A journey through light and shadow
October 20th. Anathema fans will have a damn good reason to reach the record store alive. The new album A Natural Disaster will be easy to find in the shelves. With sounding titles as Harmonium, Flying and Violence Anathema brings the honour back to their spherical reputation. The lyrics seem to be sprouted out of the inner soul of Danny Cavanagh. So it doesnt seem uninteresting to ask for some explanation.
I wrote the numbers already 2, 3 years ago. I just took my acoustic guitar at home and gathered some melodies. That was when we were recording A Fine Day to Exit. We had a whole bunch of riffs and keyboard material that didnt make it on the album. But now, 2 years later, we had the idea putting the finished songs on a cd before working on new material.
What was your biggest inspiration for A Natural Disaster?
I wrote the tracks during a very bad period in my life. I was spaced out and I was messed up inside, because of using drugs no hard drugs, but still. The track closer is a nice example from this period. One part of the lyrics goes your dream is a scary place to be trapped inside and thats about being under influence. All the tracks are written in that period and theyre very personal. Thats why I dont like talking a lot about it. But now I feel a lot better, so is the band (chuckles). I rather want to make the listener think about how the lyrics are reflecting their own life, than letting them speculate how it was in my case.
You describe the album as a journey through light and shadow, love and hate, yin and yang. Do you feel yourself attracted to the oriental elements in your lyrics?
Sure. Ying and yang were already a symbol to me when I was a child. Im always seeking for a balance in my spirit and in my life in general. I like to be inspired through the elements of nature. Im not a paganistic songwriter but sometimes Im really close (chuckles). I just love the dualistic aspect of the nature, how it fills up a gap, to say it with different words. So you can draw the line to your own life. You gotta take the rough with the smooth. So yeah that sorts of things.
Childhood dream sounds as a happy youth remembrance. Was their some sort of chemic between you and your brothers (Vinnie & Jamie) while writing the song?
Well, we just got a tune that made me think about the carefree life of a child, for whom the world was till something special. By the way, its the voice of Les (Smith, keyboard MDK) little boy that you hear on that track. Its a very tender and fragile song, so we placed it before a heavy track on the album. This way we made it clear how a nice dream can be interrupted at once.
That heavy track is called Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second, one of my favourites on the album with Harmonium and Violence.
The heavier tracks on the cd. I see, hehe. I like Balance, Closer and the title track more. It always makes me smiling a bit when metal fans are considering that track as a good one. It will kick ass on Graspop (smirks). In Pulled Under... I tried to express that Ive been through a dark time in my life. It was like they pulled the soil underneath my feet, some sort of free fall. My life that I was building for 24 years disappeared entirely. But that's past. Im back now! (laughs) In the beginning the band didnt know what to do with the track. Except Jamie (bass), he knew what to do from the start. At last we came to a point where everybody was satisfied with the track.
The title track is for this time almost sung completely by a woman...
Indeed! It just sounded wonderful with Lee (Douglas MDK) behind the microphone. Shes a good singer with a wonderful voice, and shes a good mate with the band. Shes Johns (drummer) sister. It gives the song another perspective when a woman sings in the lyrics, in my opinion. She can she an octave higher as well, and that makes it more dynamic. We were about to sing the track together, but when Lee began to sing I thought Oh no, I am not getting that high (laughs). So she sang most of it herself.
What do you mean with the title A Natural Disaster?
A natural disaster does not have to be a flood or an earthquake. So may a certain period in your life be a natural disaster, so it counts for hatred between family members and even for war. Shortly said, the human failure. We stay part of the nature and our failure is part of that as well. The title reminds of the things that happened in Iraq as well. Its the natural cause of 5000 years of history. Humans are just like that. The aggression is into their genes.
How would you describe the prominent atmosphere on the whole album?
(thinks) Saying goodbye from all the mistakes you made in the past and going onward. Well you dont need to find out until the bone. Like I said already before: Every listener needs to find out how the music reflects his own life.
This one may be a difficult question. But what do Anathema fans find themselves in your music.
I think its honesty. Well, I hope they find this honesty back. The music is some sort of conscientious interpretation of ourselves.
Is there a tour planned?
Well play in the UK in December and in 2004 we go to the mainland. We have been awhile in Belgium and Holland, so it can take awhile for coming back. But before we tour into Europe I want to finish another album. It doesnt need to be recorded yet, but I rather finish it, you know. A Natural Disaster is mainly my work, but the other members have loads of ideas as well, which they want to put on a cd. Especially John has loads of stuff and we want to write all these things in the next 3 months.
Okay, thanks for your time and explanations.
You too. Best wishes for everybody in Belgium and hopefully we see you soon!
