Antimatter
„Planetary Confinement“
Dark Rock. CD. 2005

Mick Moss and Duncan Patterson (former bassist of Anathema, now defunct) founded Antimatter in England in 1997. Their first two albums were trip-hop, but with Planetary Confinement (2005), their sound shifted to alternative/dark rock. Antimatter describes themselves as "The saddest band in the world." This is probably a marketing claim; I found both statements online. After Planetary Confinement in 2005, Patterson left Antimatter, and Moss continued on his own. Planetary Confinement received very positive reviews from the press, with two music magazines naming it Album of the Month.

Why did the split occur? I suspect Patterson was no longer satisfied with the musical direction. However, that's pure speculation on my part. The only certainty is that Duncan Patterson continued to pursue his own career.

All the songs are calm and melancholic. There's a lot of acoustic guitar. Drums, keyboards, and electric guitar are used sparingly. There are also percussion, violin, and piano. Besides Mick Moss with his pleasant vocals, Amélie Festa sings the songs written by Patterson just as well. In general, the other guest musicians are well-chosen. 

The songs are imbued with sadness, but also possess a gentle melancholy, sentimentality, and romance. It's hard to say which of the nine tracks are the best. I would definitely recommend listening to "Weight Of The World," "Line Of Fire," and "Epitaph." It's a very well-made dark rock CD.

1. Planetary Confinement
2. The Weight Of The World
3. Line Of Fire
4. Epitaph
5. Mr. White
6. A Portrait Of The Young Man As An Artist
7. Relapse
8. Legions
9. Eternity Part 24

Anyone who wants to listen to relaxing music in the background, or to indulge their sadness, or, like me, simply to listen intently to the beauty of the songs, should definitely check this out. The production is flawless, and so is the sound.

Duncan Patterson – piano, acoustic guitars, bass guitar, keyboards
Mick Moss – acoustic guitars, vocals
Barry Whyte – lead guitar

Guest- Musicians
Amélie Festa – vocals
Mehdi Messouci – additional keyboards on “Relapse”
Alex Mazarguil – djembe
Michael Cronin – drums
Rachel Brewster – violins
Stephen Hughes – bass guitar
Chris Phillips – drums
Sue Marshall – additional vocals on “Legions”

Antimatter – Saviour (2002)
Antimatter – Lights Out (2003)
Antimatter – Planetary Confinement (2005)
Antimatter – Leaving Eden (2007)
Antimatter – Alternative Matter (2010)
Antimatter – Fear Of A Unique Identity (2012)
Antimatter – The Judas Table (2015)

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this review.
©05.12.2025