Gloom rock merchants Antimatter have been around the block a few times so it will come as no surprise that this latest release is every much of the calibre we’ve come to expect. For the uninitiated, there have been two members of Anathema involved in this band so if you imagine them with Eddie Vedder on vocals you are probably in the right ball park (seriously, I was getting major Pearl Jam vibes off the vocals on this one – just listen to the title track).

This is Antimatter’s first studio release in five years and the longest hiatus since the unit was formed in 1998. The driving force Mick Moss plays most of the instruments and his lyrics hone in on feelings of being out of sync with the rest of society. Fear of a Unique Identity is musically heavier than some of the more acoustic previous efforts (such as 2005’s Planetary Confinement) but either way the emotional bulls eye of this type of music, as you might suspect, hardly relies on the heaviness of the sound. The vocals are without doubt the central feature but the electronic rock that goes with them helps produce quite an oppressive cocktail through the nine tracks. It’s perhaps slightly more approachable than some of the previous releases but, as with sister band Anathema, it’s all too melancholy to be truly accessible. Even for those of us used to hearing some pretty intense stuff this is cleverly dark, heavy and emotionally draining stuff.

It ranges from almost radio-friendly chorus hooks like Firewalking and the gloomy, ominous ballad Here Come The Men to the more intense moments like Monochrome – complete with female vocals provided by Vic Anselmo. Then the final few tracks take the listener from the most melodic the band has to offer, with Wide Awake in the Concrete Asylum, to the most eerily baleful A Place in the Sun – with its horror movie glockenspiel refrain.

Fans of this type of music are going to love this and so will anyone who, like me, has found themselves occasionally dipping into bands like Anathema. and the central theme – those in society that are more keen to follow others than find their own path – will surely resonate with anyone that has read this far. But if you are planning repeated listens over a short space of time it might be wise to remove any sharp objects from the house or at least have the phone number for the Samaritans close to hand.

(8.5/10 Reverend Darkstanley)

http://www.antimatteronline.com/