October 20th. Anathema fans will have a damn good reason to reach the record store alive. The new album A Natural Disaster will be easy to find in the shelves. With sounding titles as Harmonium, Flying and Violence Anathema brings the honour back to their spherical reputation. The lyrics seem to be sprouted out of the inner soul of Danny Cavanagh. So it doesnt seem uninteresting to ask for some explanation.
I wrote the numbers already 2, 3 years ago. I just took my acoustic guitar at home and gathered some melodies. That was when we were recording A Fine Day to Exit. We had a whole bunch of riffs and keyboard material that didnt make it on the album. But now, 2 years later, we had the idea putting the finished songs on a cd before working on new material.
What was your biggest inspiration for A Natural Disaster?
I wrote the tracks during a very bad period in my life. I was spaced out and I was messed up inside, because of using drugs no hard drugs, but still. The track closer is a nice example from this period. One part of the lyrics goes your dream is a scary place to be trapped inside and thats about being under influence. All the tracks are written in that period and theyre very personal. Thats why I dont like talking a lot about it. But now I feel a lot better, so is the band (chuckles). I rather want to make the listener think about how the lyrics are reflecting their own life, than letting them speculate how it was in my case.
You describe the album as a journey through light and shadow, love and hate, yin and yang. Do you feel yourself attracted to the oriental elements in your lyrics?
Sure. Ying and yang were already a symbol to me when I was a child. Im always seeking for a balance in my spirit and in my life in general. I like to be inspired through the elements of nature. Im not a paganistic songwriter but sometimes Im really close (chuckles). I just love the dualistic aspect of the nature, how it fills up a gap, to say it with different words. So you can draw the line to your own life. You gotta take the rough with the smooth. So yeah that sorts of things.
Childhood dream sounds as a happy youth remembrance. Was their some sort of chemic between you and your brothers (Vinnie & Jamie) while writing the song?
Well, we just got a tune that made me think about the carefree life of a child, for whom the world was till something special. By the way, its the voice of Les (Smith, keyboard MDK) little boy that you hear on that track. Its a very tender and fragile song, so we placed it before a heavy track on the album. This way we made it clear how a nice dream can be interrupted at once.
That heavy track is called Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second, one of my favourites on the album with Harmonium and Violence.
The heavier tracks on the cd. I see, hehe. I like Balance, Closer and the title track more. It always makes me smiling a bit when metal fans are considering that track as a good one. It will kick ass on Graspop (smirks). In Pulled Under... I tried to express that Ive been through a dark time in my life. It was like they pulled the soil underneath my feet, some sort of free fall. My life that I was building for 24 years disappeared entirely. But that's past. Im back now! (laughs) In the beginning the band didnt know what to do with the track. Except Jamie (bass), he knew what to do from the start. At last we came to a point where everybody was satisfied with the track.
The title track is for this time almost sung completely by a woman...
Indeed! It just sounded wonderful with Lee (Douglas MDK) behind the microphone. Shes a good singer with a wonderful voice, and shes a good mate with the band. Shes Johns (drummer) sister. It gives the song another perspective when a woman sings in the lyrics, in my opinion. She can she an octave higher as well, and that makes it more dynamic. We were about to sing the track together, but when Lee began to sing I thought Oh no, I am not getting that high (laughs). So she sang most of it herself.
What do you mean with the title A Natural Disaster?
A natural disaster does not have to be a flood or an earthquake. So may a certain period in your life be a natural disaster, so it counts for hatred between family members and even for war. Shortly said, the human failure. We stay part of the nature and our failure is part of that as well. The title reminds of the things that happened in Iraq as well. Its the natural cause of 5000 years of history. Humans are just like that. The aggression is into their genes.
How would you describe the prominent atmosphere on the whole album?
(thinks) Saying goodbye from all the mistakes you made in the past and going onward. Well you dont need to find out until the bone. Like I said already before: Every listener needs to find out how the music reflects his own life.
This one may be a difficult question. But what do Anathema fans find themselves in your music.
I think its honesty. Well, I hope they find this honesty back. The music is some sort of conscientious interpretation of ourselves.
Is there a tour planned?
Well play in the UK in December and in 2004 we go to the mainland. We have been awhile in Belgium and Holland, so it can take awhile for coming back. But before we tour into Europe I want to finish another album. It doesnt need to be recorded yet, but I rather finish it, you know. A Natural Disaster is mainly my work, but the other members have loads of ideas as well, which they want to put on a cd. Especially John has loads of stuff and we want to write all these things in the next 3 months.
Okay, thanks for your time and explanations.
You too. Best wishes for everybody in Belgium and hopefully we see you soon!
Its well interesting. for dutch speaking lads, you can find the original here 
