Alternative 4 has always been my favourite Anathema album. There's really nothing quite like it. I dare say that out of all the big English doom/death bands (Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride) Alternative 4 is probably my favourite album out of the lot. Why such love? Well, partially because I gained a new understanding of the album after listening to Antimatter. Don't get me wrong, there is a compliment in that statement somewhere. Not knowing the writing process of Anathema, I would generally assume (just like any fan would) that the Cavanagh brothers were generally in charge of the whole shebang. I was proven wrong, and I was very embarrassed, and decided never to show my face again - this led to my induction into the Hobo hall of fame. However, I have now emerged from my hermit/hobo lifestyle and have decided to write about Antimatter.
Antimatter is Mick Moss and Duncan Patterson. However, to the best of my knowledge, Mr. Patterson is no longer a part of Antimatter. Planetary Confinement is the duo's latest release, and the final release with Duncan Patterson. Imagine Alternative 4, or any of the other good Anathema albums dissociated into their individual elements (bass, guitars, drums, etc.), and now imagine the electric guitars replaced with acoustics, and the melodies regressed and instead of focusing on a more British doom synth sound, they now sound more like darkwave and electronica. This is essentially my analysis of Planetary Confinement. Here end my comparisons between Anathema and Antimatter, because it must be a real bitch to be compared to a former project all the time. Antimatter finds its inspiration not in creating something new, but by re-inventing previously explored genres. Darkwave and acoustic rock is nothing new, but Antimatter succeeds at creating beautiful music by separating and mixing both elements.
Personally, when I listen to Antimatter, I spend most of my time wondering what Moss and Patterson must be in real life, to develop such a distinctly depressing sound and stick with it album after album. To me, that spells out the real brilliance of Antimatter. The fact that by just listening to the music, I can almost place myself in their frame of mind. It sounds pretty sad, and stalker-related, but eh. To each his own. Moss and Patterson are either the saddest people in the world, or perhaps the angriest.
If you enjoy melancholic acoustic guitar-playing, or darkwave 80's pop related stuff, or Anathema, then have a listen. Samples are available on the band's MySpace page.
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