THE GATHERING

So it´s only natural that "Nighttime Birds" is more or less a sibling release to "Mandylion". This was not the time to change a winning formula, but merely perfect it...and that The Gathering did. "Mandylion" is a great album in its own right, but when you listen to "Nighttime Birds", it feels like "Mandylion" was just an album where The Gathering were testing their new songwriting approach and then they went on to nail it 100% on this album.

Stylistically the material on "Nighttime Birds" is a melancholic and atmospheric type of gothic/doom metal with van Giersbergen´s strong voice and distinct sounding vocal style leading the show. She is thankfully not an operatic type female vocalist, although she can hit some pretty impressive notes, and she is generally very intense and has a personal singing style. To my ears all three previous album releases weren´t written with vocals being the priority in the songwriting process, although "Mandylion" certainly showed improvement in that department over the first two albums. "Nighttime Birds" is on the other hand obviously an album composed primarily to support the beautiful vocal lines. All instruments are composed to support and compliment the vocals and provide them with the best possible conditions to shine.

The keyboards which had been very much at the forefront of the band´s music up until then are much more tastefully applied here and often just add atmosphere or texture to the songs (as opposed to the lead instrument role they often played before), while the heavy distorted riffs and rhythms add doomy heaviness. There are however many sections without distorted guitars, which aren´t that heavy and add an atmospheric/dreamy rock element to the band´s sound. The simple melancholic melodic guitar leads deserve a mention too and the bass playing by Hugo Prinsen Geerligs is also an important element.

"Nighttime Birds" features a gorgeous sounding production. It´s dynamic, powerful, and perfectly suits the material. All details are heard in the music and the mix favors both mellow dreamy parts and massive epic heavy sections. I wasn´t surprised to learn that the album was recorded at Woodhouse Studio in Hagen, Germany with producer/engineer Siggi Bemm. That´s a name which is a guarantee for high quality sound productions.

So "Nighttime Birds" is everything a fan of "Mandylion" had hoped it would be. More dynamic, even stronger musicianship, superior sound production values, and vocal-centric songwriting which focus on The Gathering´s greatest asset, which in those days was arguably the voice and vocals of van Giersbergen. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

The demo features five tracks and a total playing time of 29:47 minutes. "Second Sunrise" and "Downfall" also appeared on the "An Imaginary Symphony" demo but were re-recorded and included here too. "Second Sunrise", "Subzero", and "In Sickness and Health" would eventually make it unto the band´s 1992 debut full-length studio album "Always...".

Stylistically The Gathering play a relatively unique death/doom metal style, which have some similarities to artists like My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, but because they use keyboards/piano as a dominant instrument in the music still sounds vastly different from the early releases from other contemporary death/doom metal artists. The vocals by Bart Smits are articulate semi-growling vocals. Unfortunately he hasn´t completely left behind his throaty and sometimes hardcore influenced shouting/singing and the odd uplifting "Anthology in Black" song is marred by that vocal style but also a generally odd atmosphere and some thrashy riffing. It makes the demo an inconsistent listen and it´s a weird choice to include a track like that.

In fact it´s obvious upon having listened to the full demo that The Gathering still had a way to go maturing their songwriting and honing their skills before they were ready to record and release an album...but that´s what demos are for right! The sound production is decent considering that this is a live in the studio demo recording, and although the material is inconsistent in style and the band still needed to weed out the weakest parts of their songwriting ideas, "Moonlight Archer" is still an interesting death/doom metal demo. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

The demo features five tracks and a total playing time of 23:41 minutes. Opening track "Second Sunrise" and the third track "Downfall" would be re-recorded and included on The Gathering´s second demo recording "Moonlight Archer" from April 1991. "Second Sunrise" would even subsequently make it unto the band´s 1992 debut full-length studio album "Always...".

Stylistically The Gathering play a relatively unique death/doom metal style, which may have some similarities to artists like My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, but because they use keyboards/piano as a dominant instrument in the music still sounds vastly different from the early releases from other contemporary death/doom metal artists. On this demo they also play considerably faster than they would on subsequent releases (a track like "Six Dead, Three to Go" is almost melodeath before such a genre term was coined), making this an occasionally relatively energetic release. Lead vocalist Bart Smits´s vocals are semi/growling or throaty shouting (even some hardcore tinged cleans) rather than his later brutal deep (yet intelligible) growling vocals.

