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The Gathering - Home
Release: 2006Label: [link]Noise Records[/link]
By: Anders
Posted: May 26, 2006
It's been a while since I've had a full listen to a newer The Gathering full length album, if we look aside the semi-acoustic album "Sleepy Buildings", which was released a couple of years ago. So far the The Gathering album I've always returned to, has been the brilliant "Mandylion" from 1995, the album that made the name The Gathering known across Europe. We are now writing 2006 and the band is ready with a new album, titled "Home", and I as many others I think, kind of suspected this to be a kind of a back to roots thing, though got very surprised.
It seems like The Gathering is a never ending progressive unit, always and again does the band evolve their music into new directions, without losing their identity that is. "Home" offers calm, atmospheric quite progressive rock. The compositions are built up with simple means, either being it the very quiet semi-acoustic effort as 'Waking Hour' or more electrified songs. The guitars aren't making that much noise, they deliver their play and some well-crafted melodies, and are present most of the time. The bass is often huge, and fills up quite much of the sound picture with a good hooking groove. The percussion-like drumming lays a good backbone for the music and it's nice how the drums never get too dominant. The focal point of the band is of course the vocals, the always fragile vocals from Anneke Van Giersbergen. She is driving the work ahead with her vocals, always enchanting and touching, yet an instrument used to complete the wholesome of The Gathering. The keyboards delivered on this album, are another genius effort from the band, always subtle, but very driving and add a lot to the atmosphere all the time, being it clean piano-play or weird sound effects, really well done and well played.
This is yet an album that doesn't hit it off right at the beginning, the music does catch the listener from the start, though it takes a little while to get to the bottom of the music, and catch all details and to get all the atmospheres to soak in. Though I strongly suggest you to use the needed time on the album, as it turns out to be no more than amazing. Even though most of the album is delivered very quiet and calmly, there is tons of energy in the music and that is passed on to the listener, besides that there's all the layers and details in the music. The synth, the guitars, the bass, the drums, they all deliver something besides the usual and of course the vocals, let's not forget them. The Gathering has delivered an incredible atmospheric, gripping and adventurous progressive rock album out of this dimension! I'm caught in the web of "home" and I haven't started to think of a way out yet!
It seems like The Gathering is a never ending progressive unit, always and again does the band evolve their music into new directions, without losing their identity that is. "Home" offers calm, atmospheric quite progressive rock. The compositions are built up with simple means, either being it the very quiet semi-acoustic effort as 'Waking Hour' or more electrified songs. The guitars aren't making that much noise, they deliver their play and some well-crafted melodies, and are present most of the time. The bass is often huge, and fills up quite much of the sound picture with a good hooking groove. The percussion-like drumming lays a good backbone for the music and it's nice how the drums never get too dominant. The focal point of the band is of course the vocals, the always fragile vocals from Anneke Van Giersbergen. She is driving the work ahead with her vocals, always enchanting and touching, yet an instrument used to complete the wholesome of The Gathering. The keyboards delivered on this album, are another genius effort from the band, always subtle, but very driving and add a lot to the atmosphere all the time, being it clean piano-play or weird sound effects, really well done and well played.
This is yet an album that doesn't hit it off right at the beginning, the music does catch the listener from the start, though it takes a little while to get to the bottom of the music, and catch all details and to get all the atmospheres to soak in. Though I strongly suggest you to use the needed time on the album, as it turns out to be no more than amazing. Even though most of the album is delivered very quiet and calmly, there is tons of energy in the music and that is passed on to the listener, besides that there's all the layers and details in the music. The synth, the guitars, the bass, the drums, they all deliver something besides the usual and of course the vocals, let's not forget them. The Gathering has delivered an incredible atmospheric, gripping and adventurous progressive rock album out of this dimension! I'm caught in the web of "home" and I haven't started to think of a way out yet!
Rating: 9½/10
[link]The Gathering[/link] website
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