THE GATHERING

They use distortion to good effect, and the impression at the end of the album is that of not fully having understood all that is going on. It means that the only course of action is to play it again, in the hope of gaining the full meaning of the music. Do that six or seven times in succession then possibly, just possibly, you may get your head inside the music. Compelling and wonderful ? not an album to be taken lightly or after a big meal.

Originally appeared in Feedback #61, Feb 01

This is a band with a lot of ideas, and many different musical traits, but they are let down throughout this album with some pretty poor production. If the idea is to generate the idea of how the sound may come across at times in a live gig then they have succeeded, but the listener wants some clarity to the instruments and the vocals. "Marooned" starts life as a number by Everything But The Girl while "Probably Built In The Fifties" comes across as if the band are attempting to be Hawkwind with a female singer.

An album which is most definitely spoilt by the poor sound. A shame.

Originally appeared in Feedback #57

"I have heard this mental search has made them all take a look along the border Having the urge For their minds to be lifted to something new I'm running to meet my higher self"

Giersbergen's heavenly voice is the primary feature and expressive source of emotional energy of these songs save for a couple of instrumentals, and as brilliant and stunning as it is on the two previous albums, her singing is more consistently harmonious with the music here, which is rich in instrumental texture, mostly slow and reflective, with intense rises to emotive eruptions, allowing her voice an enhancing level of flexibility with very fluid, naturally flowing arrangements. Ren' Rutten's guitar playing is more experimental, entirely in the tradition of ambient guitar rock and progressive rock, using a heavily fuzzed-out distorted guitar tone for louder sections, with a variety of effects to color the sound, and absolutely fantastic lead playing during the transcendent coda of the vastly life-embracing "Great Ocean Road", and "Rescue Me", a reflectively intimate track given an astounding sense of ascendant yearning by his thickly distorted, hazy-toned mid-song lead.

"I feed you balance We will not rest Until the search ends"

One gets the sense that the expansive conception of this double-disc release was the product of experiencing an abundance of creative inspiration, not just in the amount of fantastic music offered here, but in the theory of its organization which reflects the parallel of the direct (song-oriented disc one) and abstract (psychedelic space-rock disc two) in fundamental human observation and discourse. This sequential arrangement is important, but an underlying reinforcement of the music's feel and portrayal of the trip that is human existence in the ceaseless but beautifully diverse movement of the world, considered from the affirmative position that is this band's natural creative character, in their most definitive, ambitious, and inspirational expression.

Put them together, and you create an intriguing blend which steers away from straight-ahead doom metal by virtue of its alternative rock and goth rock influences. As far as gothic metal goes, Mandylion is the first album I ever heard which really succeeded at fusing what I enjoy about goth rock - the brooding romanticism and emotional rawness - with a metal approach which supports and nurtures those factors. Great stuff.

The Gathering goes melodic on Almost A Dance with clean male vocals. Vocals that sounds like a male moose in heat, though. Frankly, they are that terrible. The guitars are melodic and the guitar solos is diddly-dei without much originality. The sound is faintly goth rock'ish. The keyboards is grandious as in goth rock.

This album may have been both good and exciting back in 1993 (??). But in today's standards, it falls flat on it's face. It is a massive step backwards from a pretty much genre defining debut album. The songs are terrible throughout. I am glad to report that Anneke saved the band on the next album. Almost A Dance is a turkey though and as bland as a bag of peanuts with all salt removed.

1 star

I was around when the band distributed a tape in the underground. You did not have to be particular clever to understand that this band had massive potential. A potential they have not entirely fulfilled in my view due to some strange decissions and change of vocalists. The scene also became overcrowded with The Gathering copycats and the band lost their thunder to bands like Nightwish. It is always a shame when the originals loose out to copycats.

Mandylon has everything. Excellent vocals from the right vocalist for the right songs. Excellent songs. Great use of the right instruments. Excellent sound. I cannot fault a single song here. That even after been listening to this album from the day it was released. I always comes back to this album, time after time (and I was very surprised to find out I had yet to submit a review).

The songs are both dramatic, heavy and sometimes tender. The guitars underlines the heaviness. The keyboards adds spice + add some tenderness when required. This album is a pretty heavy album and one in Richard Wagner's spirit. Just like what prog metal is all about in my view.

The perfect prog metal album in my view and miles ahead of their competitors in the female fronted division. Eleanor is the best song on an album without any chinks in it's armour.

5 stars