Antimatter
„Planetary Confinement“
Dark Rock. CD. 2005

With their third studio album, Planetary Confinement (2005), Antimatter left behind the trip-hob vibes of their first two art/dark rock albums. Antimatter supposedly calls themselves "the saddest band in the world." The music press probably invented that, because Mick Moss is fighting against this label. After Planetary Confinement in 2005, Patterson left Antimatter (to pursue his own career), 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.

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 (2001)
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