The Gathering 'Home' review
Release date: 2006
Label(s): Noise
Duration: 60:00
Details
- Shortest Day
- In Between
- Alone
- Waking Hour
- Fatigue
- A Noise Severe
- Forgotten
- Solace
- Your Troubles Are Over
- Box
- The Quiet One
- Home
- Forgotten Reprise
And so it is on this, their latest, that The Gathering dives further into the mysterious genre of "trip-rock", a term that may or may not actually mean anything. Luckily for all involved, the endeavor is a resounding success.
The album begins with the effects-laden lilting guitar of "Shortest Day," which is actually one of the least fascinating songs you're going to hear in the next hour. It's not bad by any stretch of the term, but watching how the album grows better and better as it moves forward would almost make you think so.
As soon as the opening track segues into the second song, you realise that this is a very darkly mellow album, a sound that defies their common categorization as a metal band. This quickly becomes inconsequential, because The Gathering are really, really good at pulling off dark mellow songs. Some songs definitely seem to hearken back to 'Dummy' era Portishead, particularly those such as "In Between."
Thematic variety is frequently at play here, with songs ranging from the piano-heavy melancholy of "Alone" or "Forgotten," to the guitar-distortion miasma of "A Noise Severe," to the jarring incongruity of "Solace." With so many styles present, it's a feat that every song fits under one musical umbrella in such a nice and neat fashion.
The album definitely shows off the vocal talents of frontwoman Anneke van Giersbergen, with some sections featuring an etheral chorus of Annekes layered atop each other and wrapped up in the occasionally spacey music. The a capella intro to "Your Troubles Are Over" is also a testament to both her talent and versatility.
Overall, Home is very piano-and-keys-driven, with occasional strains of trip-hop and industrial sneaking through. The album flows incredibly well, is thematically enjoyable, and the vocals are among the best you could hear today. It is apparent through even one listen that The Gathering's latest is not only a worthy inclusion into their library, but an excellent evolution for their sound.
8/10