Anata
Encyclopedia
Anata is a technical death metal
band from Varberg
, Sweden that formed in 1993.
To date, they have released two demo
s, four album
s and a split album
with Bethzaida. In 2005, they completed recordings for an album titled The Conductor's Departure, released in June 2006 on Earache Records
/Wicked World Records. Anata have toured Europe with death metal acts such as Dismember
, Decapitated
, Rotting Christ
, and Psycroptic
. In 2006 Anata played at Maryland Deathfest
, Baltimore
, their first United States appearance to date. Anata have also performed at festivals in Europe such as Fuck the Commerce
, Neurotic Deathfest, and Gothenburg Deathfest.
structures employing whole-
and half-step
harmony, as well as dissonant
chords. As their music relies greatly on melody and counterpoint, in contrast to most death metal bands who focus more on moving chords and percussive effects (especially complex palm muting patterns), they are sometimes labeled melodic death metal
. However, most fans consider this to be an inaccurate characterization, as the term generally refers to a particular style of death metal, namely, the "Gothenburg metal" sound pioneered by bands like In Flames
and Dark Tranquillity
, rather than simply death metal with a strong melodic element. Anata, though hailing from Sweden (considered the birthplace of melodic death metal), bears little resemblance to these bands; they bear a stronger resemblance to technical death metal pioneers such as Cynic
and Atheist
, who also employed a great deal of counterpoint (for both bands, the two guitars and bass are rarely playing the same part). However, Anata has little of the jazz fusion
influences that Cynic or Atheist had, instead fusing the contrapuntal style with the modern technical death metal style of bands such as Psycroptic and Decapitated.
Technical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...
band from Varberg
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, Sweden that formed in 1993.
To date, they have released two demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s, four album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and a split album
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
with Bethzaida. In 2005, they completed recordings for an album titled The Conductor's Departure, released in June 2006 on Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
/Wicked World Records. Anata have toured Europe with death metal acts such as Dismember
Dismember (band)
Dismember was a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1988. They are well known in the death metal underground. They split up in October 2011.-History:...
, Decapitated
Decapitated (band)
Decapitated is a death metal band that formed in Krosno, Poland in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski and Austrian drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Decapitated have gained recognition as one of the genre's most widely respected...
, Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene.- Line-up :...
, and Psycroptic
Psycroptic
-External links:**...
. In 2006 Anata played at Maryland Deathfest
Maryland Deathfest
Maryland Deathfest is an annual extreme music festival held in or near Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The festival mostly features death metal and grindcore bands. It has always occurred during Memorial Day weekend each year....
, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, their first United States appearance to date. Anata have also performed at festivals in Europe such as Fuck the Commerce
Fuck the Commerce
Fuck the Commerce is a metal music festival in Germany. It took place annually in Neiden, Saxony, till 2008 and it was first held in 1997. The 2007 edition was held on May 16, May 17, May 18 and May 19, 2007.-2007 lineup:*Ars Mortis*Blasphemer...
, Neurotic Deathfest, and Gothenburg Deathfest.
Musical style
Their style employs significant and unique use of dissonance, including contrapuntalCounterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
structures employing whole-
Major second
In Western music theory, a major second is a musical interval spanning two semitones, and encompassing two adjacent staff positions . For example, the interval from C to D is a major second, as the note D lies two semitones above C, and the two notes are notated on adjacent staff postions...
and half-step
Minor second
In modern Western tonal music theory a minor second is the interval between two notes on adjacent staff positions, or having adjacent note letters, whose alterations cause them to be one semitone or half-step apart, such as B and C or C and D....
harmony, as well as dissonant
Distortion (guitar)
Distortion effects create "warm", "dirty" and "fuzzy" sounds by compressing the peaks of a musical instrument's sound wave and adding overtones. The three principal types of distortion effects are overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Distortion effects are sometimes called “gain” effects, as distorted...
chords. As their music relies greatly on melody and counterpoint, in contrast to most death metal bands who focus more on moving chords and percussive effects (especially complex palm muting patterns), they are sometimes labeled melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
. However, most fans consider this to be an inaccurate characterization, as the term generally refers to a particular style of death metal, namely, the "Gothenburg metal" sound pioneered by bands like In Flames
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...
and Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene, and are one of the most integral pioneers of the melodic death metal genre of music....
