Walker sees the wreckage of a the relationship and sees what he remembers are the good qualities, but it’s far too late to turn back the clock and repair the damage. And “Footprints”… man, fuck “Footprints” so much. At first a bit more upbeat than “Watching from a Distance,” all seemingly feels almost uplifting when suddenly Walker bares all in the song’s final few minutes, complete with a desperate delivery, complete with an emotionally charged voice that cracks and warbles in a broken manner that I made the mistake of listening to it the first time on my way home from work, and I had to pull over to partake in the ugliest of purging crying sessions. It’s ultra-rare that doom metal can make me feel that way, and Walker and company succeeded in accomplishing this in spades.It was a sad time when Walker disbanded Warning in 2009, due to the simplest of reasons: artistic integrity and keeping his vision intact, forming the formidable 40 Watt Sun, an acoustic continuation of what Warning achieved. However, with their influence driving the likes of Pallbearer and Khemmis (among others), it was only a matter of time before Warning would return with Hatfield in tow, and now with their long-awaited third album, Rituals of Shame, on the horizon, it’s only fitting to induct Watching from a Distance in the Halls of the Olde. Give this a listen, but bring tissues.
#40WattSun #Anathema #Khemmis #MyDyingBride #Pallbearer #ParadiseLost #Warning #WatchingFromADistance #YerMetalIsOlde -
Yer Metal is Olde: Warning – Watching from a Distance By GrymmIt’s not that often that I’ll have difficulty talking about an album that’s hitting its 20 year anniversary soon. In the case of Watching from a Distance, the second (and at the time, final) album from UK doom metal (then-) trio Warning, giving words to the atmosphere, the weight, and the aching hurt emanating from these five songs proved to be more than daunting. It’s not that often that you come across an album that feels like a sonic gutpunch that just doesn’t stop punching you into emotional submission, and guitarist/vocalist/mainman Patrick Walker did so effortlessly. It’s hard to not feel something while listening to the album, then or now. It’s this encapsulation of utter sadness and yearning that would influence many since, and what better time than now to induct Watching from a Distance into the Halls of the Olde?
Warning didn’t come from the more Gothic sounds of their contemporaries (and fellow YMIO inductees) Anathema, My Dying Bride, or Paradise Lost. Lyrically, they also couldn’t be more different. Whereas not many people could sing about fighting the gods like Darren White did, nor can we all take Aaron Stainthorpe’s hand or do we all have the ability to opaque the dissident establishment that we all suffer like Nick Holmes,1 we’ve all encountered the aftermath of a break-up or losing a loved one. If you haven’t, rest assured it’s coming, and no one can articulate the sheer crushing feeling that comes with that like Walker does here, and it’s especially not at the level of maturity he exhibited. No fingers pointed, no blame assigned, no good/bad person(s) to smear… just the aftermath, the pain that comes with it, and the knowledge (or lack thereof) of what to do next to move on.
Take the devastatingly heartbreaking “Bridges,” in which there’s very little variation between riffs and percussive patterns, and that’s on purpose: the rhythm section of bassist Marcus Hatfield and drummer Stuart Springthorpe knew to keep things plodding and controlled by design, further accentuating the repetitive riffs and lyrics of Walker’s. Speaking of, each verse ends with Walker achingly bellowing “I wish you were here with me tonight,” with each passing verse more dire and heartwrenching than the last, with the final pass preceded by “Can someone feel too much?” Tear-inducing on its own, but when it’s immediately followed by Walker harmoniously bellowing towards the end, those who are unprepared2 will be reduced to a quivering pile of sobs. Emotionally decimating.
The other four songs also float by with the grace and delicacy of a cinder block thrown right at your heart and emotions. The closing combo of “Faces” and “Echoes” do a fine job of further bringing the sorrow and pain, with the former lamenting a sense of normalcy amongst the crumble of a failed relationship, while the latter recalls pleasant memories of what was, but will never be again. However, it’s the opening one-two suckerpunch of the title track and “Footprints” that everyone remembers, and with good reason. The title track feels like a moment in time where Walker sees the wreckage of a the relationship and sees what he remembers are the good qualities, but it’s far too late to turn back the clock and repair the damage. And “Footprints”… man, fuck “Footprints” so much. At first a bit more upbeat than “Watching from a Distance,” all seemingly feels almost uplifting when suddenly Walker bares all in the song’s final few minutes, complete with a desperate delivery, complete with an emotionally charged voice that cracks and warbles in a broken manner that I made the mistake of listening to it the first time on my way home from work, and I had to pull over to partake in the ugliest of purging crying sessions. It’s ultra-rare that doom metal can make me feel that way, and Walker and company succeeded in accomplishing this in spades.It was a sad time when Walker disbanded Warning in 2009, due to the simplest of reasons: artistic integrity and keeping his vision intact, forming the formidable 40 Watt Sun, an acoustic continuation of what Warning achieved. However, with their influence driving the likes of Pallbearer and Khemmis (among others), it was only a matter of time before Warning would return with Hatfield in tow, and now with their long-awaited third album, Rituals of Shame, on the horizon, it’s only fitting to induct Watching from a Distance in the Halls of the Olde. Give this a listen, but bring tissues.
