Why Anathema Are Not A Band To Be Pigeonholed

There are some metal bands that cop grief from their dedicated fans for even minor stylistic changes. Metallica were roasted for having (shock horror) a ballad on Ride The Lightning, Iron Maiden had to go into witness protection after introducing guitar synths to Somewhere In Time; and Pantera were almost unrecognisable after getting a very angry Phil Anselmo on board. Anathema have never really had that problem because from day one they've done what they wanted, when they wanted. How else do you explain a band that started life as an underground doom death act, drifted into gothic metal territory and subsequently morphed into a transcendent prog rock outfit that even dabbles in pop and electronica?

"I was listening to The Beatles and Pink Floyd when we made our first album," laughs Cavanagh. "It's a big misconception that we listened to the kind of music that we were making. To this day we don't listen to any band that sounds like us."

"We never really conformed to what the genre was 'supposed' to be about."

"By the time people started talking about doom death and the 'Peaceville Three', we'd moved away from that sound with Eternity and Alternative 4. I also think people need to realise that even on the really early stuff you'd hear things like long ambient pieces, spoken word sections and female vocals. We never really conformed to what the genre was 'supposed' to be about. The band has always had an experimental side, and that's stayed with us our entire career, and probably explains why our records sound so different."

True to form the band's latest record The Optimist shifts from the transcendent, almost joyful vibe that permeated 2014's Distant Satellites, to deliver a stark, often cold set of tunes.

"This album reflects one person's struggle; it's a night time record, a lonely person's record," agrees Cavanagh. "The irony to the whole thing is that the character at the heart of the story is called The Optimist — but he's a guy who's gone through a horrible time. We wanted to give the listener someone to identify with, but also so we don't have to talk about ourselves in interviews," he laughs. "Also we recorded the album live and I think that gives the record a really authentic feel."

Despite a long career, Anathema only made it to Australia in 2014. According to Cavanagh it was a tour he'll never forget.

"I really didn't know what to expect, and to be honest I didn't want to expect anything, but we were all blown away by the response we got. I mean the people who came to the shows really knew the band and what we've done. It was incredible. A real moment for the band, an ambition fulfilled after so many years.

"After that response we knew we had to come back and stay on top of it. So we were able to tour again, this time to show people the acoustic side of the band, and now on our next tour we're going to get the chance to show the bigger side of the band if you will. We're going to offer up a more visual experience for the Australian fans, the full production we put on here in England and in Europe. We're going to do the show in two halves. The first half is The Optimist in full and then during the second half we'll play the big songs from the rest of the catalogue."