Antimatter - „Fear of a Unique Identity“

Jaanuaris avastasin, et vanal lemmikul on juba kolm aastat uus album väljas. Antimatteri, kes on ka Eesti paaril korral käinud (Hard Rock Laager 2003, Rockstars 2007, Tapper 2013), hetkel viimane pikem üllitis „Fear of a Unique Identity“ ilmus aastal 2012 ning on väga hea. Sellele eelnes omajagu pikk 5-aastane vaikuseaeg bändi eelviimasest albumist, mis põhjendab ka osaliselt meie kasvamist lahku. Aga siiski mitte täielikult – 2007. aasta „Leaving Eden“il (selsamal eelviimasel albumil) oli mingis mõttes luigelaululine hingekella löömise kõla küljes. Pikad ja aeglased kompositsioonid, raskemeelne kitarrimäng, mis eksleb aga pärale ei jõua ning Mick Moss ise (hetkeks Antimatteri võrdusmärk ja ainus alaline liige) kuidagi eriti väsinud. „Fighting For A Lost Cause“ kõlas albumi lõpulugu, mis paratamatult tekitas küsimuse, ega sellega võitlus ometi jäädavalt lõppegi? Häbenege kõhklejad, vastus on „ei“ ning 2012. aastal tuleb Antimatter tagasi, elujõulisemana kui kunagi varem, peaaegu vihaselt, et tõestada vastupidist. Mick Moss taasavastab elektroonilise muusika ning naaseb sellesse trip-hop-iliku alge juurde, mida võis leida projekti debüütplaadil „Saviour“ (2001). Teisalt on „Fear of a Unique Identity“ agressiivsem, kui bändi kõik varasemad variatsioonid – kärisev kitarri-distortion pole kunagi kuulunud Antimatteri põhiarsenali, kuid niipalju rohkem ja teravam on see, et konkureerib täitsa arvestatavalt näiteks The Fields of The Nephilihmi käredama poolega. Ehk siis, žanripuristile päris metal pole, aga vahepeal juhtub, et Antimatter rokib täiega küll („Paranova“ või „Uniform & Black“). Samas on alles ka see mingisugune kammitsus, mida määratleb kitarri üksildane sõrmitsemine. Meenuvad varasemast loomingust lood nagu „Angels“ või „Legions“, aga seekord on tümakas ka taga. Selles mõttes tuleb albumi pikimas loos „Firewalking“ enim välja ka Antimatteri varasem käekiri. Omaette üllatuse teeb läti päritolu lauljatar Vic Anselmo, kelle partii loos „Monochrome“ on niivõrd iseäralikult nagu The Gatheringi-aegne Anneke van Giersbergen, et petaks ehk van Giersbergeni enda ka ära. Dünaamilisem ja teravam on ka Mossi vokaali- ja lüürikakäsitlus. Laulusõnad kipuvad pigem olema abstraktsed ja retoorilised, kuid õiges kohas õige intonatsiooniga öeldult tekitavad tunde, et tõepoolest jah „to stand alone is to be exposed.“ Ainult albumi nimikmotiivile heidaks ette, et selle kujundiga on juba natukene liiga palju mängitud (minu esimene seos oli Porcupine Tree 2009. aasta album „Fear of a Blank Planet“... mis juba iseenesest viitab Public Enemy 1990. albumile „Fear of a Black Planet“). Eriti õnnestunud on ka loo „Paranova“ refrään, mida pean Antimatteri kümne aasta kõige ägedamaks refrääniks. „Over Your Shoulderi“it siiski üle ei trumpa. Vahest kõige toredam avastus „uue“ Antimatteri albumi puhul on see, et bänd on lõplikult astunud välja Anathema varjust ja läinud täiesti omaette rajale – teatavasti oli projekti üheks algatajaks Anathema endine bassimängija Duncan Patterson ning laivis toimis bänd ka omamoodi Anathema tribüütbändina (mine kuula näiteks 2002. aasta reliisi „A Dream For the Blind“). Kuid aastal 2012 liiguvad kaks bändi sootuks eri suunas ning Antimatter oma unikaalset identiteeti kartma tõepoolest ei pea. Ühtlasi on see kinnitus Mick Mossi jätkuvast energiast luua just Antimatterile ainuomast muusikat, kuigi Patterson enam projektis ei osale.

In January I discovered that an old favourite of mine has had a new album out for three years now. Antimatter – who for a few times (Hard Rock Laager 2003, Rockstars 2007, Tapper 2013) has also visited Estonia – had its latest longer release, “Fear of a Unique Identity”, in 2012 and the album's great. It was preceded by a rather long period of silence from the band's penultimate album, lasting for 5 years, which partially also explains us growing apart. But not quite entirely – the 2007 “Leaving Eden” (this is the band's penultimate album) had in many ways the sense of becoming a swansong album. Long and slow compositions, heavy-hearted guitars that meander but never arrive, and Mick Moss himself (currently the only permanent member of Antimatter) sounding particularly tired. “Fighting For A Lost Cause” was the last song of that album which inevitably begged to ask, is this the end of the struggle altogerher? Well be ashamed, ye disbelievers, the answer is “no” and in 2012 Antimatter returns, more vital than ever, almost angry to prove the opposite. Mick Moss rediscovers electronical music and returns to that trip-hop essence you could find on the project's debut “Saviour” (2001). That being said, “Fear of a Unique Identity” is more aggressive than all the previous variations of the band – distorted guitars have never belonged to the main stock of Antimatter's arsenal, but so much more abundant and pronounced is the distortion that it well competes, for example, with the heavier side of The Fields of the Nephilihim. In other words, not quite metal for a purist, but it does happen that Antimatter rocks hard occasionally (“Paranova” or “Uniform & Black”). At the same time, that certain restraint still remains which is defined by the lonely plucking of the guitar. I am reminded of past songs such as “Angels” or “Legions”, but this time the entire thing has a beat to it. In that sense, it's the album's longest track, “Firewalking”, where Antimatter's previous styles manifest the most. A surprise of its own comes from the Latvian singer Vic Anselmo, whose part in the song “Monochrome” resembles Anneke van Giersbergen from her time in The Gathering to such a degree that van Giersbergen herself would be deceived. More dynamic and pronounced are also Moss' vocals and lyric parts. The lyrics tend to be abstract and rethorical than anything else, but in the right place with the right intonation, one is indeed filled with the sensation that yes “to stand alone is to be exposed.” I only have an issue with the tile theme of the album, as this image has been used a few times too many (my immediate association was Porcupine Tree's 2009. album “Fear of a Blank Planet”... which in itself refers back to the 1990. Public Enemy album “Fear of a Black Planet”). In addition, particularly successful is the chorus for the song “Paranova”, which I consider the coolest Antimatter chorus of the last ten years. It still doesn't beat “Over Your Shoulder” though. Perhaps the greatest discovery about the “new” Antimatter album is the fact that the band has finally come out from Anathema's shadow and moved on to a path completely its own – as you know, one of the initiators of the project was Anathema's former bassist Duncan Patterson and in concerts, the band often functioned as a kinde of Anathema tribute band (go and check the 2002. release “A Dream For The Blind”). But in the year 2012, the two bands are moving on completely different tracks and Antimatter need not be ashamed of it's unique identity indeed. The album is also confirmation of Mick Moss' continuing energy to create music particular to Antimatter, even though Patterson no longer participates in the project.