#40WattSun #Anathema #Khemmis #MyDyingBride #Pallbearer #ParadiseLost #Warning #WatchingFromADistance #YerMetalIsOlde -
Imagine future Iran with nuclear power and also commanding the other Arab state in the region w/ good military prowess. #anathema for somebody.
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Playing some #anathema the ending of the solo slipped my mind so I had to improvise 😜#umbersound #doommetal #doom #metal
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New #CrippledBlackPhoenix album, coming April 17th, is rated 9/10 and AOTM in current #eclipsed.
#ffo #PinkFloyd, #GodspeedYouBlackEmperor, #TheCure, #Anathema
https://crippledblackphoenixsom.bandcamp.com/album/sceaduhelm
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New #CrippledBlackPhoenix album, coming April 17th, is rated 9/10 and AOTM in current #eclipsed.
#ffo #PinkFloyd, #GodspeedYouBlackEmperor, #TheCure, #Anathema
https://crippledblackphoenixsom.bandcamp.com/album/sceaduhelm
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„Judgement“ ist nach wie vor DAS Anathema-Album für mich. Meisterwerk. #anathema
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Currently checking out Pictures by #HamaSaari.
I'd describe their music as dreamy, mellow #ProgRock, #Alcest'ey in places and some (late) #Anathema, too. -
Yep, ich bin gerade mal wieder auf nem Anathema-Trip. Danke @rocksmurf für die Inspiration. #anathema
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Yep, ich bin gerade mal wieder auf nem Anathema-Trip. Danke @rocksmurf für die Inspiration. #anathema
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Als Anathema noch Death Metal gespielt haben ... Meine große Liebe zur Band begann im Grunde mit „Eternity“ und dauerte bis zum Ende ihrer Progressive/Alternative Rock-Phase. "Serenades" läuft heute aber immer noch gut rein. #peaceville #anathema
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Aus meinem #Ticketarchiv :
Anathema
Abgesagt wegen Corona.
Heute vor 6 Jahren. -
Aus meinem #Ticketarchiv :
Anathema
Abgesagt wegen Corona.
Heute vor 6 Jahren. -
Weather Systems o cómo volar en medio de la ciudad | vía #iRock
#anathema #chargola #dannycavanagh #livereviewinternacional #metal #teatrocariola #weathersystems
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Weather Systems – ‘Ocean Without a Shore’ (2024) | vía #SonidosOcultos
https://www.sonidosocultos.com/discos/weather-systems-ocean-without-a-shore-2024/
#anathema #chargolaprod #danielcardoso #danielcavanagh #discos #oceanwithoutashore #reseñadedisco #rockprogresivo #teatrocariola #weathersystemsoceanwithoutashore2024
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Entrevista con Daniel Cavanagh : «Amo a todos los chicos de Anathema, los extraño, pero tengo que avanzar» | vía #NaciónProgresiva
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Crisálida se suma como banda invitada al debut de Weather Systems en Chile | vía #SonidosOcultos
#anathema #chargolaprod #crisalida #livechile #rockprogresivo #t2026 #teatrocariola #weathersystems
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Novembre – Words of Indigo Review
By Owlswald
Melancholic is the word that best describes the atmospheric sound of Italy’s Novembre. Existing in the dark corners of doom and death metal since their origins as Catacomb in 1990, the group—spearheaded by brothers Carmelo and Giuseppe Orlando—adopted the name Novembre in 1993, spending over three decades fusing their emotive sound of metal aggression and classical composure. Despite being largely underrated, their output includes the acclaimed cornerstone, Novembrine Waltz (2001), and the progressively leaning Materia (2006) and The Blue (2007). Following a prolonged hiatus—and the crucial departure of Giuseppe Orlando—2016’s URSA provided proof of life. While the album had enough trademark characteristics to appease many (like Grymm), it failed to impress me, raising my fears that the Novembre I once loved was gone. The burden of proof now rests on their ninth LP, Words of Indigo, to prove these longstanding veterans still possess their romantic magic.
If you liked URSA, it’s likely you will love Words of Indigo. Despite the nine-year break and additional lineup shifts,1 fresh blood has instilled a dynamism and richness that was missing on URSA. Novembre’s outstanding musicianship explores territories both old and new, delivering phenomenal guitar leads with the group’s familiar romantic passages. Buttery, soothing textures and serene melodies are often undercut by moments of calculated aggression. These elements interlace death, power, rock and doom to build a sonic architecture of musical contrast, constantly ebbing and flowing between tranquil plateaus, cinematic sweeps and energetic torrents. Carmelo Orlando’s mumbling vocals remain prevalent, though they frequently adopt a darker and heavier identity, his blackened rasps matching Novembre’s waves of death metal aggression. Among the rich instrumental additions of piano (“Statua”), saxophone (“Your Holocene”), church bells (“Chisea dell’alba”) and acoustic guitar (“Intervallo”), Words of Indigo evokes an Enslaved-meets-Anathema synthesis, containing considerable depth and a classic sensibility that pays homage to their Italian heritage.
