Anathema

Internal Landscapes 2008-2018

Stirring highlights from the prog Scousers’ KScope years. In 2008, Anathema left the doom-metal underground to pursue a more boundary-pushing brand of emotional heft; they were one of the first signees to progressive label KScope. Their music since then has been called many things – progressive, postprogressive, alternative – but it’s all been the product of experience, with founders Danny and Vincent Cavanagh channelling their own fraught past into powerful sounds.

Where ‘Best Of’-type compilations often accentuate the pre-eminence of former glories, Internal Landscapes is notable for its sense of careerspanning quality, even improvement over time. Some (this writer included) would say last year’s The Optimist was their strongest album yet. Which makes the three tracks from it here, including live hit Springfield, especially welcome. By contrast, 2014’s Distant Satellites is weaker but, oddly, works well as a reflection on an important part of their journey – i.e. Vincent deciding to ‘go electronic’ for the first time. Alongside these more obvious gems are one or two surprises (an acoustic Are You There?, an orchestral J’ai Fait

Une Promesse).

A sometimes gut-wrenching listen, Internal Landscapes is not without moments of light, and offers a captivating slice of one of the UK’s finest bands.