The Gathering

[KevShmev]

Well, after having this band recommended to me several times over the years, and me never really making much of an effort to check them out (seems like there was always something more pressing music-related to check out or listen to), I finally gave How to Measure a Planet (which I got a copy of from a friend years ago) a bunch of spins recently, and I gotta say, I am really digging it.  Songs like Travel, Red Is a Slow Colour, Frail, Liberty Bell and South American Ghost Ride are all winners, and everything else sounds good as well; more listens to come.  And I can't wait to check out some of the earlier, and apparently more highly-regarded, albums. 

Better late than never, right?

Oh, and it goes without saying that Anneke's vocals are .

[Adami]

One of my favorite bands, well.....minus the first 2 albums.

And as I make no secret, Anneke is my favorite female vocalist ever. However I also like The Gathering post-Anneke. I really hope they release more proper albums and not just digital downloads since I'm an old fashioned guy still.

[Cyclopssss]

You're up for a treat. Must listen: Mandylion (first album with Anneke, I still get major goosebumps when I listen to it).
Nigttime Birds, if_then_else. Souvenirs is also a good one. I haven't heard Home yet (shame, I know). Also worth noting is their live releases, especially the live cd Superheart and dvd 'A noise severe'.

[Adami]

Souvenirs is either my favorite or second favorite Gathering album. I really think they found their sound when they stopped trying to be heavy.


As far as which albums to get............all of them minus the first 2.

As far as which DVDs to get.............all of them.


Just do it. Don't think about it, just do it.

[KevShmev]

Reviews seem to be really iffy on the post-Anneke stuff, so I probably won't bother with any of it until I've checked out everything (or almost everything) else first.

[Adami]

Reviews seem to be really iffy on the post-Anneke stuff, so I probably won't bother with any of it until I've checked out everything (or almost everything) else first.

The West Pole is really great. Very mellow and catchy, the new singer has a lovely voice (though obviously is no Anneke) and the guest singers are great too.

It's pretty similar to Home, which I loved as well.

However I haven't heard much since The West Pole since I'm pretty sure it's all just been internet songs, which I don't get into.

[Dittomist]

I can't say enough great things about this band. Obviously losing Anneke was a huge blow, but I found myself not missing her as much as expected while listening to their new album, Disclosure, which is a much stronger album than The West Pole.

I would rank The Gathering's albums like this
1. How To Measure a Planet
2. If Then Else
3. Nighttime Birds
4. Home
5. Disclosure
6. Souvinirs
7. Mandylion
8. The West Pole
9. Always
10. Almost a Dance

1-7 are must-haves!

[Adami]

Is their new album a proper CD?



Also, when I found out she was quitting The Gathering, I made a special trip up to Seattle to see her on her last tour with them, also saw Within Temptation there. Sucks they didn't do the duet. But I did get a drum stick from their douche drummer (Gathering's)

Also, I was fine with her quitting. It means aside from getting new Gathering, I got Agua De Annique, her other solo stuff, a live album from her and her on 2 Devy CDs and 1 (will be two next year) Devin DVD's.

[ColdFireYYZ]

I have Nighttime Birds, which I love. I've also streamed Souvenirs once but I haven't bought it yet. I really need to get their other albums. Anneke is a fantastic singer.

[Dittomist]

Hmmm, so it had already been announced that Anneke was leaving The Gathering before their US tour with Within Temptation and Epica began? I was also at that Seattle show and was unaware there was any friction with the band, so it was a huge shock when the official announcement came a few weeks later.
And yes, Disclosure is an actual CD you can get on Amazon. Trust me, it's worth the money! I Can See Four Miles, Paralyzed, Heroes for Ghosts, and Meltdown are truly amazing tracks, and the others are great too.

[Adami]

There wasn't any friction. She announced she was leaving when the tour was over because it was just time to do other things. I think everyone was cool with each other, they all seemed fine. I doubt there was any fighting.

[seasonsinthesky]

Is their new album a proper CD?

yep, came out a couple months ago. it's a lot better than The West Pole - the song "Heroes for Ghosts" is one of the most incredible things the band has ever done. we're talking, like, "Travel" levels here.

[Adami]

"Yep" was enough for me.


When it comes to a new Gathering album, all you have to tell me is that it's out. I'm going to buy it as long as it's out. No other forms of persuasion are necessary.


Edit: Ordered.


I can't believe they've had a CD out this long and I didn't know.

[KevShmev]

I can't believe I started this thread nearly a decade ago.

Sadly, the band fell off my radar not long after I posted that, but thanks to the friend with whom I do the album reviews recommending both Nighttime Birds and How to Measure a Planet? in the last month, I think I am firmly on the bandwagon now.  How to Measure a Planet? has been stuck in my "CD player" all week. 

I will get Mandylion next.  I have heard nada from that one, but it looks like it is regarded as highly as those other two.

[jammindude]

I also own If_Then_Else which I think is quite good. But I never heard the last couple of releases with Anneke and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything at all from the new singer.

