SLEEPY BUILDINGS - A SEMI ACOUSTIC EVENING

Excellent album. The climate of this concert is wonderful... Saturnine from 'Sleepy buildings' was the first song of Gathering that I've heard-I was schocked-there are so many feelings in this version of that song...and so many sadness too...voice of Anneke leads us through the album so delicate.. There are two of my favourites here - 'Travel' and 'Marooned', both sounds great...

I would recommend this album to someone who likes to watch as the leaves falls down from the trees in the autumn evening...

This may be my favorite CD by the Gathering. All the songs have been reworked to fit a down to basics band. The instrumentation is mostly accoustic but there's still room for electric guitar and synths. The emphasis is on Anneke's voice which has never sounded more wonderful in this live setting.

The songs on this album are sustantially stripped down or re-worked, but still maintain nothing of their power. Although they have chosen mainly for their more mellow songs (Amity, Marooned, My Electricity), the ones that are not have indeed mainly lost their rough edges. This results in a bunch of songs that reach a much higher level of emotion and sensitivity and to me that is a great thing.

No heavy and catchy guitarfiffs on this one. It are mainly the drums that gives a more louder/heavy sound to the specific songs. The use of guitar is on the contrary always as guidance and seldom as solo. This results in a effect in which we can hear much more piano/keyboard work and ofcourse the tremendous voice of Anneke. I would have been really interested in a continuance of If Then Else, which is so spiced with orchestral errangements. I think that this would really make a great contribution to this album as we'll.

For the ones that are interested in their heavy stuff (Strange Machines, In Motion, Nighttime Birds, Libery Bell, Great Ocean Road (damn I miss the Therimin) and Black Light District) better avoid this album, as it really is a sit down event and by far not like their usual live performances that truly can rock hard from time to time.

With this album The Gathering has moved more close to progressive Rock than ever before.

All in all, another great album of this band that sounds too good to come from The Netherlands.

While Mandylion was the entry of The Gathering in a powerful instrumental and vocally, this album shows what can be done in an intimate, quiet. This is a wonderful album. The first impression is that we are with them in a bar or a small theater, and have respect without much paraphernalia, and the best, with excellent sound.

Be enjoyed by musicians and, especially, Anneke devouring us with their vocal range.

Topics that have their strength because we know them by their versions with all the instrumentation, we are seduced by the simplicity and the flight they take.

Truly a hard to sit down, turn off the phones and get the maximum.

And if someone says that Anneke has no voice ... not heard this

Mandylion is the album that we would need when we're off. Sleepy Buildings, when we are ill with nerves.

The idea of a rock band presenting an acoustic or, as in this case, a semi-acoustic show is these days not that unusual. But Dutch rockers The Gathering were probably not one that many people ever imagined would fall into that camp. Not all of the songs on this album are fully acoustic, but even those that are electric (such as "The Mirror Waters") are treated in a totally different fashion to how the listener would usually expect. The result is an album that is deeply emotional and atmospheric, with the whole band being tied together by the delicate yet powerful thread which is Anneke van Giersbergen's voice.

It shows how much structure there is within their music and how even though they normally belt it out there is a far more evaluated side to their nature. From opener "Locked Away" to closer "Like Fountains" the listener is taken for a ride through fourteen songs that have a craggy beauty which is going to introduce them to a whole new audience. Fans of the band will just lap this up while newcomers will wonder how they have never come across this style of music before. It is often piano-based with acoustic strumming but it is Anneke that is the pin that holds it all together and she comes out of this with a lot of credit.

Originally appeared in Feedback #78, April 2004

I think I've been in love with The Gathering for the last three years, and now I can say it is one of those bands I regret I never see in concert, pity me. But well, every time I listen to them I am fed with emotions, memories and stories, something not so many bands produces on me. We all know that Anneke's years made this band bigger and unforgettable, she is without a doubt THE Gathering's voice (though I LOVE Silje), and every single record they released with her voice is a delight.

This live album is different, because it has a lot of acoustic passages and most of the songs (if not all) had new arrangements, I mean, they were re-worked songs for this special semi-acoustic evening. So the band surprised the audience and the album's listeners because it features great iconic and not that iconic songs from their repertoire with a softer sound that was magnificently complemented by Anneke's beautiful, powerful and emotional voice.

Of course when someone aims to listen to The Gathering, it is expected to find those metal roots and those experimental moments they created with their 90s albums, which is why listening to this live album might be a double- edged knife, because you either might feel that lack of power, or you might find the magic that surrounded this show. I love the band and I stay with the magic, but I cannot deny this is not my favorite live release.

The night and the concert were beautiful, the music makes you travel with those wonderful guitars and keyboards, but without a doubt the main magic lies on Van Giersbergen's vocals and charisma. The band seemed to be connected so everything flows naturally, so this is without a doubt a great concert, a nice experiment that a fan like me appreciates, but honestly I would not use this as an introductory album, I would not recommend it unless I know the person already knows and likes The Gathering.

My favorite moments are: "Amity", "Red is a Slow Color", "Eleanor" and of course, the mighty "Travel", a song that never fails. My final grade will be 3 stars.

Enjoy it!