| The
Review |
The Gathering have really changed since their inception
back in 1992. They started off with a death metal slant. They
then gained the talents of Anneke Van Giersbergen on vocals,
and moved into a more gothic direction. Mandylion and Nighttime
Birds were two albums in this vein and were great. For some
reason, thos e 2 albums had an amazing quality that no one
has ever matched in this genre. Many fans were therefore dismayed
when they then shifted on "How to Measure a Planet" (transitional
album) into slightly poppier and more modernistic territories,
but they were still finding their eventual sound at that point.
With "If_Then_Else", the band began getting more trippy and
spacey, a sound that progressed in the trip-rock direction
with "Souvenirs". Now, on "Home" - the band takes this sound
even further.
"Home" is veeerrrrrrrryyyy laid back and trippy. This
album makes you feel like you are floating on a cloud, looking
down at the landscape with no cares. Monotonous (in a good
way) beats are covered with layered guitars loaded with reverb,
some keys, and Anneke's incredible voice soars along over
everything. She always manages to sing in unique ways, and
this album is no exception. Most songs follow the same format
as Souvenirs, although again, the spacey, trippy element is
enhanced. Paatos would be a pretty good comparison, I suppose.
This band no longer sounds ANYTHING like Lacuna Coil or Nightwish
(although really, they never did). Whereas "Karmacode" (Lacuna's
latest) was rather lackluster, I think Home is wonderful.
The melodies are great. Somehow The Gathering avoids the "I've
heard this melody before" syndrome other bands with their
repertoire of albums have. Each song seems to flow into the
next, and none really are restricted by traditional formulas.
Complaints: not many, but there is some filler for the
last 4 minutes of the last track. I still prefer Mandylion
and Nighttime Birds, but this is still really good and much
better than most female led bands out there in my opinion.
One warning: you must be in the right mood for this one -
not to be listened to unless you need to escape from reality
for a while.
Rating: 4 stars
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