Ten years ago, the Dutch band THE GATHERING was going through a major crisis: the album "Almost A Dance" turned out to be a failure, if not an outright disaster, and the group kept losing vocalists. It seemed like the end, but that wasn't the case. The guys found the enchanting Anneke Van Giersbergen, and a new era of THE GATHERING began. The album Mandylion blew everyone away. Anneke's beautiful voice was a perfect match for the band's music. The music itself can be characterized as gothic metal. The album turned out to be both beautiful and somber. The atmosphere simply cannot be conveyed in words — it must be heard. Each song is better than the last. Everything is crafted down to the finest detail. The album opens with Strange Machines — a song about a time machine. Next comes the rather heavy Eleanor, which tells of people wearing masks. Leaves is a beautiful song about love. In the instrumental composition Mandylion, one can feel the influence of DEAD CAN DANCE. Sand And Mercury is dark and heavy in its first half; by the end, Anneke's inimitable voice will make anyone melancholic who hasn't succumbed already. The album closes with the spectacular In Motion #2, carrying you away in a stream of sorrow and grief.
Track Listing
- Strange Machines
- Eleanor
- In Motion #1
- Leaves
- Fear The Sea
- Mandylion
- Sand And Mercury
- In Motion #2