Alternative 4 is the name of the youngest creation by Duncan Patterson, the musician whose song-writing on Anathema's albums "Eternity" and "Alternative 4" was responsible for freeing the Doomers from Liverpool from their narrow Metal brace. Patterson also founded the renowned Antimatter and shaped their first albums, and with Ion, he explores ethereal melancholy.
Taking its moniker from Anathema's 1998 album, the musical and atmospheric direction of the band is clear: a solid rock foundation, augmented by painful piano- and string arrangements, sometimes bordering on ambient music, sometimes showing the great influence of the darker, cryptic side of Pink Floyd.