I think I spun the brand new single when they first released it, but it didn’t grab me. Still, I love this band enough that I really should give it my “5 spin” rule before I give up on it.

[ProfessorPeart]

Seems we have 2 threads with identical names  . I swore I posted and then I realize it's a different thread. Some more info over here:

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=612.0

You can find the link to their Bandcamp there and pretty much sample everything.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Virtually all their stuff is great.  Even Almost a Dance, which I hadn't heard when I last posted in the other thread, but which I finally gave in and checked out some time after, isn't quite as bad as its reputation.  It's just that the male vocal parts hold everything else back.  Bands sometimes release instrumental versions of albums, so if you could somehow remove his parts it would improve it significantly.  But in general, Mandylion is a must hear, it's essentially ground zero for so much other stuff I like. 

[KevShmev]

The sheer length of the title track is the only reason I cannot call How to Measure a Planet? a perfect record at this point.  That could have been a great 8-9 minute slow jam, but stretching it out to 28+ is excruciating. The rest of the album is money, however. 

[jammindude]

The sheer length of the title track is the only reason I cannot call How to Measure a Planet? a perfect record at this point.  That could have been a great 8-9 minute slow jam, but stretching it out to 28+ is excruciating. The rest of the album is money, however. 

Mostly agree. Though when ever I relisten to it, I don’t find myself thinking it should be over until about the 12-15 minute mark. But it’s still at least twice as long as it needs to be.

[nick_z]

Ah! The Gathering! So glad this thread got resurrected...

At some point in the 90s they were among my favorite bands. If anything, they deserve accolades just for introducing Anneke to the world  One of my absolute favorite vocalists, metal or not. Such a unique timbre and lovely, powerful voice.

Kev, I'm seeing from your recent post you haven't listened to Mandylion yet. Well, that's a top, top album for me. Just incredible. Sure, Anneke's contribution elevates it to greatness, but the songs themselves are so, so good. Deceptively simple. At the time, perhaps because it was under Century Media and it was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, it sorta got lazily associated with the "gothic metal" movement that was pretty popular in Europe then (with plenty of quality bands, btw), but it was something almost entirely different. It was obvious even back then that there were lots of other influences in their sound (including shoegaze - as it became even more clear later from their amazing cover of Slowdive's When The Sun Hits). Anyway, that's an incredible album. The follow-up, Nighttime Birds, is maybe not quite as good, but still a joy to listen to.

Agreed that How to Measure A Planet, while excellent, suffers a bit from the excessive "jamminess" of its title-track. Plus, given its overall length (a double album!), it does tend to get a little, um, sleep-inducing at times. But it's hard to argue with songs like Travel. At the time, as one would expect, it wasn't super-well received by the more metal-oriented portion of the fanbase.

If_Then_Else sounded a bit like an attempt to regain some of that fanbase by upping the heaviness. It's not among my very favorites, but it has at least a couple of stunners (Amity and, of course, Saturnine). Then, well, the band pretty much started doing what they wanted  I have a soft spot for both Souvenirs and Home. Lovely records. The post-Anneke albums are ok, but didn't blow me away (although, admittedly, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with them, except maybe The West Pole)

[LithoJazzoSphere]

At the time, perhaps because it was under Century Media and it was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, it sorta got lazily associated with the "gothic metal" movement that was pretty popular in Europe then (with plenty of quality bands, btw), but it was something almost entirely different. It was obvious even back then that there were lots of other influences in their sound (including shoegaze - as it became even more clear later from their amazing cover of Slowdive's When The Sun Hits).

I wouldn't say "lazily associated", I'd reserve that more for calling the symphonic/power metal bands like Epica or Nightwish "gothic", who mostly just have some dark imagery.  Or various rock/metal bands like Evanescence.  Early The Gathering is derived from the Celtic Frost/Paradise Lost-originated death/doom beauty and the beast gothic metal slant, and mid-late 90s The Gathering takes more from the ethereal wave/darkwave gothic rock offshoots (Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance elements are all over the album), similar to early Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, who obviously were inspired by them to some degree. 

[SoundscapeMN]

I really enjoyed Disclosure from 10 years ago. There was a cool Pink Floyd vibe in a lot of that record.

Unfortunately, the new record "Beautiful Distortion" I got kind of bored by the couple of times I listened to it.

a 10 year wait?..seems kind of surprising it took that long for what came out.

[Dittomist]

Yeah, Disclosure was an incredible album! The new one is nowhere near as special but I really like the songs "We Rise" and "Pulse of Life."

Here is how I would rank all of The Gathering's studio albums
1. How to Measure a Planet
2. If Then Else
3. Nighttime Birds
4. Home
5. Disclosure
6. Souvenirs
7. Mandylion
8. The West Pole
9. Beautiful Distortion
10. Almost a Dance
11. Always

[KevShmev]

I suspect getting into non-Anneke records by this band will be a difficult hill to climb for me, so I will be focusing on just the ones with her for now.  Looks like If_Then_Else is pretty highly-regarded, so that and Mandylion will be the next two I tackle, for sure.

