Recording for 'The Brink' completed

We finally wrapped up the bulk of the recording for The Brink yesterday. There may be minor alterations prior to the mix but we have an album here all ready to level out and make sound even better. The last few weeks have been really productive down here in Melbourne, we've hardly left the studio (only really to eat and sleep). Mark really pushed himself vocally and worked his arse off on the engineering side of things, while I have been overlooking everything and getting the right combination of instruments and sounds playing the right parts in the right places. We're now going to take a well deserved break from it until I return to the studio in August to mix it with a clear head. As soon as we know a release date it'll be posted everywhere, along with preview clips building up to the release.

I've really enjoyed the process with this record, pure creation without any sense of competition or fear that its a bit 'outside the box' in parts from anyone involved. We've also been helped out by some decent people who are eager to see us have a bit of luck with this one. Lending us equipment and that, and an awful lot of folk who have simply showed goodwill, much appreciated like. Good vibes all round (for such a dark album). Looking forward to having the finished product ready for everyone interested.

All the best,

Duncan Patterson

Studio 3, Melbourne Australia

Take 2

Studio Report: Mark Kelson

Work continued this month on The Brink. This recording session has been in Melbourne, Australia in the studio with vocalist/guitarist Mark Kelson. Most of the guitars and vocals are finished now ahead of schedule so we can take advantage of the extra days and experiment a bit more. We even managed to get out and play some songs live on stage last weekend.

Mark Kelson & Duncan Patterson, Melbourne

"Working on this album 'The Brink' has been something I've been looking forward to for a long time. My friendship and my respect for Duncan as a musician and songwriter has spanned for many years, so to finally have a chance to add my own touch to his music has been fantastic.
 

Duncan arrived in Melbourne last week and immediately we began the process of setting up Pro-Tools sessions and sorting out what work was ahead of us. Fairly early on I felt we were aiming to achieve the same things musically & it all began to move at a great natural pace.
 

Adding the heavy guitars was great fun, coming from a heavy rock background it was something I felt very comfortable with and sonically I felt it was where I could leave my mark. Although it has also been great to explore new musical ideas together. I feel this album is entering some new territory for all of us as we are not setting limits on ourselves stylistically.
 

The task of vocals has been far more challenging and I feel Duncan has helped me push myself in some directions I've always wanted to dabble in but never had the chance to in my previous & current musical ventures. I really like the raw energy we have captured.
 

Each day we work on this record I find myself getting a deeper understanding of the album conceptually and the actual weight that the lyrical content has. This is not an album for the light hearted. So be prepared to be challenged if you open yourself to it. 

 

 

All I can say about 'The Brink' is it is some of the darkest and deepest material Duncan has produced and I'm proud to be part of it. I look forward to sharing this with you all and I hope you can get as much from it as I am" - Mark Kelson

Studio Report: Mauro Frison

As the album recordings continue today in Melbourne, Australia, drummer Mauro Frison reflects on his experience of the initial sessions at Transmission Rooms, Republic of Ireland.

"It was a very important experience for me. I was very lucky to participate on it, supported by patience and experience of a musician/composer like Duncan, and music engineer like Mick. The friendly relations between us, the pure air from the real Irish countryside made a good atmosphere during the recording. Another very important point was possibility to play using different types of drum kits - it was amazing to choose the exact sound we were looking for. The studio's equipement helped to record it so quickly too. And in the end of the day you really want to live there! Haha. To be honest I´ve never felt so comfortable and relaxed while recording. Also recording this music style was such a interesting experience for me. So far I have had a bit different one (like metal, stoner and folk music too), so I´ve never recorded such slow-tempo stuff on drums. So before that I was very focused listening to a slower-tempo bands like Nick Cave and Roger Waters, and many old school doom bands.


I can´t exactly define Alternative 4´s style. It's a mixture of different styles, sounds and cultural infuences, but at the same time it keeps its doom roots. From my point of view, these tunes they express real lonely feelings but lots of energy and melodies too. I think many old school doom/old Anathema fans will be nicely surprised. But as well, as I mentioned, it has different influences from other styles, so it´s gonna be more interesting than just a doom album." - Mauro Frison

The guitar and vocal parts will be recorded during the next two weeks with Mr Mark Kelson and myself working away here in Melbourne. We'll keep the blog updated and get some new pics and videoclips uploaded for you to see where we are at. Bye for now and thanks for the interest!

Duncan Patterson