On paper it looks promising. Mixed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, a band who one will often find mentioned alongside Oceansize as prime exponents of dynamic, layered neo-prog, Anathema occupy expansive rock / metal territory, and 'We're Here Because We're Here' has all the signs of being an expansive sonic colossus of an album.
It starts off promisingly enough, too, the opening salvoes of 'Thin Air' and 'Summernight Horizon' taking the form of sweeping guitar-led epics. I'm reminded of The God Machine, only smoothed out, more layered, more produced. Emotive, but not emo (at least in the lame, limp indie-pop with hair-dye and eyeliner sense we've become accustomed to), instead moving the listener with swells of sound and lyrics delivered with absolute sincerity (as well as musicality).
Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, and certainly not unpleasantly, there's more than a hint of Oceasnsize about 'Summernight Horizon' in its tense yet tuneful approach, littered with changes of tempo and volume dynamics.
Around three tracks in, however, it takes a turn for the lamer, the tracks sliding into mid-pace soulful meanderings of lighter-waving proportions. Some of these are more appealing than others, with 'A Simple Mistake' being atmospheric and drifting for the first half of its eight-minute stretch before building to a spaced out neo-prog monster. I have to admit I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, and as monumental epics go, this is well-executed and expansive. It also stands out like a beacon in the sea of sprawling emo-tinged college-rock numbers that occupy large spaces of the album.
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Penultimate track 'Universal' is another monumental epic that builds to a soaring crescendo worthy of the title. Unfortunately, closer 'Hindgight' fails to achieve quite the same heights, and while pretty in its meandering lead guitar, never quite achieves beauty, and plods a bit too much to be truly spectacular.
Herein lies the problem: there's must not enough range - or rage - to make 'We're Here Because We're Here' nearly as gripping or broad-ranging as it threatens, and ultimately, it simply falls short of the expectation it builds for itself.
http://www.myspace.com/weareanathema
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