Driven by gloomy, foreboding melodies juxtaposed with transcendent bridges of beauty and serenity, Words of Indigo is a complex emotional landscape, dynamic and rich in its sculpting. “Statua” washes the listener in a sea of layered, solemn progressive tones before its gorgeous, piano-driven end grants a necessary homecoming. “Neptunian Hearts” balances black intensity with beautiful resolving melodies—including one of the best guitar solos on the album—while “House of Rain” uses a brooding vibe, a midpoint solo and beautiful contributions by Ann-Mari Edvardsen (The 3rd & the Mortal) to fuel its delicate crescendo. Even lengthy instrumental “Ipernotte” shifts rapidly from technical tapping and thundering double-bass to a dystopian, crestfallen tone, its chaotic ending mitigated by a percussive and underutilized flamenco guitar. The combined guitar work of Alessio Erriu, Federico Albanese and Carmelo Orlando is arguably Words of Indigo’s engine. Their leads paint a diversely progressive palette of virtuosic shredding (“Brontide”) and Fallujah-like atmospherics (“Sun Magenta”) to flashy power tapping and bright harmonics (“Your Holocene,” “Brontide”), elevating Novembre’s songwriting to the next level.
Faithful to its roots, Words of Indigo retains some of Novembre’s familiar challenges: a tendency toward sonic conformance and Orlando’s persistent use of his signature mumbling vocal technique. As with URSA, the album suffers a bit from mid-point fatigue, as tracks tend to coalesce toward the center, causing my appetite for the remainder to wane. Though not a deal breaker, Words of Indigo’s track sequencing also struggles, presenting as separate pieces rather than a cohesive whole. Minor production choices, such as the unnecessary fade-out/fade-in ending of “House of Rain,” compound this segmentation. However, Words of Indigo is certainly better paced than its predecessor, with a superior variety of tempos, vocals and instrumental additions that help keep the songwriting interesting. Finally, Orlando’s characteristic delivery—highlighted on tracks like “Sun Magenta,” “Post Poetic,” and “Your Holocene”—remains divisive, directly eroding the vitality of the songwriting by distracting from the superior instrumentation.
Words of Indigo marks Novembre’s definitive return following yet another long hiatus and lineup change and it delivers on nearly every front. It’s dynamic and richly textured, weaving the group’s familiar characteristics into a sonic tapestry defined by compelling, adventurous guitar leads. While clunky at times, Words of Indigo signals a new phase for Novembre, successfully positioning them not just as underappreciated doom and death metal mainstays, but as artists intent on consistently reimagining their core identity. This complex, nuanced emotional landscape absolutely warrants your attention and has firmly rekindled my intrigue for what is hopefully to come.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Peaceville Records
Websites: novembre2.bandcamp.com/music | novembre.co.uk | facebook.com/Novembre1941#
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #35 #Anathema #Catacomb #DoomMetal #Enslaved #Fallujah #ItalianMetal #Nov25 #Novembre #PeacevilleRecords #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #The3rdTheMortal #WordsOfIndigo
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Novembre – Words of Indigo Review
By Owlswald
Melancholic is the word that best describes the atmospheric sound of Italy’s Novembre. Existing in the dark corners of doom and death metal since their origins as Catacomb in 1990, the group—spearheaded by brothers Carmelo and Giuseppe Orlando—adopted the name Novembre in 1993, spending over three decades fusing their emotive sound of metal aggression and classical composure. Despite being largely underrated, their output includes the acclaimed cornerstone, Novembrine Waltz (2001), and the progressively leaning Materia (2006) and The Blue (2007). Following a prolonged hiatus—and the crucial departure of Giuseppe Orlando—2016’s URSA provided proof of life. While the album had enough trademark characteristics to appease many (like Grymm), it failed to impress me, raising my fears that the Novembre I once loved was gone. The burden of proof now rests on their ninth LP, Words of Indigo, to prove these longstanding veterans still possess their romantic magic.
If you liked URSA, it’s likely you will love Words of Indigo. Despite the nine-year break and additional lineup shifts,1 fresh blood has instilled a dynamism and richness that was missing on URSA. Novembre’s outstanding musicianship explores territories both old and new, delivering phenomenal guitar leads with the group’s familiar romantic passages. Buttery, soothing textures and serene melodies are often undercut by moments of calculated aggression. These elements interlace death, power, rock and doom to build a sonic architecture of musical contrast, constantly ebbing and flowing between tranquil plateaus, cinematic sweeps and energetic torrents. Carmelo Orlando’s mumbling vocals remain prevalent, though they frequently adopt a darker and heavier identity, his blackened rasps matching Novembre’s waves of death metal aggression. Among the rich instrumental additions of piano (“Statua”), saxophone (“Your Holocene”), church bells (“Chisea dell’alba”) and acoustic guitar (“Intervallo”), Words of Indigo evokes an Enslaved-meets-Anathema synthesis, containing considerable depth and a classic sensibility that pays homage to their Italian heritage.
Driven by gloomy, foreboding melodies juxtaposed with transcendent bridges of beauty and serenity, Words of Indigo is a complex emotional landscape, dynamic and rich in its sculpting. “Statua” washes the listener in a sea of layered, solemn progressive tones before its gorgeous, piano-driven end grants a necessary homecoming. “Neptunian Hearts” balances black intensity with beautiful resolving melodies—including one of the best guitar solos on the album—while “House of Rain” uses a brooding vibe, a midpoint solo and beautiful contributions by Ann-Mari Edvardsen (The 3rd & the Mortal) to fuel its delicate crescendo. Even lengthy instrumental “Ipernotte” shifts rapidly from technical tapping and thundering double-bass to a dystopian, crestfallen tone, its chaotic ending mitigated by a percussive and underutilized flamenco guitar. The combined guitar work of Alessio Erriu, Federico Albanese and Carmelo Orlando is arguably Words of Indigo’s engine. Their leads paint a diversely progressive palette of virtuosic shredding (“Brontide”) and Fallujah-like atmospherics (“Sun Magenta”) to flashy power tapping and bright harmonics (“Your Holocene,” “Brontide”), elevating Novembre’s songwriting to the next level.
