Anathema consists of Danny Cavanagh (guitarist), Dave Pybus (bassist), John Douglas (drummer, percussionist), Vincent Cavanagh (guitarist, vocalist).
Anathema is a British band from the city of Liverpool, which together with Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride helped develop the doom death genre.
Anathema was formed in the year of the 1990 under the name of Pagan Angel and in November of that year, the band recorded their first demo, entitled An Iliad of Woes. The switching of names occurred at the beginning of 1991.
Their initial demo caught the attention of a couple of bands from the English metal scene and Anathema then began to play gigs with bands such as Bolt Thrower and Paradise Lost.
The band drew a lot of attention with the release of their second demo - entitled All Faith is Lost - which got Anathema a four-album deal with Peaceville Records. Their first release under the label was The Crestfallen EP in November 1992. With the material from that album the band toured with Cannibal Corpse.
Serenades, their debut LP, attracted a lot of mainstream attention. A music video derived from it - Sweet Tears - even managed to reach MTV's parade.
1994 was the year of Anathema's first European tour, which was closely followed by gigs in the Independent Rock Festival in Brazil.
In May of 1995, vocalist Darren White quit the band. Rather than recruiting a new vocalist, the band decided that guitarist Vincent Cavanagh should assume the vocals. This new formation debuted by touring with Cathedral in the UK.
Later that year, the band released The Silent Enigma, which was a turning point in their careers. The album incorporated changes in the vocal style and introduced much heavier goth elements. Most diehard fans consider this album the beginning of Anathema's metaphorical downfall.
