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Distant Satellites
Studio album by Anathema
Released	4 June 2014 (2014-06-04)
Recorded	Cederberg Studios, Oslo
Genre	Progressive pop art rock progressive rock
Length	56:40
Label	Kscope
Producer	Christer-André Cederberg
Anathema chronology
Weather Systems (2012) Distant Satellites (2014) The Optimist (2017)
Singles from Distant Satellites

Distant Satellites (stylised as distant satellites) is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Anathema. It was released in June 2014 via Kscope and reached #33 in the UK album charts.

Background and recording

The album was recorded at Cederberg Studios in Oslo, with producer Christer-André Cederberg, with some songs also mixed by Steven Wilson due to an operation on Cederberg's back.

The artwork was created by Korean new media artist Sang Jun Yoo, and based around his "Distant Light" installation.

The band released a statement on their new album prior to its release:

distant satellites is the culmination of everything ANATHEMA been working up to so far in our musical path. It contains almost every conceivable element of the heartbeat of Anathema music that it is possible to have. There is beauty, intensity, drama, quietude, and extra musical dimensions that the band have previously only hinted at. All built on the song writing chemistry of Daniel, John and Vincent - and the haunting voice of Lee Douglas.

This is the first album to feature Daniel Cardoso as the band's primary drummer, replacing longtime member John Douglas. Douglas has since moved to electronic percussion and keyboards.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Drowned in Sound	8/10
The Guardian
PopMatters
Sputnikmusic	3.7/5
Metalholic

Distant Satellites received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80 based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The album ended the year at the 9th position of the 2014 Metal Hammer best albums list, as well at the 2nd position from Metal Hammer writer Adam Rees.

Despite a generally positive review, Sputnikmusic did lament the familiarity of it all stating, "Anathema stumbled onto musical gold when they crafted the formula used on We're Here Because We're Here. It's a formula they would be crazy to dismiss, and that's probably why they haven't... Overall, Anathema have struck gold for the third time in a row, but for the first time there are some prominent flaws as well."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Daniel Cavanagh, except where noted

Singles

The Lost Song Part 3 Digital Single/EP

1. "The Lost Song Part 3" - 5:22
2. "Coda" (Non-album track) - 1:12
3. "The Lost Song Part 3 (Ambient Mix)" - 5:28

Personnel

Charts

Release history

References

1. Bland, Benjamin (6 June 2014). "Anathema – Distant Satellites review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
2. ^ Ezell, Brice (13 June 2014). "Anathema: distant satellites". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
3. ^ "Anathema on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022.
4. ^ "ANATHEMA: Interview with Vincent Cavanagh". 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
5. ^ "Distant Satellites Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
6. Jurek, Thom. Distant Satellites - Anathema at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
7. Bland, Benjamin (6 June 2014). "Album Review: Anathema - Distant Satellites". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
8. Lawson, Dom (5 June 2014). "Anathema: Distant Satellites review". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
9. ^ Spencer, Trey (6 June 2014). "Review: Anathema - Distant Satellites". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
10. Wani, Owais. "Review: Anathema - Distant Satellites". Metalholic Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
11. "Metal Hammer | Louder".
12. "Metal Hammer | Louder".
13. "Austriancharts.at – Anathema – Distant Satellites" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
14. "Ultratop.be – Anathema – Distant Satellites" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
15. "Ultratop.be – Anathema – Distant Satellites" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
16. "Lescharts.com – Anathema – Distant Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
17. "Officialcharts.de – Anathema – Distant Satellites". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
18. "Artisti - Classifica settimanale WK 25 (dal 16-06-2014 al 22-06-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Anathema – Distant Satellites" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
20. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Anathema – Distant Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
22. "Anathema Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
23. "Anathema Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2014.

• 2014 albums
• Anathema (band) albums
• Kscope albums