Faithful to its roots, Words of Indigo retains some of Novembre’s familiar challenges: a tendency toward sonic conformance and Orlando’s persistent use of his signature mumbling vocal technique. As with URSA, the album suffers a bit from mid-point fatigue, as tracks tend to coalesce toward the center, causing my appetite for the remainder to wane. Though not a deal breaker, Words of Indigo’s track sequencing also struggles, presenting as separate pieces rather than a cohesive whole. Minor production choices, such as the unnecessary fade-out/fade-in ending of “House of Rain,” compound this segmentation. However, Words of Indigo is certainly better paced than its predecessor, with a superior variety of tempos, vocals and instrumental additions that help keep the songwriting interesting. Finally, Orlando’s characteristic delivery—highlighted on tracks like “Sun Magenta,” “Post Poetic,” and “Your Holocene”—remains divisive, directly eroding the vitality of the songwriting by distracting from the superior instrumentation.
Words of Indigo marks Novembre’s definitive return following yet another long hiatus and lineup change and it delivers on nearly every front. It’s dynamic and richly textured, weaving the group’s familiar characteristics into a sonic tapestry defined by compelling, adventurous guitar leads. While clunky at times, Words of Indigo signals a new phase for Novembre, successfully positioning them not just as underappreciated doom and death metal mainstays, but as artists intent on consistently reimagining their core identity. This complex, nuanced emotional landscape absolutely warrants your attention and has firmly rekindled my intrigue for what is hopefully to come.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Peaceville Records
Websites: novembre2.bandcamp.com/music | novembre.co.uk | facebook.com/Novembre1941#
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025#2025 #35 #Anathema #Catacomb #DoomMetal #Enslaved #Fallujah #ItalianMetal #Nov25 #Novembre #PeacevilleRecords #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #The3rdTheMortal #WordsOfIndigo
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By Steel Druhm
New Jersey’s Evoken is one the big names in the very niche genre of funeral doom. Since 1994 they’ve been churning out lengthy, unhurried odes to despair and tragedy, taking heavy inspiration from the Peaceville Three era while forging a path of their own. Albums like Quietus and Antithesis of Light are regarded as funeral doom triumphs, and you can depend on Evoken to deliver carefully crafted epics full of emotionally harrowing moods. It’s been a long time since 2018s Hypnagogia dropped, and 2025 finally sees these Garden State downers resurface for 7th full-length, Mendacium. And when I saw full-length, I mean FULL, as this beast runs over an hour with songs typically in the 9-10 minute framework. Funeral doom can be a tough sell to many, even when executed adroitly. Will there be an appetite for an hour-plus of what Evoken have prepared for the ears?
Nearly 10-minute opener “Matins” isn’t what I would call a soft intro to the Evoken experience. It’s eerie, ominous funeral noise with heavy, drawn-out doom riffs, cavernous death croaks, and nerve-jangled synths, but as the monster shambles forward, more melodic touches emerge from the miasma. Sad, forlorn piano keys twinkle in that My Dying Bride way, and a vaguely Gothic mist swirls below the heavier assault. Sudden upheavals of blast beats and trem riffs jumpstart the energy, and tempos are toyed with just enough to keep things from becoming a faceless mush of doom plod. The package is what Evoken have done before, and it isn’t showing new textures so much as moving established genre pieces around on the board. The forlorn guitar lines and solos ache with emotion, and a feeling of suffocating hopelessness is maintained throughout. Is it a chore to get through? That will depend on how well you stomach funeral doom, but even for a fan like me, it does feel a bit long by the end. “Lauds” is another 10-minute death march, but a bit more “urgent” in its pacing, with more emphasis on force and less on atmosphere and nuance. The dramatic spoken word bits can be a take-it-or-leave-it element, but the riffs are meaty and heavy, and there’s a sense of danger here instead of just grief. It’s got genuinely gripping moments, and the vaguely liturgical feel of the synths and ghostly choirs is a nifty touch, but Evoken drag segments out past the point of usefulness with resultingly diminishing returns.
For my tastes, “None” is the album highlight. Though typically slow to get locked into gear, once there, you’re greeted with gripping death and black vocals and a rising intensity that feels like it’s on the highway to Hell. There’s real menace here, though restraint and leaden pacing are still the watchwords. The extra weight from the riffs helps keep attention, though Evoken still tests your patience with stretched-out segments of minimal action. Closer “Compline” dives deeper into classic doom and the salad days of My Dying Bride and Anathema with mostly positive results. I especially like the banged upon piano keys, which hint at something disturbing. The big obstacle across Mendacium is the way Evoken build their long-form compositions. They can often feel flat and undynamic, even by funeral doom standards. The tracks with the most routine tempo shifts work best, but even they feel 2-3 minutes too long. This isn’t a new issue for the band, but it seems to have become more pronounced starting on Hypnagogia. There are long segments that could appear on a new age meditation album, where you can sit and zone out to the astral plane. That’s fine, but I don’t want lots of that in my funeral doom.
