10 classic Music For Nations songs

The return of legendary British metal, rock and prog label Music For Nations last month brings with it plans for a host of reissues from its back catalogue, and even new signings. Now is the ideal time to look back at the highlights from the label that brought us Metallica's Master Of Puppets and Tool's Lateralus through the eyes of a former MFN artist Danny Cavanagh, guitarist and songwriter with British progressive rock band Anathama.

As part of Music For Nations' first comeback plans, Anathema's albums Judgement, A Natural Disaster and A Fine Day To Exit will see reissues.

"I'm really happy that after all these years, the Music For Nations era of Anathema music is finally receiving the attention, respect and treatment it deserves," says Danny. "It has been a great pleasure to work on this package. Everything from supplying the additional artwork, the remastering process of the albums, and the chance to add a surprise or two, has been a wonderful process."

Now Danny shares his own memories of the label as a fan, with his favourites from the likes of Metallica, Tool, Paradise Lost and Slayer.

Read on for his song choices.

Anathema are currently touring the UK cathedrals with special acoustic shows at the following dates:

4 March – Leeds Minster
5 March – Exeter Cathedral
6 March – Winchester Cathedral
7 March – Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

The band will also play a special Resonance retrospective show at Shepherds Bush Empire on 16 April.

See Anathema's website for more info.

The band's latest album Distant Satellites was released last year.

"Groovy, simple; a masterpiece of its genre. Hetfield was already showing that he was, and remains, a cut above every one of his peers. He is the reason Metallica did what they did. He needed the others no doubt, but he is the main reason for their brilliance."

"Being young and discovering this band was an essential learning curve. Slayer were groundbreaking and at the top of the tree in terms of what they were doing. Their peak was to come in 1988 but the live version of this with its awesome intro remains a favourite to this day."

"The riff in the chorus proved that Gregor Mackintosh is a total one-off, and the leader of his field. That guitar melody in the chorus still beggars belief sometimes. A true original."

"An amazing vocal melody, amazing writing, amazing lyrics and very poignant for me. I've long, long beaten the bottle but this song's subject matter will remain close to me for its class as a piece of work and its lyric. I've been saying for years Anathema should cover this."

"This song title is better than most of the other 'bandwagon jumping' bands' entire careers. A band with a leader of singular vision, true originality and class in their presentation. My song Violence from our album A Natural Disaster is influenced a little by Cradle."

"Never knew this until we toured with them. It hit me one night how genre-defining this is. Mike [Akerfeldt] is a wonderful player, singer and writer. Very talented lad. Great band around him. The cleanest sounding 'extreme metal' band I have ever heard. Brilliant at what they do."

"Only for my mum. Deeply personal song of loss and love, and yet it seems to have helped to heal many thousands of hearts out there. I am very grateful."

"The best bass player in metal history to my mind, yes including all the ones you're thinking of. We covered this as our opening song in the rebirth of the band in 1999 at Dynamo Festival in Holland. Metallica headlined. We dedicated the song to Cliff."

"Their finest moment? I think so. The vocals were matching the great guitar writing and they came to a zenith here. Wonderful song."

"This band are very special in many ways; the vocalist, the groove, the golden guitar tone. Brilliant art rock. Just on another level. As all greats should be. ANOTHER LEVEL."