Понедельник 15 Ноя 2010, 10:58

Fri 12 Nov – Anathema, The Ocean, Petter Carlsen

It had been 2 years since the last time "Anathema" had pleased the Roman enthusiasts with a concert, so the time for a triumphant comeback was pretty much perfect: the new album, "We Are Here, Because We Are Here", was released in May and a tour was due to come. Many different bands had the possibility to support for them, "The Ocean" and Petter Carlsen were chosen as opening acts for the Italian part of the tour.

Petter Carsen was the first to step onto the stage: it was a great chance to make new fans for the Norwegian guitarist and singer and he exploited it well enough. His music, very slow and moving, was well acclaimed by a great amount of people and he will sure be remembered by many of them. His performance lasted almost an hour and was soon followed by the next band: "The Ocean". The Germans played only for 25 minutes but the impact on the audience was remarkable: their blasting blend of hardcore and progressive metal was brilliant, powerful and inspired.

Time for showdown. After the very pleasant introduction offered by the opening acts, it was really time for "Anathema" to pick up their instruments and give the Italian fans what they had so long and patiently waited for, and the start was really massive: the first 4 songs from "Judgement" were played immediately, giving the venue that magic melancholic atmosphere characterising their entire discography. The guitars were perfectly tuned, brilliantly blending with Cavanagh's smooth voice. Two songs from "Alternative 4" were to come after the first quartet: "Empty", which was played at a bit faster tempo compared to the studio version, and "Lost Control", always very slow and really touching. "Destiny" and "Balance" paved the way( if it was necessary)
for the next song: "Closer", which was as ever a great display of Cavangh's skill at the keyboard and the voice mixer. "A Natural Disaster" featured Lee Douglas with her amazingly powerful voice along "Anathema's" frontman and deserved the long applause from the crowd. "Judgement" needed no introduction as it's an undisputable masterpiece by itself and it obviously set the audience on fire since the first notes. "Temporary Peace" and "Flying" put an end to the first part of the concert.
"We Are Here, Because We Are Here" is the first album "Anathema" released after 7 years, so the expectations from the loyal fans had been really high and they were not disappointed, even if it's quite different compared to the other pieces of work. It features a lot of female singing( wonderfully mastered by Lee Douglas) and Cavanagh's voice itself has a higher pitch. The atmosphere differs too, becoming perhaps a bit more poignant and gloomy, with a chink of light "visible" at the end. "Thin Air" , "Get In, Get Off" and "Hindsight" are among those great songs and the entire album was delivered to the thirsty audience.

The last 3 songs "Anathema" kept for the ending are probably the most popular ones and the most awaited. "Are You There?" was entirely performed by Daniel Cavenagh and was really appreciated by everyone. "One Last Goodbye" and "Fragile Dreams" were the conclusive songs which beauty can't be described with human words and I won't try to do it….

Thanks again for coming to Rome and I hope to see you soon!