John Paradiso and Chris Molinari offer a fair amount of heavy doom riffs, and there are plenty of plaintive harmonies that speak of melancholy and despair. They aren’t the most dynamic riff authors out there, but they know how to set a mood and build atmosphere. Paradiso’s vocals are effective, his death roars booming and menacing and his evil blackened cackles sounding suitably demonic. I’m not a fan of the spoken word bits, but that’s a genre-wide issue and a personal preference. Vince Verkay does a lot on the kit when let off his leash by the funerary slogging. He’s one of the bright spots here, and I find my attention drawn to his playing frequently.
Evoken are pros at this style of doom, and Mendacium is solid, competent funeral doom with some writing snags that take it down a few notches in effectiveness. Too many moments evoke spa time, sitting with cucumber slices on my eyes rather than sobbing inconsolably at a loved one’s grave. I need less spa, more funeral. This may be one of the most restrained things to ever come out of New Jersey, and that’s not a selling point for Yours Steely. Still, if the mood is right, this could lull you into an early grave. A muted endorsement.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore
Websites: evokenofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/evokenhell | instagram.com/evoken_doom_official
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #Anathema #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Evoken #FuneralDoom #Mendacium #MyDyingBride #Oct25 #ProfoundLore #Review #Reviews
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By Steel Druhm
New Jersey’s Evoken is one the big names in the very niche genre of funeral doom. Since 1994 they’ve been churning out lengthy, unhurried odes to despair and tragedy, taking heavy inspiration from the Peaceville Three era while forging a path of their own. Albums like Quietus and Antithesis of Light are regarded as funeral doom triumphs, and you can depend on Evoken to deliver carefully crafted epics full of emotionally harrowing moods. It’s been a long time since 2018s Hypnagogia dropped, and 2025 finally sees these Garden State downers resurface for 7th full-length, Mendacium. And when I saw full-length, I mean FULL, as this beast runs over an hour with songs typically in the 9-10 minute framework. Funeral doom can be a tough sell to many, even when executed adroitly. Will there be an appetite for an hour-plus of what Evoken have prepared for the ears?
Nearly 10-minute opener “Matins” isn’t what I would call a soft intro to the Evoken experience. It’s eerie, ominous funeral noise with heavy, drawn-out doom riffs, cavernous death croaks, and nerve-jangled synths, but as the monster shambles forward, more melodic touches emerge from the miasma. Sad, forlorn piano keys twinkle in that My Dying Bride way, and a vaguely Gothic mist swirls below the heavier assault. Sudden upheavals of blast beats and trem riffs jumpstart the energy, and tempos are toyed with just enough to keep things from becoming a faceless mush of doom plod. The package is what Evoken have done before, and it isn’t showing new textures so much as moving established genre pieces around on the board. The forlorn guitar lines and solos ache with emotion, and a feeling of suffocating hopelessness is maintained throughout. Is it a chore to get through? That will depend on how well you stomach funeral doom, but even for a fan like me, it does feel a bit long by the end. “Lauds” is another 10-minute death march, but a bit more “urgent” in its pacing, with more emphasis on force and less on atmosphere and nuance. The dramatic spoken word bits can be a take-it-or-leave-it element, but the riffs are meaty and heavy, and there’s a sense of danger here instead of just grief. It’s got genuinely gripping moments, and the vaguely liturgical feel of the synths and ghostly choirs is a nifty touch, but Evoken drag segments out past the point of usefulness with resultingly diminishing returns.
For my tastes, “None” is the album highlight. Though typically slow to get locked into gear, once there, you’re greeted with gripping death and black vocals and a rising intensity that feels like it’s on the highway to Hell. There’s real menace here, though restraint and leaden pacing are still the watchwords. The extra weight from the riffs helps keep attention, though Evoken still tests your patience with stretched-out segments of minimal action. Closer “Compline” dives deeper into classic doom and the salad days of My Dying Bride and Anathema with mostly positive results. I especially like the banged upon piano keys, which hint at something disturbing. The big obstacle across Mendacium is the way Evoken build their long-form compositions. They can often feel flat and undynamic, even by funeral doom standards. The tracks with the most routine tempo shifts work best, but even they feel 2-3 minutes too long. This isn’t a new issue for the band, but it seems to have become more pronounced starting on Hypnagogia. There are long segments that could appear on a new age meditation album, where you can sit and zone out to the astral plane. That’s fine, but I don’t want lots of that in my funeral doom.
John Paradiso and Chris Molinari offer a fair amount of heavy doom riffs, and there are plenty of plaintive harmonies that speak of melancholy and despair. They aren’t the most dynamic riff authors out there, but they know how to set a mood and build atmosphere. Paradiso’s vocals are effective, his death roars booming and menacing and his evil blackened cackles sounding suitably demonic. I’m not a fan of the spoken word bits, but that’s a genre-wide issue and a personal preference. Vince Verkay does a lot on the kit when let off his leash by the funerary slogging. He’s one of the bright spots here, and I find my attention drawn to his playing frequently.