, rather than simply death metal with a strong melodic element. Anata, though hailing from Sweden (considered the birthplace of melodic death metal), bears little resemblance to these bands; they bear a stronger resemblance to technical death metal pioneers such as Cynic
Cynic (band)
Cynic is an American progressive rock band, incorporating experimental music, alternative, metal and jazz fusion elements, founded in Miami, Florida and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Their first album, Focus, released on September 14, 1993, is widely regarded as a landmark release of...
and Atheist
Atheist (band)
Atheist is a technical death metal band from Florida, founded in 1984, whose music combines metal riffs with subtle Latin music arrangements and jazz fusion.- History :...
, who also employed a great deal of counterpoint (for both bands, the two guitars and bass are rarely playing the same part). However, Anata has little of the jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
influences that Cynic or Atheist had, instead fusing the contrapuntal style with the modern technical death metal style of bands such as Psycroptic and Decapitated.
Discography
- Bury Forever the Garden of Lie (Demo, 1995)
- Vast Lands of My Infernal Dominion (Demo, 1997)
- The Infernal Depths of HatredThe Infernal Depths of HatredThe Infernal Depths of Hatred is Anata's first full length album, released on Season of Mist Records.-Track listing:#"Released When You Are Dead" – 4:22#"Let the Heavens Hate" – 3:49#"Under Azure Skies" – 5:39#"Vast Lands / Infernal Gates" - 5:07...
(CD, Season of MistSeason of MistSeason of Mist is a record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pagan metal and death metal records, the label moved on to releasing...
, 1998) - WAR Vol. II - Anata vs. Bethzaida (1999, split albumSplit albumA split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
with Bethzaida) - Dreams of Death and DismayDreams of Death and DismayDreams of Death and Dismay is Anata's 2nd full-length album. It was released by Season of Mist Records.-Track listing:#"Die Laughing" – 3:58#"Faith, Hope, Self-Deception" – 5:26#"God of Death" – 3:55#"Metamorphosis by the Well of Truth" - 4:37...
(CD, Season of MistSeason of MistSeason of Mist is a record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pagan metal and death metal records, the label moved on to releasing...
, 2001) - Under a Stone With No InscriptionUnder a Stone with No InscriptionUnder a Stone with No Inscription is Anata's 3rd full-length album. It was released by Wicked World Records.-Track listing:#"Shackled To Guilt" – 3:48#"A Problem Yet To Be Solved" – 3:47#"Entropy Within" – 4:05#"Dance To The Song Of Apathy" - 4:39...
(CD, 2004) - The Conductor's DepartureThe Conductor's DepartureThe Conductor's Departure is Anata's 4th full-length album. It was released by Earache Records. This album continues their unique use of dissonant chords, this time with more of a focus on melody than speed.-Track listing:-Personnel:...
(CD, 2006) - Greed Conquers All (CD, 2011)
Current members
- Fredrik Schälin − lead vocals, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Henrik Drake − bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Conny Pettersson − drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Former members
- Mattias SvenssonMattias SvenssonMattias Svensson is a Swedish libertarian writer and political commentator. He is currently working as an editor at the Swedish libertarian magazine Neo....
− guitar (1993–1996) - Martin Sjöstrand − bass (1993–1996)
- Robert Petersson − drums (1993–2001)
- Andreas Allenmark − guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1997–2008)
Official websites
- Anata official homepage
- Anata at Earache RecordsEarache RecordsEarache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
- Anata at Relapse RecordsRelapse RecordsRelapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
Anata at online databases
- Anata at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Anata at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...
- Anata at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Anata at MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- Anata @ The Gauntlet