The Gathering through the years

[NastyJoan]

What do you think of the musical evolution of The Gathering through the years, this is my perception:

First of all, I have to tell that The Gathering ONLY exists to me with Anneke, without her it's just another band of the bunch.

1. Mandylion: This album started with one of the most exquisite riffs of the career of this band, it was real Metal with a strongful precious female vocals, and each song was stcuk in your mind like no other band at the moment could do it.

2. Nighttime Birds: This was "just more of the same" (which I always wanted to be like this), it takes place where Mandylion left even when it has some different stuff like Shrink, this (for me) would be their last METAL album, because the one coming next I think no one expected.

3.How to Measure a Planet:I would be liying if I tell you that I like this LP, it was one of the most disappointed albums that I hear that year (1998) I was expecting a metal album and they bring me an experimental effort, oh the hell I was annoying, the only song that I like of that album was Great Ocean Road, the rest was thrown away into the Depths of Obliveon of my Brain.

4.If_Then_Else: What the hell this title means? I don't see a connection with Pascal or C++ in the lyrics of any song in this album, well to the music , after the dissappointed of How... I wasn't expected a good album (I'm not telling that How... was bad) , but ITE was Ok, here there were less experimentation than the previous but the TripHop and Techno influences was still there , o how I hate those music styles...... To rescue song maybe Rollercoster and......... maybe Saturnine...

Well to conclude I still love the two first albums with Anneke, and still can't swallow the last ones, and for the Live album, let's say that was a discrete effort for Century Media and the Gathering

I hope (who knows) that the next one sound a little more METAL , to dream does not cost a thing

 

[Kushantaiidan]

I don't know who the gathering is, but I voted for all of the options.

 

[tintin]

I've loved every album. There are moments of brilliance on each. However, I find if_then_else to be the best (probably because it's the most recent). The departure they've made from the earlier metal days is similar to what Ulver have done with Perdition City, gone to a more electronic "atmospheric" sound. Plus Anneke has never sounded better as on if_then_else. I can't wait to see where they go next....

 

[E V I L]

I like the first and the last album the best.

Mandylion: I have never cried listening to music, but the interlude section in "Leaves" almost, just almost brings me to tears.

If_then_else: much more efficient and honed than its predeccesor (sp?). Not so monotonous and carelessly effusive, and it's eventful. Each song has some personality that is distinguishable from each other.

Also, I like the song "nighttime birds" a lot. It's signature The Gathering, and it's the sound, the feel that is present in all their albums.


btw, the first album is the better of the two that I like the best. Mandylion is a metal classic, a high-charged phenomenom in itself.

 

[D Mullholand]

I agree with E V I L.

Mandylion is amazing and deep, but you can see the giant rift between the awesome vocals and the average band accompaniment. On if_then_else the band finally caught up with Anneke. I have "understood" this album only recently, despite having it for a whole year.

"How to Measure a Planet" used to be my favourite, but then suddenly a flash came, and I realized how really boring and bland it is. I tried to listen to it once again after that, but the impression was even worse. I enjoyed only parts of "Marooned" and "Travel", most of the other songs are just so banal when you peel off the modem-effects and so on.

D Mullholand

 

[Lina]

Nighttime Birds is my favorite, followed closely by Mandylion. The music on both is pretty much identical, in my opinion, but the songs are more defined on NB. When it comes to Opeth, I don't like defined songs (BWP, boooo), but for some reason I prefer it on NB. I cry every time I hear Shrink, the vocal harmonies toward the end make my heart ache.

As I've said before, I don't like Radiohead, and HTMAP is so Radiohead-inspired it's sick. But while I was disappointed to only get two good albums out of them, I don't hate them for changing -- they've obviously created the music they want to create, so fine. But...damn...Liberty Bell? I could hear that on the radio back to back with Britney Spears.

I like the first 3 songs on If_Then_Else, but then I just get bored. And I like those songs in a totally different way than their first two albums (with Anneke). Those songs are not the least bit metal. The vocal lines are what I like -- they're "fun to sing to." But that just doesn't garner as much respect from me.

 

[Depth]

I think the best album from The Gathering (with anekke in vocals)is Mandylion , because the sound and compisitions was Full with a lot of atmospheres and more "heavy" than their other Albums....

The others album , I don't like much , except Nighttime Birds...

 

[BillowOfZeal]

I like them all very much......voted for How to Measure a Planet because it is one of my favorite albums to relax and go to sleep to and it looked like it needed some help

 

[Wolff]

Hello... where is Always. That's their most accomplished album to date. They went to shit afterwards.