Evoken are pros at this style of doom, and Mendacium is solid, competent funeral doom with some writing snags that take it down a few notches in effectiveness. Too many moments evoke spa time, sitting with cucumber slices on my eyes rather than sobbing inconsolably at a loved one’s grave. I need less spa, more funeral. This may be one of the most restrained things to ever come out of New Jersey, and that’s not a selling point for Yours Steely. Still, if the mood is right, this could lull you into an early grave. A muted endorsement.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore
Websites: evokenofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/evokenhell | instagram.com/evoken_doom_official
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #Anathema #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Evoken #FuneralDoom #Mendacium #MyDyingBride #Oct25 #ProfoundLore #Review #Reviews
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Song: Flying
Band: #Anathema
Album: A natural disaster
Year: 2003
Genre: #Rock"And it feels like I'm flying above you
Dream that I'm dying to find the truth
Seems like your trying to bring me down
Back down to earth back down to earth"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAIuby8gEQs
Full playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6hlEBFbE1qBWI95kbALD1M -
Weather Systems confirma su debut en Chile | vía #iRock
#anathema #chile #conciertos #internacional #rock #teatrocariola #weathersystems
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Dark Nights: **Philadelphia, U$A: Anathema Volume 11 Issue 1**
https://darknights.noblogs.org/post/2025/08/23/philadelphia-ua-anathema-volume-11-issue-1/
Volume 11 Issue 1 (PDF for reading 8.5×11) Volume 11 Issue 1 (PDF for printing 11×17) In this issue: What Went Down Ins & Outs Leadership Is It Fascism? Ten Years Of Anti-Gentrification Ben Morea Talk Reportback Anarchist Muay Thai The Moon Is Down Review
#Library #AnarchistNewspaper #Anathema #BenMorea #BlackMask #Democracy -
Dark Nights: **Philadelphia, U$A: Anathema Volume 11 Issue 1**
https://darknights.noblogs.org/post/2025/08/23/philadelphia-ua-anathema-volume-11-issue-1/
Volume 11 Issue 1 (PDF for reading 8.5×11) Volume 11 Issue 1 (PDF for printing 11×17) In this issue: What Went Down Ins & Outs Leadership Is It Fascism? Ten Years Of Anti-Gentrification Ben Morea Talk Reportback Anarchist Muay Thai The Moon Is Down Review
#Library #AnarchistNewspaper #Anathema #BenMorea #BlackMask #Democracy -
By Steel Druhm
Just when I thought I’d make it to May without awarding the coveted Steel ov Approval, an unheralded project erupts from the Netherlands and forces my unwilling hand. Structure is the labor of love of Bram Bijlhout, who served seven years as a guitarist in atmo-doom deathers Officium Triste. Now he’s putting his own spin on the genre, handling everything save for vocals and drums. In comes the esteemed Pim Blankenstein, also of Officium Triste and The 11th Hour, to handle the former, with Dirk Bruinenberg (Elegy, ex-Adagio) manning the latter. On the full-length debut, Structure prove this project can honor the doom Heritage that birthed it. This is a massive, monolithic slab of doom that paints a sweeping mural across your head and heart, all in gray and black. Crushing and gorgeous in equal parts, Heritage takes you on an immersive journey through the human experience, teaching you about fathomless despair, undying hope, and ultimately, redemption. It’s a staggering work of heartbreaking genius, and something every doom fan needs to know about.
The album opens with what may be the hands-down winner of Song o’ the Year, “Will I Deserve It.” It’s a monumental doom epic that caves in your chest with its raw power and brings a tear to the most jaded eye with its heart-wrenching beauty. Vaguely Bathorycore riffs thunder away as Pim emits inhumanly death bellows, and soon the melancholic trilling calls to the sadperson in all of us. It’s heavy as fook but maintains a forlorn, tragic air, taking one back to the glory days of the Peaceville Three and those early My Dying Bride and Anathema gems. When Bram cuts loose with his soloing at the 4-minute mark, bittersweet beauty blooms like springtime flowers over the grave of a dearly departed, like a gift to remind you that, no matter where their spirit roams, they’re with you always. I could write 750 words about this song alone, but suffice it to say, it’s brilliant. It’s the rare album that can match a radiant moment like this one, but Heritage is far from done with its smoke show. “What We Have Lost” drags things down into funeral doom territory for rib-cracking density before gradually evolving into a more melodic voyage. Bram’s emotive guitar weaves throughout the heaviness as minimalist piano lines plink mournfully, and Mr. Pim shakes the rafters with unbearable pain. It’s a wonder something this intensely despondent can be so captivating, but despite its nearly 8-minute runtime, when it ends, you’ll wish it hadn’t.