The sound production is pretty decent considering that this is a live rehearsal demo. It´s almost a matter of course that not all instruments are equally well balanced in the mix, but to my ears The Gathering have managed to record a very well sounding rehearsal demo. Upon conclusion it was probably for the best that the band opted to cut the faster paced tracks from their repertoire. It´s not that tracks like "Six Dead, Three to Go" or "Another Day" are awful or anything like that, but it´s definitely the slow and epic death/doom metal tracks on the demo which make most impact (I´d say "Downfall" in particular). A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

'In Colour' plunges into the melancholy electronic ballad with Silje with a suave voice reminding me of the clarity of a JAPAN, hypnotic before a devastating orgasmic break like in the good old days of 'Rescue Me'; airy and warmly icy. 'When We Fall' repetitive electro, reminiscent of 'Souvenirs' for the pearl of tribal and unhealthy riffs; it's soft prog noisy without more, keyboards forward with soothing flute. 'Grounded' begins an airy spleen arpeggio then it goes on a basic crystalline rock where the pulled voice can remind Anneke and the sound of 'If Then Else' period; the riff is more energetic, pressing, guided by a solid rhythm; the rise becomes solemn between voices and choirs, pauses for a moment before setting off again with this perfect dreamlike mixture of keyboards. 'We Rise' with powerful chorus, rise that stands out; sensible title represented a moment of deep sadness of René it's won; Silje is remarkable for prolonging this and the ambient break before starting again on this melancholy spiral of the most beautiful effect.

'Black Is Magnified' atmospheric bucolic, melancholy to continue in line; crescendical softness à la ANATHEMA, acoustic piano and guitar moment, in phase with the PINK FLOYD 'Animals' period before a majestic luminous rise. 'Weightless' perceived dark tribal bringing the listener into weightlessness or trance depending; plaintive sounds, monolithic ambience until the drums come in giving more intensity and Aussie vibratos in the background; the magic happens with the hypnotizing voice. 'Pulse of Life' where the shoegaze is pushed to its extreme with reverberation of sounds, vocal trances and electro on a RADIOHEAD or a TIDES FROM NEBULA; cottony break and moving finale showing the diversity of the group on the melancholy psychedelic register, another musical paradigm. 'On Delay' small title great effect with this piece where the rhythmic base knocks out and makes you tap your feet; dark catchy ballad title to refocus and show René's signature.

An EP Interference is available with 'Strongers' to the bewitching rhythm of a thousand and one nights, between psyche and electro in front and archaic doom structure in the background. 'Disconnect' based on Silje's fearful, scratchy voice; melodic, melancholic, psychedelic title on a monolithic crescendo, brightened up by a riff from René. Then 'How To Measure A Planet-live Paris 2019' for a rereading of this anthology piece, underlining the desire to show the group's markers on 1998. A psyche-ambient musical sophistication on a bed of alternative rock and its derivatives krautrock, title which makes say that this EP represses nuggets of good classes and should not be left aside.

THE GATHERING have been a major band in the atmospheric-doom music scene. They come back here with a go-anywhere album taking from here and there sounds and atmospheres from their well-stocked catalogue. Over time the titles stand out from each other between his spatial, melancholic anthem and austere bucolic ballad where Silje transcended his pandemic isolation in beautiful way; an album not to be underestimated.

5. Fear the Sea nervous title with a jerky riff sprinkled with the keyboards of Frank, one of the legs of THE GATHERING with the RUTTEN brothers; an electro-opaque break, half S-F, half TANGERINE DREAM sequences at one point, stunning; Hugo's bass is heavy; again this mantranic sound that sends you far away, well I had forgotten that Anneke sang on it; the riff returns to close this singular title 6. Mandylion and this intro reminding me of a Didgeridoo; a dark synth pad again, ah this tribal pad à la Peter GABRIEL, yes tribal then; sublime swooning start; oh the station wagon that derails your anvil, that capsizes you; oh there we are much further than in the experimental here, it becomes divine; another break and it increases, it swells, Nirvana is not far away, I even walk on it; these percussions, these bells, these cymbals, these greasy layers of keyboard invading and 7. Sand and Mercury arrives, archaic symphony, explosive PINK FLOYD-style drums, invasive melody on the piano, a crushed riff starts, yes it seems like it's all 'playing' by itself; backing vocals on this hypnotizing riff... to the point that you no longer know when this soaring break arrived, the same for Anneke who comes to whisper; the finale becomes Olympian, offering a pompous grandiloquent sound which announces a final quote from Simone de Beauvoir 8. In Motion #2 for the title bringing you back to earth, common for me given the previous titles; a slow melancholic melody boosted to find the light black, to delight in these sounds from another continent, coming to batter the prog that is losing momentum and showing the way to a necessary fusion between prog and metal; the spleen break with shrill-tearful guitar and the gray keyboard saturated with beautiful, despairing notes drives the point home; ending that leaves you wanting.