 

[Spiff]

I only have Mandylion and How to Measure a Planet. I like Planet because it's great background music - the first disc is, at least, because I haven't listened to the album since I bought it

 

[tintin]

Originally posted by D Mullholand
I agree with E V I L.

Mandylion is amazing and deep, but you can see the giant rift between the awesome vocals and the average band accompaniment.
D Mullholand

D, It's funny you say this because I've always thought that the band couldn't match the talent of Anneke's voice and lyrics, yet they obviously don't realize that themselves, hence the 30-minute HTMAP instrumental.

Originally posted by Lina

Those songs are not the least bit metal. The vocal lines are what I like -- they're "fun to sing to."

Lina, I can totally see now why you're not into them. It's a very singable, sunny album. Like smoking pot on the windowsill on a summer afternoon. BTW, what would you listen to in that situation (maybe not the pot part)?

 

[vanessa]

Well, the first album was for me the only gathering album! The other albums are in my opinion only anneke albums. They are in my country very popular (the netherlands) but i can't bear to listen to them or see them live anymore in my entire life!

 

[mindflesh]

I must admit I only have if_then_else, but only half of it is really interesting... Anyway, a good album to fall asleep to, since it gets worse as it progresses (except 'Saturnine')...

 

[Misanthrope]

I have too had to the opinion here, always was an amazing record. It is a more standart record but almost every band starts out as a standart act within confins, is weird to see acts that start innovating since the first demo they tape. Some start developing their musical language earlier than others, some never do ( Hardcore bands almost never do ) but this does not means we should diminish their early works. No one can start on the top because if you do there is nowhere left to go and you will grow tired and quit.

 

[mindflesh]

Originally posted by Misanthrope
No one can start on the top because if you do there is nowhere left to go and you will grow tired and quit.

Makes a nice quote, almost philosophical

 

[_Transparent_]

i hated How to measure a planet for months and months and months and months and months until... i suddenly loved it lots and lots and lots and lots... (sorry) i think its fucking excellent. and i agree with the sleeping music comment by someone who mentioned it, um ... anyway im gonna sleep to it tonight.

 

[yourdeadgroom]

I like them all (well, all the ones I've got, I don't have Always or Mandylion, oh and actually I dont like Almost a Dance, that is crap apart from 2 songs....).

Agree that If... isn't the best, I find it lacks depth, a bit too pop-songy for me, but there are about 4 tracks that I love. And plus, being a programmer, the last thing I want to do is come home from work and be confronted by more programming code (If_Then_Else, I groaned very loudly when I saw that the first time ).
As for HTMAP, I prefer the 2nd disc over the first, but the first is good also, especially the first 2 and last tracks.

 

[aegis]

WARNING TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE POST

i voted for all, i am a huge fan of The Gathering (i post in their messageboard too ... i even went to Berlin and to the Netherlands to have a party with others hardcore fans from Europe (last time we were about 40 from France / Belgium / Netherlands, Germany and Poland)) and i am quite close from the band (don't ask me the phone number of Anny, i don't have it, i know better the Rutten brothers (even their father) and Frank)

How to measure a Planet? is my all time favorite album, followed by Mandylion ... but i don't like the 2 albums for the same reasons ... it's hard for me to describe why i love TG, i consider more the whole TG (Anneke era even if i like Always too, but for still another reasons ) as the soundtrack of my life as a real band (they are too accessible, too kind to be a real band :lol)
in fact i love them (and not only Anny) for some personal reasons ...

but don't expect they will come back to metal ... i went to the Netherlands in october to see 3 gigs and they played 6 new songs, and i can say they have definetely left metal ... but i was really impressed by these songs, the upcoming album will probably (in my opinion of "no more metalhead") be their best, very atmospheric, very quiet, darkest as usual from them too
btw actually, last time i talked to Hans (the drummer), he was in a "The Cure" mood, he (as the rest of the band) listens almost no metal anymore

 

[Lina]

Originally posted by aegis
(i post in their messageboard too ... i even went to Berlin and to the Netherlands to have a party with others hardcore fans from Europe (last time we were about 40 from France / Belgium / Netherlands, Germany and Poland))

i used to be all over that board a couple years ago before they re-did the site. i came close to meeting up with some people in germany. holger was going to pick me up at the airport -- do you know him? small world.

 

[aegis]

i do
it's him who organized last party in Berlin and he went in Paris last time TG played here
a very very nice guy

but i have no news from him since august ...
that strange he didn't go to Amsterdam in october, i am almost sure he said he would