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Its hard to believe that this CD was really produced by the same band that has given us such a consistent string of really excellent "5 star" material - music that could arguably be considered at the masterpece level for the genre. The last three releases, in particular, ("Birds", "Planet", "If Then...Else) bear repeated listening. They're deep, complex, powerful, emotional, fascinating, just pile on the superlatives baby. Not so this CD - unfortunately, this is one of the most tedious and uninspired pieces of music I've heard in a long time. I'd disparage any band that released something like this -its kind of shocking, really, that this is The Gathering.It goes beyond the mood, which I find morose and uninspired. There is about 20 seconds of acutal valid musical content here, crammed into about 25 minutes. Its beyond self-indulgence - in the first place, that problem implies you have some content to over indulge in. Experimental and artistic? No way - in this case, those kind of adjectives are just a cover for self-absorption, lazy composition, and lackadasial performance.This really sounds like they had a couple of hours to kill and composed and recorded the whole thing in that time frame - come on Gathering - give it some effort. Let's hope this is some weird aberration and things get back on track for this usually wonderful band.
As with every album this band puts out, it's more experimental than the previous one. Where at first they were a melodic Death Metal band they evolved into something that is really hard to put into any catagory... And so continuing the wash of electronic ambience that has entered their previous few albums this mini-album pushes that aspect even more into the foreground. In some bands that doesn't work well.. But seeing as the electronics are very well balanced against the electic guitar and classic piano this little disc is a very powerful and fresh sounding piece of music. It justs draws you in to the dreamlike experience that is The Gathering.When playing this disc the first thing that strikes you is the somber piano intro. This sets the mood for the rest of the album. It is lush but quite dark.. Something that was present in previous albums but takes on a more profound shape here. The band themselves explain this is due to some bad experiences they've had the past year with record companies and the like. But it actually is a good thing. The dark somber atmosphere of this disc works. It gives it an edge.On to the songs.Black Light District: This first song is a long and highly experimental piece. Starting of with a somber slow piano melody I mentioned earlier and working its way up to pretty agressive guitars and electronically distorted vocals. All the way pushing an aggressive yet somehow lonely mood until it erupts in a seeming wall of guitarnoise and erratic piano chords. Then as the energy subsides we're left with a minimal yet lonely wash of electronics eventually evolving into a pretty but again melancholic melody accompannied by Anneke's beautiful voice as she sings the last few lines of the song. And as the end approches we're left with the lonely piano that started the song.Debris: The most agressive song on the album. A combination of metallic guitar chords and agressive electronics. This song conveyes a lot of anger. Anger of someone who's angry at the world and situations around her. The lyrics enhance this effect. Broken Glass(piano version): This closes off the album nicely. It's a heartbreaking piano piece with a sense of hope lined into the sadness. Very beautiful. NOTE: this is not the orginal version of the song. I recently saw the band in concert and they played the original version of this song that's going to appear on their upcoming full-length album Souvenirs. That version is much more aggressive.All in all this is a highly enjoyable mini-album which makes me excited about Souvenirs which will be released early next year. Plus the fact that they worked together with Ulver on that album should create another masterpiece.
I have been a fan of the gathering for many years. This album did dissapoint me when I first listened to it but over a couple of months I really began to like it. When I went to see the band live again the played the first track of this album, yes all 18 or so minutes of it, and live it was an absolutly amazing experience, those poeple who have reviewed it and said it is rubbish must be short sighted pretentious 'its not good if its not heavy' type people, this is quality go buy it now!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Great, March 2, 2003
Reviewer: A music fan My advice is that you have to buy this mini-cd. If you are a fan of the band, dont think twince. Is a new experience to The Gathering fans. The band is becoming more mature, and continue making great music. The "Black Light District" track is a masterpiece... i hope you enjoy this album.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not bad for a mini-cd, February 14, 2003
Reviewer: A music fan First of all , we must remember that this is just a mini for the 10th anniversary of the group , don't expect a masterpiece album ; this time the group had released three experimental tracks of psychedelic prog-rock that deserve great attention : the title-track (too long , the only error) it's the most emotional song composed by the group in the last years , instead "debris" is a mix of the old style of the group with the most recent releases ("hot to measure a planet?" & "If_then_else") and "broken glass" , in the piano version (the complete version will be released in the new album "souvenirs") , that's not bad but nothing unforgettable...a good "hors d'oeuvre" , waiting the principal dish.
On their website, the band claim that this interim mini-album is a gift to all their fans for their continued support. Well, what turns out to be some of the most mediocre music The Gathering have ever recorded should instead have simply been given away to their fans, or at least made available as free downloads on the site. Instead, they are getting nearly full-price for the thing. The 14-minute title track takes about 5 minutes to even begin to resemble anything interesting, with only the last short section of the song containing any of Anneke's alway-striking vocals. "Debris" is an odd, electronica-tinged number that sounds like a reject from their last album "If-Then-Else". The e.p. closes with "Broken Glass", a track that will appear in full form on their forthcoming new album - why this half-finished piano-and-vocal piece had to be included here is beyond me . So, what we're left with is one of the few disappointing outputs by this otherwise excellent band. Let's just hope the creative juices were flowing stronger during the recording sessions for the new album!
What were they thinking???, January 30, 2003
Dark and Fantastic, December 31, 2002
Buy it!, June 24, 2003
Not bad for a mini-cd, February 14, 2003
I think I'll return this "gift"!, December 28, 2002