[Adami]

I really love the post Anneke stuff. It’s much more ambient and less heavy but I dig the hell out of it.

[nick_z]

At the time, perhaps because it was under Century Media and it was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, it sorta got lazily associated with the "gothic metal" movement that was pretty popular in Europe then (with plenty of quality bands, btw), but it was something almost entirely different. It was obvious even back then that there were lots of other influences in their sound (including shoegaze - as it became even more clear later from their amazing cover of Slowdive's When The Sun Hits).

I wouldn't say "lazily associated", I'd reserve that more for calling the symphonic/power metal bands like Epica or Nightwish "gothic", who mostly just have some dark imagery.  Or various rock/metal bands like Evanescence.  Early The Gathering is derived from the Celtic Frost/Paradise Lost-originated death/doom beauty and the beast gothic metal slant, and mid-late 90s The Gathering takes more from the ethereal wave/darkwave gothic rock offshoots (Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance elements are all over the album), similar to early Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil, who obviously were inspired by them to some degree.

Yep, they were certainly not wholly separate...my point was more that even then their sound was quite personal and distinct from other bands that were similarly labeled. And I 100% agree with the influences of the mid-late 90s period. Dead Can Dance for sure...the mood and atmosphere of a song like Mandylion, and then Sand and Mercury...that's DCD right there. Plus, of course, the cover of In Power We Entrust...on the Kevin's Telescope EP.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I suspect getting into non-Anneke records by this band will be a difficult hill to climb for me, so I will be focusing on just the ones with her for now.  Looks like If_Then_Else is pretty highly-regarded, so that and Mandylion will be the next two I tackle, for sure.

If you want a better grasp on where their current vocalist Silje comes from, I'd check out Octavia Sperati's Grace Submerged, it's kind of a more atmospheric take on a Black Sabbathy vibe.  Also her appearance on Katatonia's "The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here" started to endear me to her.  Always with Marike is still not really a favorite of mine, but it's fascinating as a study into the early days of the Theatre of Tragedy/Tristania/Draconian sort of sound. 

Yep, they were certainly not wholly separate...my point was more that even then their sound was quite personal and distinct from other bands that were similarly labeled.

Yeah, there really wasn't anything like them at the time, the closest you get is The Third and the Mortal's Tears Laid in the Earth, but even then, Anneke is a much more dynamic vocalist. 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I should also note that Anneke's solo material is really underrated.  Especially the Agua de Annique Air album.  "Beautiful One", "Day After Yesterday", "Take Care of Me", "Come Wander" and "Sunken Soldiers" in particular, she does melancholy so well. 

And while I'm thinking about this again I might as well also take the opportunity to promote two of my favorite other The Gathering-adjacent bands.  One is Autumn, one of my top five bands and possibly my favorite vocalist (Marjan Welman).  They've toured with The Gathering and while not quite as experimental, are a bit trickier to pin down in terms of genre, but excel at atmosphere and a sense of building up songs. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUKBz82aipk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaBAYgYvN6I

The other is Cardamon, with Floortje being the closest approximation to Anneke I've heard at this point. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9BJl16HmnU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1yZHzm3Ieo

Why can't the US ever come up with bands like these?   

[KevShmev]

I suspect getting into non-Anneke records by this band will be a difficult hill to climb for me, so I will be focusing on just the ones with her for now.  Looks like If_Then_Else is pretty highly-regarded, so that and Mandylion will be the next two I tackle, for sure.

If you want a better grasp on where their current vocalist Silje comes from, I'd check out Octavia Sperati's Grace Submerged, it's kind of a more atmospheric take on a Black Sabbathy vibe.  Also her appearance on Katatonia's "The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here" started to endear me to her.  Always with Marike is still not really a favorite of mine, but it's fascinating as a study into the early days of the Theatre of Tragedy/Tristania/Draconian sort of sound. 

Where did I say I want any grasp on the current vocalist?

I thought my "I suspect getting into non-Anneke records by this band will be a difficult hill to climb for me, so I will be focusing on just the ones with her for now" comment was pretty clear.

[Dittomist]

I like Anneke's solo material a great deal as well, especially Air.
I'll be sure to check out Autumn and Cardamon soon. Last year I got into The Third and the Mortal and really loved their first three albums--Painting on Glass probably reminds me most of The Gathering.

[KevShmev]

It's a long way from the sound of The Gathering, but I like Anneke's The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest from last year quite a bit. I need to revisit that one as well.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Where did I say I want any grasp on the current vocalist?

I thought my "I suspect getting into non-Anneke records by this band will be a difficult hill to climb for me, so I will be focusing on just the ones with her for now" comment was pretty clear.

Just trying to make the hill potentially a bit easier to climb, since I think it's worth it.  Maybe a journey for another day.  Sometimes the easier path isn't always the most direct one.  And maybe other posters might find them worth exploring.