Label : Equilibrium Music
Review by Stina
There are very few people in music who can lay claim to hold an influential status as much as Duncan Patterson – not much can be said about the musician (British by birth, globetrotter by vocation) that hasn’t been articulated in some form or fashion in recent and not so recent past. Thankfully enough, Duncan also happens to be one of those Artists whose Music speaks more than any word could possibly do. After contributing to spawn a whole genre with Anathema and embarking on a sorrowful journey with Antimatter, time has been up for Duncan to embrace a spiritual and creative turning point that led him to the creation of Íon, marking his move away from the claustrophobic, hopeless end of the emotional spectrum explored with the previous bands, and a sojourn into more soothing, luminous realms, pervaded and dominated by the effortless grace of the feminine. Since the figure of the female vocalist gained foothold in metal and related genres, it’s always been easy to get tired of the sizable exploitation of the female presence on behalf of the bands which settle the mainstream metal scene, often with no other purpose than mercantile tactics. In Íon, the female presence conveyed through a plethora of talented guests from all over the world is none of this, but rather a defining mean to shape a concept of spirituality inspired by archetypical feminine qualities – this is what lends Íon’s music its calming, peaceful and nurturing allure.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Immaculada
- Temptation
- Adoration
- Damhsa Na Gceithre Ghaoth
- Invidia
- Cetatea Cisnadioara
- The Silent Stars
- Return To Spirit
Line Up
- Duncan Patterson – Mandolins, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, percussion
- Vic Anselmo – Vocals on “Adoration”
- Oana Alexandra Coman-Sipeanu – Spoken word on “Cetatea Cisnadioara”
- Gokce Coskun – Violin
- Aoife Cuthbert – Vocals on “Cetatea Cisnadioara”, “Adoration”
- Lisa Cuthbert – Vocals on “Temptation”, “Adoration”, “Invidia”, “Cetatea Cisnadioara”, “The Silent Stars”
- Ana Figueiredo – Flute
- Colin Fromont-Placenti – Djembe, cajón, darbuka
- Mark Kelson – Vocals on “Damhsa na Gceithre Ghaoth”, 12 string guitar
- Mila Maia – Spoken word on “Return To Spirit”
- Steve Mullen – Uilleann pipes
- Veronica Neumann – Spoken word on “Immaculada”
- Gina Rios – Spoken word and vocals on “Immaculada”
- Nuno Roberto – Portuguese guitar, classical guitar
- Viola Roccagli – Spoken word and vocals on “The Silent Stars”
- Laura Santos – Vocals on “Return To Spirit”
- Filipa Vale – Violin, cello
Links