The eclectic world of post-metal music is an exciting sphere of musical creativity where the possibilities are infinite. The UK’s ANTIMATTER follow this path of the less-is-more/anything-goes approach of artists such as ULVER and IN THE WOODS…. Formed upon Duncan Patterson’s exit from doom legends, ANATHEMA, the duo, completed by Mick Moss, have created an eclectic entity that paints an atmospheric landscape with the use of both electronic and traditional instrumentation. Heavy metal or dance music this is certainly not. The new album, Lights Out is another solid work of emotional and musical depth. APESHIT spoke with Patterson to learn more about their “no gimmicks” approach to music.

APESHIT: Congrats on writing another successful album with Lights Out. You have managed to beat the dreaded “sophomore slump.” How do you feel about how the album turned out in the end?

Duncan: I’m happy with it. I was always confident in the strength of the songs anyway but I had to make sure it sounded good as well.

APESHIT: So there is nothing that you change about it?

Duncan: Change?

APESHIT: Like if you had the chance to alter anything about the final product.

Duncan: Ah, no. There’s no point thinking like that. I’m experienced enough to know that now.

APESHIT: Cool. It always disappoints me as a fan to hear that bands are always dissatisfied with the final product.

Duncan: Yeah, I know what you mean. I had the same thing with TROUBLE. Manic Frustration is one of my all time favourites and I told them this. But they said they were unhappy with the way it turned out.

APESHIT: If you were to briefly describe ANTIMATTER’s sound to someone who hasn’t heard you guys before, how you describe it?

Duncan: Hmm…tough one…dark atmospheric songs. I can’t really say rock and I can’t really say electronic.

APESHIT: Maybe just a unique sound combining elements from both?

Duncan: Well yeah, but I cant really describe all that in a single phrase if you know what I mean. (laughs)

APESHIT: Yeah, I understand. I have a hard time accurately describing the band to other people too. Can you briefly give me a history of how you and Mick Moss met and decided to form the band?

Duncan: I’ve known Mick since we were about 13 years old. He started playing bass and that as he got older and writing his own stuff. During the period when I was weighing up whether to leave ANATHEMA or not, I really got into what Mick was writing so I asked him if he wanted to collaborate on an album and he agreed.

APESHIT: Lights Out is a more dark and ambient album than Savior. Can you explain why there was this particular shift in the sound? Was it a conscious decision?

Duncan: Yeah, of course. We are well aware of what we’re doing. I’m not too keen on some of the sounds used on Saviour. We were rushed in the studio on that album. So for Lights Out, we made sure things improved and that’s why the production is 100 times better. The songs are dark and atmospheric so the production had to match that.

APESHIT: Yeah, the production is stellar on Lights Out.

Duncan: Thanks.

APESHIT: Your lyrics seem to be really personal and melancholy. I think that fans can really identify with the band through these lyrics. Can you tell me what kind of inspiration went behind writing the lyrics for the new album?

Duncan: I think its quite obvious the kind of stuff that inspired the lyrics. They’re not that cryptic really. If people can identify with it then it’s obviously real and honest. I don’t understand people who say they can relate to fiction lyrics…well, maybe troubled teenagers.

APESHIT: (Laughs) Yeah. I don’t know if one could seriously say that they can relate to a song about slaying dragons and storming a castle.

Duncan: (Laughs) Yeah. But you know all the pseudo-emotional crap that’s popular now. I’m not gonna mention any bands but there’s enough of them. “I wept underneath the moon, she sighed in the forest.” Oh it means so much to me. (laughs)

APESHIT: Can you explain how you guys write the songs? Do you guys write the songs separately at home and then come together and work on the finished product? At what time in the songwriting process do Hayley Windsor (additional vocals) and Michelle Richfield (additional vocals) come into the picture?

Duncan: We live in different countries so we write separately. Then all the stuff goes onto my computer and I get basic sounds together. Then we work it all out together in the studio. Michelle and Hayley don’t write any of the stuff.

APESHIT: So they just come at the end to record their parts, right?

Duncan: Yea, sure. They are guest singers.

APESHIT: Are there any bands in particular that influence your unique sound?

Duncan: I dunno. Roger Waters (PINK FLOYD) is my biggest influence. I try to make music that is missing from my own record collection…stuff that other people aren’t doing.

