UK's Anathema makes epic proclamation
Super size my fries? Of course. Add a car chase to a romantic comedy? Definitely. Give me a transcendent dose of culture in a poignant musical package? Absolutely.
Prior to listening to We’re Here Because We’re Here (an album that received a long overdue stateside release on June 7), I had never heard an Anathema song in my life. Seems I’ve been missing out. The Liverpool-based band has been around since the early 1990s and their sound has shifted several times over the past two decades, ranging from gothic metal to atmospheric rock and nearly everything between on that sliver of the genre spectrum.
But before I praise Anathema – which, rest assured, I’m going to – I should explain my thoughts on “epic-ness” in music.
Epic music is, first and foremost, passionate – composed, performed, and voiced with conviction and unmistakable energy. This does not mean epic equals loud. People can be passionate about something that requires a subtle, thoughtful tone to convey.
Second, successfully epic music almost always evokes some sort of emotional response from the listener that at least fractionally mirrors the passion of the musicians. Some songs make you want to punch someone, while others might make you want to kiss them, but epic songs present those emotions on a larger, almost overwhelming scale.
Finally, epic music needs to be at least attempting to say something important. No subversive political messages, tragic tales, or lyrics of any kind are required for this aspect. A song simply needs to convey – through music, lyrics, or both – an acute awareness and connection with something larger than itself, that the music cannot be contained only within the passive and transient act of listening.
Now that I’ve expressed my expectations for music aspiring to earn the title of “epic,” I’m overjoyed to say I’ve just discovered in We’re Here Because We’re Here one of the most epic albums of the past decade.
Inspired by a song that was sung in the Allied trenches of World War I, co-founders and brothers Danny and Vincent Cavanagh developed work that explores the audacity of existence in the midst of destruction. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to call something a “concept album” unless the band’s publicist does it first*, but I think We’re Here presents a powerful and cohesive narrative on finding meaning despite sorrow and certainly deserves the title.
In addition to fulfilling all my “epic” requirements, We’re Here works so well because each song is distinct and provides diversity while also serving the overall searching mood of the album. The ethereal atmosphere of certain tracks is contrasted with the viscerally violent tone of other songs, and all the while we’re joining Anathema in their celebration of man’s unfaltering resilience.
We’re Here Because We’re Here is the rare album that is entertaining, engaging, and, yes, epic all at once — and you can’t beat that.