Duncan Patterson — bassist and one of the composers of ANATHEMA — left the band after one of the Liverpudlians' most significant albums, 1998's "Alternative 4," where his compositional talent manifested in full force. Soon afterward, the project ANTIMATTER emerged, in which Duncan collaborated on songwriting with old friend Mick Moss, although they worked almost independently of each other. While Moss composed songs dominated by acoustics and his own vocals, Patterson veered toward the ambient side with female vocals. Unfortunately, after the release of "Planetary Confinement" (2005), the framework of a single project became too confining, and Duncan created his own under the name ION, leaving all rights to ANTIMATTER to Mick.
ION's music bears a clear resemblance to the compositions Duncan wrote for his previous project. Melodies played on various folk instruments have been added, performed by guest musicians from around the world. For russian listeners, the presence of compatriot Emilia A. Saaen (Moon Far Away, Altera Forma, Canonis, and many other projects) on lead vocals is of particular interest — she performed virtually all the vocal parts on the album, most of them in Latin, incidentally. One of the exceptions is the main "hit" on the album, the folk song "Goodbye Johnny Dear," in English, naturally.
And while the minimalism and ambient tinge in Patterson's compositions for his recent projects still invites comparison, the overall atmosphere of the music is somewhat different. Where ANTIMATTER is permeated through and through with airy sadness and the melancholy of a warm autumn morning, ION is ruled by an atmosphere of detachment and the cold loneliness of snowless winter twilight.
Naturally, ION does not aspire to commercial success, but Duncan does not need that — it is a purely personal project that has finally allowed the author to fully open up and realize himself. And the circle of sincere admirers of the talented Irishman will gain more than one grateful listener.