APESHIT: ANTIMATTER can definitely appeal to a wide range of people with different musical tastes. Can you describe your fan base at all? You obviously have fans from the metal scene due to the ANATHEMA connection. Have you noticed that when playing live that there are a variety of different people in the audience?

Duncan: Nah, it’s mostly ANATHEMA fans at the moment, which isn’t really a bad thing at all. But we are capable of widening our fan base.

APESHIT: You guys strictly perform acoustically when playing live right? Are there any plans in the future to perform with a full band at all?

Duncan: Hopefully, yeah. But it will take a lot of preparation getting musicians who are available and getting time off work, families, etc. Plus, we also have to pay them. It’s not such a simple task.

APESHIT: ANTIMATTER made its first trek over to the States with AGALLOCH and VIRGIN BLACK just this past spring. What was the experience like? Where did you receive the best crowd reaction?

Duncan: I was a good experience on the whole. I’d never been to the States before that so it was interesting. The best reaction was probably in Phoenix, Arizona. Everyone turned up in AT THE GATES t-shirts and that…death metal kids basically. But they were great to us and were fairly quiet during our set. There was only one of the local bands who were ill mannered but only cos I bollocked the drummer while we were trying to soundcheck. He was hitting his kit while we were getting our sound together. He obviously thought cos we weren’t death metal that we were soft or something. But he sure got the message from me when I shouted at him.

APESHIT: I got a chance to see you guys in Los Angeles. It was a very nice set. I just wish it lasted longer.

Duncan: You must have been early then. It was ok for me anyway cos I had time to get a tattoo over the road. (laughs)

APESHIT: You’ve been in this business for quite some time now and you must’ve seen and experience a lot of things. What are your biggest impressions of the music industry?

Duncan: It’s all bullshit (laughs). Well 99% of it is but unfortunately, if you wanna make music and release it then you have to be part of the system in some way.

APESHIT: What has been the most memorable experience for you as a musician so far?

Duncan: The shows this year in Athens and Istanbul.

APESHIT: I heard that the crowd reactions were great.

Duncan: Yeah, it was so rewarding to have nights like that. I booked the gigs myself and through friends. So it was all totally independent, which proves we can still exist without being on a big label or having a booking agent and also have great nights.

APESHIT: It’s the true “punk rock” way of doing things.

Duncan: Sure. But even more hardcore than that cos a lot of that (punk rock) is image based. ‘Hey we’re so underground etc..’ I actually do it cos I truly despise most of the agents and that.

APESHIT: What advice would you give to young kids just starting out in this business?

Duncan: I would build things up in a smart way. Try and get on lot’s of gigs and save money for a decent recording. Then start pressing your own stuff in small runs. I wish we would have done that in ANATHEMA cos then you know what you are capable of and what you want from a label when you eventually get offered a deal. When we signed to Peaceville, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing. We just did as we were told basically. Mind you, I was only 16 when we were offered the deal.

APESHIT: If you could tour with any bands/artists right now, who would they be?

Duncan: I’d like to open for Roger Waters.

APESHIT: What albums/bands are you currently listening to right now?

Duncan: I listen to all kinds of stuff. Right now I’m listening to THE POGUES. Roger Waters, John Lennon and Roy Harper are probably my favourite artists. But I like a lot of electronic stuff too. Evil twisted stuff…

APESHIT: Have you had the displeasure of listening to the new METALLICA album, St. Anger?

Duncan: No. I’m not interested in hearing it. I couldn’t bear The Black Album. It was aimed at middle class kids and was successful in that way. But now look at the metal scene, it’s dire in my opinion.

APESHIT: There are a trillion bands that have nothing really to say with their music.

Duncan: Yeah, it’s all safe bet stuff now. As long as the kids buy it who cares? It’s sad really.

APESHIT: Yeah, it destroys the idealistic image of metal that I’ve had when I was younger.

Duncan: Yeah, that’s well gone now.

APESHIT: Do you have anything that you would like to say to the fans out there?

Duncan: Thanks for the support! We can only keep doing this while people are interested.

» Check out APESHIT’S review of ANTIMATTER’s latest album, Lights Out.