You loved our last Anathema premiere so much — it was the most popular MP3 premiere on PopMatters ever — that we’re pleased to bring you another new Anathema tune, “The Storm Before the Calm”. Anathema has a long musical history dating back all the way to 1990 when the band emerged from Liverpool as a figurehead in the death/doom metal genre. Evolving over time, Anathema is now more of a modern progressive rock ensemble, producing far more challenging music than at its origin.
Weather Systems is the new record, releasing next Tuesday (24 April), and Anathema counts it as their most musically ambitious effort to date. Daniel Cavanagh explains, “it feels like we are at a creative peak right now, and this album reflects that. Everything from the production to the writing to the performances are a step up from our last album. This is not background music for parties. The music is written to deeply move the listener, to uplift or take the listener to the coldest depths of the soul.” “The Storm Before the Calm” typifies that shoot-for-the-stars approach, as it plays rather like a mini rock symphony, chock full of leitmotivs and dramatic movement.