Anathema
Distant Satellites

An emotional confirmation but with a step forward. I would define "Distant Satellites," the tenth studio work by the British band Anathema, in this way. A band that deserves credit for not resting on the good it has produced (unlike some other bands that often fear losing support) but instead aims to continually innovate, always surprising their fans. A journey that started from the dark doom-metal beginnings, then moved to an atmospheric gothic-rock/metal at the end of the '90s, to alternative rock in the early 2000s, up to the very melodic and symphonic rock of the current decade.

The curiosity in the average Anathema fan is sparked with each new release... but the release of "Distant Satellites" aroused even more curiosity as the band had announced they would be experimenting with electronic sounds. Subsequently, the band revealed further details, clarifying that the new work would contain a little of everything the band has accomplished in its twenty-year career.

From listening, it can be deduced that "Distant Satellites" is not a completely revolutionary record; in fact, most of the tracks make us say it's still an album tied to the sound of the previous two works. Once again, we find ourselves in front of a melodic rock with grand symphonic openings, marked by an indispensable sense of melancholy, once again highlighting the vocal abilities of the two vocalists (particularly the female voice of Lee Douglas). But it absolutely cannot be denied that the last four tracks definitely look forward, exactly as stated. In the last 4 tracks, in fact, the band turns to more driven electronics and even towards unexpected drum'n'bass rhythms, which will inevitably have surprised most listeners. But let's move on to a more accurate description.

The beginning of the album is quite a photocopy of what happened in the previous album "Weather Systems": there were two consecutive parts of a certain "Untouchable" and here we have "The Lost Song"; its parts are three (as already happened with "Eternity"), but the first two are arranged at the beginning almost as if to repeat the pattern of the previous album; just like "Untouchable," the first part of "The Lost Song" is decidedly lively, with an upbeat rhythm but an intense and touching melody led by keyboard passages and heavy symphonic arrangements then followed by massive guitar strokes, as well as a rather peculiar rhythm and an equally intense vocal performance... and in the same way, the second part is slow and reflective, perhaps representing the best vocal demonstration for Lee Douglas within the album. "Dusk (Dark Is Descending)" is instead characterized by a darker melody and gloomier guitar arpeggios that still do not reach the sounds of "Judgement," with a nice piano break in the middle. But the track that personally moved me the most is surely "Ariel," with its slow and reflective progress guided by a soft piano and a melody that gradually intensifies, giving way first to string arrangements and then to the guitar. And now comes the third part of "The Lost Song," which already sounds quite different from the other tracks: the rhythm is energetic and irregular, similar to that of the first part, and also offers a sound crescendo, not entirely dissimilar, but is focused on electric piano sounds accompanied by strange reverberations, before intensifying and once again giving vent to heavy guitar riffs; the sound is then slightly more refined but nothing compares to what's in store. But first, there is another track that aroused quite a bit of curiosity, namely the track that bears the band's name: this one is closer to the previous tracks, focusing once again on piano and orchestral arrangements; personally, it's the track that impressed me the least, it certainly has an intense melody but evokes fewer emotions than the previous tracks (emotionally, my ideal trilogy is formed by "The Lost Song Part 1," "Part 3" and especially "Ariel"); yet it is pointed out by many as a possible future classic in the band's live performances.

Having reached this point, we can say that the album indeed recalls the sounds of the previous two albums without major surprises... surprises that we find in the last 4 tracks. It is precisely here that the band concentrates its experimentation. In "You're Not Alone," for example, heavy electronic percussion in perfect drum'n'bass style appears, alternating with solid guitars that, however, do not reach the metal sound of the early albums as some have said. And it's just the beginning; "Firelight" is a dreamy little track centered on cold electronic reverberations and practically serves as an intro to the following title track "Distant Satellites," where such reverberations are accompanied once again by heavy electronic beats that practically lead the entire track. Heavy and tremendously underground electronics also in the closing "Take Shelter," whose sounds could remind you of the most experimental Radiohead of "Kid A"; to these, however, are added string arrangements and particular vocalisms that vaguely recall Sigur Rós.

At the end of the full listen, one thinks the album is transitional, preserving the more recent sounds but with a decent look forward; however, the band has also subsequently confirmed that it will mark the transition to a new phase. Difficult to say if this will be confirmed in future albums, difficult to say where they will go in the future... but it seems the band wanted to limit electronic experimentation to a few tracks and few sounds to see if the experiment would work, and one immediately thinks that in future works they will delve deeper into such experiments.

Coming to the final judgment, I say that on an emotional level, perhaps the previous two works were more convincing but this one is certainly not to be outdone, Anathema confirms to be a band at the service of emotions and perhaps such confirmation was not even needed. On the level of artistic inspiration, it is hoped that it is indeed a transitional album; an album that automatically raises a duty towards the public, namely that of deepening the discourse begun in the final part of the album. We'll see, in the meantime, let's enjoy this excellent work.