Anathema are the Liverpool band who made one of the most remarkable journeys in modern music — from death/doom metal pioneers to creators of soaring, emotional atmospheric prog. Led by the Cavanagh brothers, they turned catharsis into some of the most affecting music of their era. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “Untouchable Part 1”, “Untouchable Part 2”, “Fragile Dreams” and “One Last Goodbye” — a euphoric rush, its heartbreaking other half, the beloved early classic and a devastating elegy. The full ranking is below.

From doom to the heavens

Few bands have travelled as far as Anathema. Formed in Liverpool in 1990, they began as death/doom metal pioneers — one of the genre-defining “Peaceville Three” alongside Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride — before shedding their heaviness, album by album, to become one of progressive rock’s most emotionally overwhelming acts. By the modern era of We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010) and the masterpiece Weather Systems (2012), the Cavanagh brothers were crafting soaring, Floydian, orchestral prog built on swelling crescendos, twin vocals and naked emotion. The band went on indefinite hiatus in 2020, with their split confirmed in 2024, but the catalogue they left behind is extraordinary. These fifteen songs are the best of it.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing composition, emotion, ambition and lasting impact across their dramatic evolution. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sit the two halves of their masterpiece: “Untouchable Part 1” (2012), a euphoric, cascading rush of guitars, and “Untouchable Part 2” (2012), its heartbreaking piano-led other half — together the emotional summit of Weather Systems. With them: “Fragile Dreams” (1998), the beloved classic that first hinted at the band they would become; “One Last Goodbye” (1999), a devastating tribute to the Cavanagh brothers’ late mother; “Dreaming Light” (2010), the luminous heart of We’re Here Because We’re Here; and “Internal Landscapes” (2012), the spoken-word-haunted closer that ends Weather Systems in tears.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Are You There?” (2003) and the title track “A Natural Disaster” (2003) showcase Lee Douglas’s aching vocals; “Thin Air” (2010) soars as high as anything they recorded; “Distant Satellites” (2014) pushes their sound toward electronica without losing the emotion; and “Deep” (1999) is a churning highlight of Judgement.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “A Dying Wish” (1995) is a towering moment from their gothic-metal era; “Universal” (2010) became a live anthem, especially with full orchestra; “Anathema” (2014) was named Anthem of the Year at the Progressive Music Awards; and “Springfield” (2017) is one of the most powerful things on their final album, The Optimist.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with “Untouchable Part 1”, then the rest of Weather Systems — their masterpiece. From there, We’re Here Because We’re Here and the fan-favourite Judgement are the essential albums, with the conceptual A Fine Day to Exit and its sequel The Optimist rewarding deeper exploration.

The players

Anathema were, at heart, a family affair — three Cavanagh brothers (Vincent on vocals and guitar, Daniel on guitar, keyboards and the bulk of the songwriting, and Jamie on bass) alongside two Douglas siblings, drummer John and singer Lee, whose voice became central to their later sound. Keyboardist and drummer Daniel Cardoso joined in 2012. The band grew out of the death/doom scene with original singer Darren White and early songwriter Duncan Patterson, then transformed utterly across three decades. After announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2020, Anathema confirmed their split in 2024; Daniel Cavanagh now continues their legacy in the project Weather Systems, while Vincent records as The Radicant.

Why they still matter

Anathema proved that a band could shed its entire identity and emerge as something more powerful — turning death metal into some of the most uplifting progressive music ever made. Their atmospheric, emotional sound shares deep kinship with Steven Wilson’s Porcupine Tree (whose leader mixed two of their albums), as well as Riverside and The Pineapple Thief, while the towering influence of Pink Floyd runs through every crescendo. Few bands have ever moved listeners quite so deeply.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best Anathema albums, find an entry point with where to start with Anathema, or dig into the underrated Anathema albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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