The first track is the title track 'Black Light District' which takes up most of the EP seeing as it is a 16+ minutes. It starts out slow and sparse featuring a solo piano. Percussion starts at the 2 minute mark along with some atmospheric guitar and bass. Guest Sarah Jezebel Deva, who was a soprano female vocalist for 'Cradle of Filth' for 14 years, starts with a slightly subdued spoken word passage with an echoing effect. After a few minutes, regular vocalist Anneke begins to sing while the spoken word continues. At six minutes, things are more intense when electric guitar takes over and the tempo quickens. Things get heavier after a short atmospheric break when the entire band explodes into a loud section. At around 8:30, we enter a heavy shoegaze style with a repeating guitar chord and heavy drumming. At around 10 minutes, things quiet down as the noise wall comes down, yet tension continues as things meander around and then a drone takes over. Soft guitar comes in keeping things minimal for this section. At 12:30, Anneke starts to finally sing a melody which percussion eventually picks up on and helps to carry forward. After she finishes, a nice piano interlude continues with the rest of the band supporting. Soon the band drops out leaving the piano and subdued vocals remaining. This track definitely continues through many sub- genres, yet remains quite concise and varied, so that the 16 minutes actually go by quite quickly.

Next is 'Debris'. This one starts out with a fast strumming guitar and Anneke singing almost right away. A heavy keyboard bass and Anneke trade off lead and then comes all together in a somewhat heavy track with some nice tricky rhythms. Things stay somewhat complex as the band doesn't settle with a typical song structure and melodies and riffs change. The vocal melody becomes somewhat typical, but the supporting instruments are somewhat atypical giving things a unique sound.

The last track is 'Broken Glass' which would also appear on the 'Souvenirs' album, however, this is a different version with only Anneke's vocals and a solo piano.

This EP is a decent recording, but holds nothing groundbreaking, only offering some good tracks that feature some complexity. It is a good EP to track down since there are 2 original tracks not available on the album and one that is in a different version. New fans might be interested in this one as would others. Time tends to be the only major problem here as the 27 minutes goes by really fast. Overall, it is deserving of 3 strong stars.

Anneke Van Giersbergen is a terrific live performer, beyond her obvious singing skills. Check out their other concerts on Youtube, or better yet buy a DVD. The enthusiasm she brings to "On Most Surfaces" here is particularly outstanding. THE GATHERING just seem energized in these concerts from their homeland. As other reviewers have mentioned, the rhythm section of Hugo and Hans drives the music to new heights. The band sounds like they drank a bunch of Red Bull before they went on stage. I hope they make a habit out of it!

And I'm confident with my affirmation because The Gathering (and specially Mandylion) started a well-known fever of metal bands led by female voices which remains till today. The influence in gothic metal bands like Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil is obvious. But glimpses of The Gathering can be also heard in more pop-oriented bands like Evanescence, and also in metal bands like Nightwish.

The main characteristic of The Gathering's sound in this album are the strong guitar riffs, the omniscient layers of keyboards and the incredible voice of Anneke van Giersbergen, who in my opinion is the best female metal singer ever. These three elements, helped by a competent production, created a very enjoyable album despite its obvious flaws.

Mandylion starts the album wonderfully with Strange Machine, with its great riff and outstanding vocals, in a sort of symphonic gothic metal both powerful and mellow, and very elegant. The lyrics are not so great, but they accompany the music just fine with its thematic about time travel.

Eleanor is darker, more gothic and pretty negative lyrics, again with some progressive influences and a great bass line. And very gothic is also In Motion #1, an almost symphonic song with tons of keyboards and a beautiful dark atmosphere.

Leaves start with mellow guitars but soon they give way to another dark riff with the typical layer of keyboards. And at this point we can't avoid thinking that this album is a bit repetitive, but the wonderful solo of the song and its instrumental interlude make us forget that.

Fear the Sea is another competent song which talk about the fearsome waters of the ocean, helped by some hard almost- thrash metal riffs. This song contains a long instrumental part which is not very brilliant, but adds a layer of extra setting. And very atmospheric is also the title track, with ethnical percussion and beautiful vocal melodies. A very adequate song for this point of the album!

Sand and Mercury is the longest and also the most progressive track of the album. Anneke don't appear till the sixth minute! And when she appears the song transform itself into pure magic. Beautiful! And JRR Tolkien talks at the end of the song? What more could we desire?

Oh, yes? I know what I desire for this album. A powerful yet beautiful ending track, with a bit of extra melody. And In Motion #2 is exactly that! Maybe my favorite track of the entire album. Just great and with a beautiful cello!

Conclusion: Mandylion is a very good record, almost excellent. Anneke is wonderful, the production is superb and the songwriting very strong although a bit repetitive. Of course, not every prog rock lover will be able to appreciate its quality and influence over the years. But if you like gothic rock, alternative metal and female voices, this album with fulfill all your expectations.

Best Tracks: Strange Machines, Eleanor, Leaves, Sand and Mercury, In Motion #2. But not a single weak song can be found here!

My rating: ****