“Long Before Me” is even longer yet no less stunning. It’s so morose and gloriously depressive, it’s almost exhilarating. It sucks you in with its funereal trilling and carries you away in its dark embrace. The guitars from 5 minutes onward are so minimalist but pure perfection. The title track borrows much from Warning’s timeless Watching from a Distance, replicating that album’s unrelenting glumness perfectly, only to switch to Bolt Thrower-esque power chugs that threaten your very existence. Surrounding these moments are bright, melodic bits that take me back to Edge of Sanity’s Crimson. Closer “Until the Last Gasp” is a somber instrumental that imparts the same grim emptiness evoked by the denouement of Agalloch’s Ashes Against the Grain, making one feel as if they stand at the precipice of a swirling, matter-annihilating black hole. As the track advances, small hints of hope creep into the droning doom, imparting faint rays of light into the inky blackness. The album climaxes with horns blaring a sad but cautiously uplifting note, giving you the perfect ending to a truly stupendous journey. At 50 minutes, Heritage somehow feels much shorter, and despite the harrowing despair, you won’t want to escape its bleak cocoon. It almost hurts to hear the last strains fade away into silence. I haven’t had that experience in a long time. I’m at a loss to find flaws, and no song feels overlong or bloated. This is an album you must experience as a whole, and it’s shockingly easy to digest in its entirety.I’m nothing but impressed by what Bram accomplished here. His writing is at another level, and his guitar work is stunning. He does so much by doing so little, always opting for feeling over showboating. His melodic touches are perfect and arrive at ideal times to take some of the burden from the listener’s shoulders. His heavy riffing is spot on, oppressive, pulverizing, and inevitable. He shows a great ability to inject real emotion into the music without leaning too much on Goth idioms. It’s all so well-crafted and defined that Heritage is more like a master’s canvas than a recording. Many moments triggered an emotional response in me, though I strenuously resist such things. Mr. Blankenstein was the perfect choice to provide vocals. His ungodly death roars are powerful and tooth-rattling, and he pairs superbly with the larger-than-life material. He’s the ideal doom-death front man, and this may be his finest hour. Ayreon / Star One singer Robert Soeterboek provides very sparse, understated, clean vocals and does a fine job.
When you spin an album as heavy and depressive as this and immediately want to hit replay, there’s something very right about it, and something very wrong with you. Heritage is as close to flawless as it gets, and I’m unable to pinpoint any areas that could be improved upon. This is a stunning accomplishment, and I can’t do Heritage justice with mere words. You need to experience this yourself. A MUST HEAR.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ardua Music
Websites: structure-doom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/structure.doom
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025#2025 #45 #Anathema #Apr25 #ArduaMusic #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #DutchMetal #Heritage #MyDyingBride #OfficiumTriste #Review #Reviews #Structure #The11thHour #Warning
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just listened to "judgement" by #anathema again. gosh, what an epic masterpiece this album is. deeply moved.
i miss them so much ❤️
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just listened to "judgement" by #anathema again. gosh, what an epic masterpiece this album is. deeply moved.
i miss them so much ❤️
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🎶 Abendgestaltung mit Anathema live in Plovdiv. Enjoy: https://youtu.be/9F77b2Ta7_4 #rocknroll #anathema
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🎶 Abendgestaltung mit Anathema live in Plovdiv. Enjoy: https://youtu.be/9F77b2Ta7_4 #rocknroll #anathema
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Quelqu'un m'explique comment ça se fait que Weather Systems (le groupe du chanteur et du batteur d'Anathema) fait un concert dans un bar à côté de Toul, dans le trou du cul de la Meurthe-et-Moselle ??
(J'ai turbo envie d'y aller)
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Quelqu'un m'explique comment ça se fait que Weather Systems (le groupe du chanteur et du batteur d'Anathema) fait un concert dans un bar à côté de Toul, dans le trou du cul de la Meurthe-et-Moselle ??
(J'ai turbo envie d'y aller)
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The Old Dead Tree – Second Thoughts Review
By Dolphin Whisperer
The hibernal cool-down of December brings with it the urge to succumb to an early setting sun and frozen morning air.1 And with this desire for thick socks, fuzzy blankets, and warm, spiced beverages no matter the hour comes a call from the gothic and downtrodden. In both those words The Old Dead Tree lives, having waved the dark and morose flag since 1997 inconsistently through a minefield of break-ups and hiatuses. In fact, their 2019 EP The End—also a tribute to one of their founding members, Frédéric Guillemot, whose life came to a tragic end before The Old Dead Tree could grow—stood as an alleged conclusion to their idiosyncratic, sorrowful career. But a tree cannot stop growing just because it wants to, even if it’s old and dead.
Ambition overtook hesitance to allow Second Thoughts to be not a second wind but a rebirth for the French sadbois. While the lyrics still deal with subject matter like personal loss, mental struggles, and an unavoidable malaise for life, a thread of adventure colors the journey with footstep recordings, heavy breathing, clock tower gongs, scattering dog barks, and distant lightning, laying a pleasant, engrossing mulch world around The Old Dead Tree. This living soundscape against founding vocalist Manuel Munoz’s vibrant, weeping crack and croon builds a narrative that doesn’t need to be on the page in front of you to dive straight into your heart. And as The Old Dead Tree cycles through timeless, pathos-drenched passages like the alt-y, breathy yodel of “Better Off Dead” or the sudden mic-distorted, volume-loaded cry that opens “Story of My Life,” it is clear that the dramatic urgency that defined the draw of their past works hasn’t skipped a beat.
More than a reliving of The Old Dead Tree’s past, Second Thoughts appears with plenty of new wrinkles that anchor important energy shifts. In a move informed by his time with melodic death/folkers Arkan, Munoz has brought on a few friends2 to lend tension-building barks to driving stomps and snarling diffusions (“Without a Second Thought,” “OK,” “The Worse Is Yet to Come”). And though that more aggressive harsh vocal stomp serves both thematic contrast and tonal divergence, long-time guitarist Nicolas Chevrollier maintains a twangy, petulant six-string strut that paints the bluesy waltz of Wovenhand in a light equally gothic but triumphantly troubled (“Don’t Waste Your Time,” “OK”). The diversity throughout makes for little downtime across Second Thoughts’ fifty-minute journey.
