The Gathering are easily one of my top favorite bands. I’ve only been listening to them for three years or so, but in past year or so I’ve pretty much had The Gathering playing somewhere be it work, home, in the car, etc. I think there are two main reasons for this. First, they’ve been around for quite a while and their catalog is large enough to allow me to stave off burnout with their music. The other reason is tied to the first, in the 15+ years the band has existed, they have continually evolved. This means that different moods mean different albums and vice versa.
So, let’s dive into this musical progression. I think the best (and easiest, I’ll admit) way to do this is chronologically. So, I’m going to completely ignore their first two albums because I don’t really care for them and they are merely stepping stones for the band to finally find their voice (literally) on the third album, Mandylion. Enter Anneke and her amazing vocal range. Up until this year, Anneke remained as the full time vocalist in the band. She just recently left the band to spend more time at home and work on her new project, Aqua de Annique. On Mandylion, the Gathering are credited with being one of the first female fronted metal acts. As we’ll see, the metal side of the band falls more or less by the wayside and turns more experimental and moody. But we’ll get to that.
For many fans, Mandylion is the penultimate Gathering album. Everything since has been a downward spiral. I don’t exactly agree with that. I think Mandylion is a good record, but is nowhere near as deep and as meaningful as their later stuff. The song I’ve chosen from this album is probably the best starting point for anyone to understand this band. “Strange Machines” is the song that became a hit around Europe and more or less allowed the band to continue to today (yes, even with Anneke leaving, they plan on staying together). “Strange Machines” is metal at its core, musically, with Anneke’s vocals being a nice counterpoint to the music. Instead of blathering on, I’ll just let you listen.
The band’s next album, Nighttime Birds was released two years later in 1997 and already the band’s sound is changing. Not quite as much as it will with the next album, but there is definitely more cohesion between Anneke and the band. This is the album that introduced me to the band and for the longest time I preferred it to all the other albums. I don’t carry the “this is better than that” mentality with their albums anymore, I enjoy them all equally, just at different times. Anyway, still carrying a mostly (goth) metal sound, Nighttime Birds allowed the band’s exposure to expand to even more European countries and more live shows, a simple step to them eventually “making” it as a “global” band. I’ve chosen “The May Song” to showcase this album mainly because it is one of the shorter songs on the album. It has it all though, just in a tighter package.
How To Measure A Planet? is the first big step for the band to move away from their pioneering metal sound. The songs on this two disc album show off an interest in experimentation and over the two discs there is a great amount of variety in sound. While leaving droves of fans a bit bewildered, How To Measure A Planet? was successful enough for the band that they were able to tour North America for the first time. I think it’s rather difficult to choose just one song, so I’ll choose two. First is the opening track “Frail”, which will allow you to hear the rather large departure from their previous sound.
The second song is easily my favorite on the album. It carries a bit more of their heavier sound, but with still with the more experimental attitude attached to it. “Probably Built In The Fifties” has continuously been a part of their live sets since 1998.
if_then_else is possibly the most refreshing of all the Gathering’s work. Instead of being a further departure in sound, it was a refinement of the experimentation on How To . . . and leads to a very fresh sound. I’m again going to choose two songs to play. The first is “Beautiful War” which is an instrumental and it leads into “Analog Park” on the album. I love the one-two punch of these two songs and I think they will work together well here to showcase the album.
After if_then_else, the band took some time off to relax and start up their own record label, Psychonaut Records. Their first release on their own label was the EP Black Light District. Unfortunately, the title track is the best song in that album and it clocks in at 16 minutes, so I won’t subject you to that. In 2003 the band released Souvenirs, which has the band once again reveling in the recording process and producing a very deep and layered album. As the band themselves say, each time you listen to the album you find something new. Personally, I don’t find it quite that complex and overall this is definitely my least listened to of their albums. The mood on the album I find hard to take most of the time. Of note, however, is that Anneke’s lyrics have taken a turn for the better on Souvenirs. I don’t know if this is a result of her English becoming better over time or just a natural progression, but where the meaning in her lyrics was fairly shrouded before, here her meaning comes across much easier and stronger. To show what I mean, along with showing a softer side of the band, I’ve chosen “You Learn About It” to share with you.
The Gathering’s latest album, and last with Anneke, is entitled Home and you’ll see it sitting on top of my top ten albums for 2007. The band recorded most of the album in a studio they built inside a church. The stayed there close to a month, living with their music and with each other. The atmosphere on Home greatly reflects the situations which surrounded the recording of the album: the church, the birth of Anneke’s first child, the death of Hans and René’s father. Anneke’s lyrics are pretty straightforward and heartfelt on Home. I truly believe that this album best represents the band as it is stripped down musically and emotionally and this nakedness shows through in the songs. I’ve chosen the song “A Noise Severe” to represent this album.
One thing I find interesting about this band is that a few samples of songs here and there really don’t suffice to capture them. This is true of many bands, but it’s especially true of The Gathering as their sound has changed so much over the years. So, if you like anything you hear, I highly recommend picking up any of their albums. Since they are from the Netherlands, online stores will be your best friend, or you may just be lucky enough to find a copy of Home at a record store. Home was their only album officially released in the United States.
While Anneke has left the band, the rest of The Gathering are planning on continuing to make music. They’re currently looking male and/or female vocalists, so if interested head on over to their website and submit a couple of songs. Anneke’s new project Aqua de Annique can be found here.