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A long time ago this was my first purchase of The Gathering's catalogue because the general consensus seemed to indicate it was their best. I have all of their albums now and often feel torn about which album of theirs I like the most. However, it's easy to make a case for _Nighttime Birds_ as top of the line.The Gathering left the whole doom metal thing behind before _Mandylion_, and with _Nighttime Birds_ they continue their exploration of beautiful female vocals with the heavier backdrop. _Nighttime Birds_ shows the lighter, more ethereal side of the band taking hold more strongly as well. "On Most Surfaces" opens the album surging through heavy riffs and moody atmospheres, and it has a soaring vocal that would probably be dismissed as bombastic were Anneke van Giersbergen's voice not so incredible. Hers is a voice of diamond and ice, beautiful but chilling. It is not surprising that when she sings, "I am the snow falling down on you," the spine-tingling kiss of her words are as soft and light as falling snowflakes. Songs like "Kevin's Telescope" and the later parts of "Confusion" climb to great heights, heaved up by powerful epic billows of keyboards and electric distortion. Cryptic lyrics go well with the aura of mystery painted by ethereal guitar lines and penetrating vocal melodies of the title track, as well as the inconspicuous layer of stark percussion which hides behind guitar and keys. "The May Song" is interesting, juxtaposing the warmth of a mellow Hammond organ (love that sound) and softly strummed guitars with a confrontational vocal backed by a more aggressive arrangement on the chorus. "Shrink" is a haunting piano ballad with van Giersbergen's voice bleeding onto the floor in the prettiest way. "I shrink and shrink until I'm gone," she sings sadly as an understated eighth-rock beat enters with a vaporous guitar line snaking through the arrangement. Beautiful.Although I think I prefer the experimentation and atmosphere on _How to Measure a Planet?_, _Nighttime Birds_ is an excellent work. I probably listen to it more anyway since it's not as long, also (it can be hard to squeeze in a double-album sometimes). Really though, you can't go wrong with any album of The Gathering's that involves Anneke van Giersbergen. That voice is the audio equivalent of Tropicana orange juice: pure, rich in vitamins, and tasty.
I have mixed feelings about The Gathering. I don't like Anneke's vocals that much because of the way she wails, but it's not that big of a deal. Their music gets a bit repetitive at times, and there's nothing about this album that can keep my attention for the entirety of it. The title track is excellent, and there are a few more that really stand out, but there are also those that aren't so good. I won't adorn this piece with praise and glory, but I do recommend checking it out. If you're one who likes vocals that dominate the music, then you'll love it. I will say that Anneke sings in a very down-to-earth and appropriate manner, but seems to push it sometimes. The music is very atmospheric; not necessarily gloomy (although it is in some places) but very sensual. It just can't hold my attention very long. But it may for others, so don't shy away.
Anneke and Tarja from Nightwish are my two favorite female lead singers when it comes to this kind of music. While with Nightwish, we have over-the-top sythesizers and powerful operatic voices, The Gathering are more laid-back, delivering a more subtle power through lead-vocalist Anneke.
Anneke is by far superior to the Evanescense singer. It's difficult for me to compare the two, as I see them as from two completely separate genres. The Gathering sounds more gothic and less like Britney Spears trying to be gothic. Evanescense is okay...they're better than Tapping the Vein, but that's not saying a whole lot. This band is miles above the two: they started as a gothic band and slowly became more acceptable to a larger audience. But the fact is that they appeal to BOTH the goth AND the pop crowds, and if that is not signs of a talented band, I don't know what is.
Only reason I rate it four stars is because I don't really like the more pop-sounding melodies they use, but that's more an issue of personal taste than a defect of the band.
Highlights for me include: "Nighttime Birds", "Confusion", and "Kevin's Telescope".
Good Lord have mercy! 'Nighttime Birds' is a perfect follow up to 'Mandylion'! No two songs sound alike, and the female lead vocals just make you feel good inside. A truly amazing piece of music. A highly recomended purchase for fans of any style of music!!
If god were a female with a beautiful voice.I love her vocals, they are absolutely beautiful and divine. I rank her right up there with Tarja of Nightwish as my favorite female vocalist.They mix rock, prog, and etherial atmosphere with her beautiful (soprano is it called?) singing. The mix is absolutley perfect. The yearning is obvious is Kevin's Telescope as well as wishing to be free as a bird is Nighttime Birds. The Earth is my Witness talks about the rejuvination of life and Shrink tells about inadequacies in like. Do yourself a favour and buy this album (along with the rest of their albums). You won't look back.
On their second release featuring vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, the Dutch band The Gathering moves even further away from their death metal roots, though they continue to be inexplicably lumped into that genre. It's unfortunate, because most of the bad reviews you'll read of The Gathering are a result of this confusion. Either way, the band shows a growth in their sound, a continuation of the atmospheric, moody beauty first presented on their previous release "Mandylion." Annke's vocals, while certainly haunting and beautiful, may not be technically perfect, as pointed out by a few narrow-minded reviewers, but there has rarely been a case where a singer's voice was so perfectly suited to the music she's singing. It really is magical at times (right around the 5 minute mark in "On Most Surfaces," for example). "Nighttime Birds" is a solid progression to the sound the band cultivated on "Mandylion," being a little less metal, a little more atmospheric, carrying themselves futher from "death" and closer to "prog."
Beautiful, heavy...in a class of its own., February 24, 2003
maybe a little more variation..., June 25, 2003