Despite its excursions into those more novel and often proggier territories, The Old Dead Tree keeps a firm footing in the established goth playbook for several cuts. The tremolo chord overlay that opens Second Thoughts, along with plenty of other wistful riffs, give hits of late ’90s Katatonia/Anathema guitar-forward melancholy that paints a frown long before any words can (“The Lightest Straw,” “Luke”). “Fresh Start,” on the other hand, leads with reverberating piano hits that morph into a throbbing bassline that swells with the mopey dance floor energy of One Second era Paradise Lost—you can take the Docs off the goth, but you can’t truly escape the urge to drag around a good beat. To class up some of the more rote and melodramatic musical conclusions that build with “The Trap” and “Solstalgia,” Second Thoughts invites the gifted cellist Raphaël Verguin (Psygnosis) to lay sullen lines against Chevrollier’s classically mournful melodies. All of this leads to a finale that too feels of the Paradise Lost playbook, albeit more of the lingering Mackintosh guitar wail, but Munoz’s ability to hold a comfortable yet discomforting tune keeps its roots firmly in The Old Dead Tree.
As a true return to the fray, The Old Dead Tree’s updated take on a well-tread but not widespread sound feels as fresh as it does nostalgic. Like a cozy blanket on a shiver-inducing night, Second Thoughts wraps the listener in a believable tale of emotional turbulence and life-informed loss. For those enamored enough by its scattershot, moody shuffle, the highest points of histrionics will hit that deep-seated sadboi within. It’s hard to say whether that same approach lands as a true boon, as some of the lesser moments feel unnecessary on repeat listens. But this sort of episodic narrative also means that you can pick up Second Thoughts from just about any point and let its gothy charms take over.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist | Bandcamp
Websites: theolddeadtree.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theolddeadtree.official
Releases Worldwide: December 6th, 2024Show 2 footnotes
- What do I know, I’m from California? ↩
- T. C. of Regarde les Hommes Tomber and Ludovic Loez of long-running Frenchman S.U.P./Supuration. ↩
#2024 #35 #AlternativeRock #Anathema #Arkan #Dec24 #FrenchMetal #GothicMetal #GothicRock #Katatonia #ParadiseLost #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #SecondThoughts #TheOldDeadTree #Wovenhand
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1. Because it's Tuesday
2. Because it's @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday to be precise
3. Because the album bearing this band's name has not been saved, which is a shame
4. Because it's awesome.You don't need any more reasons to listen to
#WeatherSystems: Synaesthesia
https://song.link/t6hfjdxwjxcfg
FFO #Anathema (duh) #BentKnee #ThePineappleThief
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1. Because it's Tuesday
2. Because it's @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday to be precise
3. Because the album bearing this band's name has not been saved, which is a shame
4. Because it's awesome.You don't need any more reasons to listen to
#WeatherSystems: Synaesthesia
https://song.link/t6hfjdxwjxcfg
FFO #Anathema (duh) #BentKnee #ThePineappleThief
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I have always been a big fan of the band #Anathema. Sadly the band stopped during Covid... But some of the members started a new band called #WeatherSystems (named after one of my favorite Anathema albums). They finally released a few songs. I wasn't sold on the first one. But the latest one, synaesthesia, is a great 9 minute #progrock banger! Definitely recommended! https://youtu.be/SkLBJU7SBoY?si=2prX7HM4MrXN2Ax7
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I have always been a big fan of the band #Anathema. Sadly the band stopped during Covid... But some of the members started a new band called #WeatherSystems (named after one of my favorite Anathema albums). They finally released a few songs. I wasn't sold on the first one. But the latest one, synaesthesia, is a great 9 minute #progrock banger! Definitely recommended! https://youtu.be/SkLBJU7SBoY?si=2prX7HM4MrXN2Ax7
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Meddl-Meddl-Meddl! #WeatherSystems veröffentlicht am 27.09.2024 „Ocean Without A Shore“.
YouTube-Clip zu ‚Do Angels Sing Like Rain?‘: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbTCpEqGfuc -
See the lyrics for the song “A Simple Mistake” by Anathema
#Anathema #ASimpleMistake
https://daletra.com/anathema/lyrics/a-simple-mistake.html -
London’s Melodic Death/Doom Metal Project ALPHA LYRÆ Reveals Tracklist of the Self-Titled Debut Album https://allabouttherock.co.uk/londons-melodic-death-doom-metal-project-alpha-lyrae-reveals-tracklist-of-the-self-titled-debut-album/ #mydyingbride #ParadiseLost #Pallbearer #AlphaLyræ #Anathema #Alcest #Opeth #News #MONO #Tool
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(Probably as a result of their efforts) The #Koch network’s position has become increasingly popular in recent yrs. Once broadly supported by #academics & #judges on the #right, #Chevron is now #anathema to many in the #conservative #legal movement.
And there’s no more prominent convert than #ClarenceThomas.
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(Probably as a result of their efforts) The #Koch network’s position has become increasingly popular in recent yrs. Once broadly supported by #academics & #judges on the #right, #Chevron is now #anathema to many in the #conservative #legal movement.
And there’s no more prominent convert than #ClarenceThomas.