1. alternative… Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands called The Gathering is an:
1. alternative rock / progressive rock formed in Oss, the Netherlands, in 1989. Similar to: Anathema (mid/late albums), Pink Floyd, The 3rd and the Mortal (late), Radiohead, Portishead, Piano Magic, Talk Talk (late), Motorpsycho. However, in their first albums they were more similar to Anathema (early), Paradise Lost, The 3rd and the Mortal (early), Type O Negative, Dead Can Dance, Theatre Of Tragedy (early), My Dying Bride, Tiamat.
Initially, at the start of their career, they were a gothic metal / doom metal band. Their most successfull album in this period is their 1995 release "Mandylion". However, they shifted towards their current form, incorporating many influences from atmospheric rock, trip hop, space rock, dream pop, post rock, pop rock, alternative rock, with their 1998 release "How to Measure a Planet?" . Their historical singer was Anneke Van Giersbergen , who joined in 1995 for the album "Mandylion" but left the band in 2007 after the album "Home". She was later replaced by Silje Wergeland , who debuted in the album "The West Pole".
The band announced a hiatus in 2014, which was later interrupted in 2022 with the release of "Beautiful Distortion". The current line-up consists of Silje Wergeland (lead vocals), René Rutten (guitars and flute), Frank Boeijen (keyboards), and Hans Rutten (drums). The band had some line-up changes during the years, the most notable being Silje Wergeland replacing in 2009 the former singer Anneke van Giersbergen (who was a member from 1994 to 2007).
Initially they were in the vein of bands like Paradise Lost, Anathema or The Third and the Mortal.
Their first two albums, Always... (1992) in the death metal/doom metal style of the era and Almost a Dance (1993) that, though always regarded as a failure, played a part in the formation of gothic metal, were recorded with four different vocalists. Their subsequent release, Mandylion (1995), on which Anneke van Giersbergen sang for the first time, was a dark, haunting, and emotional piece of music. It was also one of the first albums of its kind in respect to female fronted metal bands, and it is still considered a standard by many female fronted metal bands.
Nighttime Birds (1997) continued in the same vein.
How to Measure a Planet? (1998) signed a departure from their previous style, while adopting an atmospheric sound with roots in space rock, shoegaze, trip hop, progressive and alternative rock. Their following studio albums if_then_else (2000) and Souvenirs (2003) showed progress and maturation of the band.
There is also an electro-acoustic live album Sleepy Buildings: A Semi Acoustic Evening, which was released in 2004, and was followed by a similar semi-acoustic tour.
Their 8th studio album, Home, was released in April 2006. The Gathering has promoted this album with a tour and festivals for the rest of 2006-2007.
Last March 24th, in Santiago, Chile, the band recorded a live DVD entitled "A Noise Severe" more rock oriented, to complete the previously released DVD "A Sound Relief", which featured a more acoustic set. It was released with little delay at the end of November 2007, together with live 2CD from same place.
On June 5, 2007 it was announced that Anneke is going to leave The Gathering in August 2007 to focus on her new project, Agua de Annique and her family.
After van Giersbergen leaving, the band started working on new songs and finding new singers. With finding Silje Wergeland from Norway the band again completed the line up. Silje has been the singer of the Norwegian band Octavia Sperati for 8 years including several other projects. 9th album The West Pole also includes two very talented guest singers: the Dutch Anne van den Hoogen and Mexican Marcela Bovio (from Stream of Passion). The West Pole is a very vital, atmospheric and extravert rock orientated album, with all the quality and power the band is so famous for, also with many new elements. The sound is guitar driven, alive and urgent; a strong and beautifully coloured album with haunting female vocals. It’s produced by guitar player René Rutten and mixed & mastered by Zlaya Hadzich, who also did the production of Souvenirs.
10th full length Disclosure was released in September 2012.
They released Afterwords in 2013. ]Marjolein Kooijman (bass) left only a few months later.
http://www.gathering.nl
2. Gothic Rock band from Pretoria, South Africa, active in the second half of the 1980s. The Gathering released the 7inch single "Night and Day/Falling Crimson" and a handful of compilation tracks, e.g. "Perfect Souls" and "Wooden Walls" in 1988. The Gathering’s only full-length album, titled 'In the End", is a labour of love that’s taken the better part of 23 years to realise.
Another Day
The Gathering Lyrics
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A strange man knows my name
Heat takes my mind
What is happening to me?
The revival - True messiah
Now that you are saved a legend lives
The revival
True messiah
Still I cannot speak
My throat is dry as ice
A tear leaves my eye
I know that I am saved
Remember what has happened
You're older than the earth
Six hundred years
A living history
A vision in my brain takes me back
To places that I know I was before
The revival – true messiah
Now that you are saved a legend lives
The revival
We take you to the gate to wash your brain
True messiah
Sleeping through the ages
The past rests within
Soon to be recovered
By emptying my mind
Remember what has happened
You're older than the earth
Six hundred years
A living history
A vision in my brain takes me back
To places that I know I was before
The Gathering's song Another Day tells a story of a person who wakes up and is addressed by a mysterious stranger. The singer is suddenly taken by confusion and disorientation, and is unable to speak or think clearly - it seems like he is in a state of shock. The stranger then proceeds to brainwash him and take him to a place called "the gate", where his mind is to be wiped clean. The song then switches gears and describes how the man recalls his past, and takes a trip down memory lane. The vision in his head takes him back to places and times that feel familiar to him. The lyrics then come full circle, with the singer repeating the lines about waking up and being confused, suggesting that the experience may have been a strange dream or a hallucination.
The song is a commentary on the dangers of religious cults, and how easily people can be sucked into them. The lyrics seem to be warning listeners to be careful and not be swayed by charismatic leaders or organizations that promise salvation. The idea of brainwashing and wiping clean one's memory is a powerful one, and shows just how dangerous these cults can be.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly I awake
The singer is awakening abruptly.
A strange man knows my name
The singer has encountered a stranger who knows their name.
Heat takes my mind
The singer feels heat which is affecting their consciousness.
What is happening to me?
The artist is confused and disoriented by their experience.
The revival - True messiah
There is a religious movement with a leader who is believed to be the savior.
Now that you are saved a legend lives
By joining the religious movement, the singer has become part of something legendary or mythic.
We take you to the gate to wash your brain
The religious group engages in brainwashing to reinforce their beliefs.
True messiah
The leader of the religious movement is believed to be the true Messiah figure.
Still I cannot speak
The artist is unable to talk.
My throat is dry as ice
The artist's throat is parched, preventing them from speaking.
A tear leaves my eye
The singer's emotional response is causing them to cry.
I know that I am saved
The artist believes that they have been saved by joining the religious movement.
Remember what has happened
The singer is being urged to recall what has taken place.
You're older than the earth
The singer is being told that their experiences are ancient and go beyond the history of the planet.
Six hundred years
The singer's experiences go back six centuries.
A living history
The artist's experiences are part of a unique and ongoing history.
A vision in my brain takes me back
The artist is experiencing a vivid memory.
To places that I know I was before
The memory is taking the singer back to a place they have already been.
Sleeping through the ages
The singer has been dormant or asleep for a long time.
The past rests within
The artist's memories of their past experiences are still accessible.
Soon to be recovered
The artist believes that they will soon fully remember and access their past experiences.
By emptying my mind
The artist believes that they can access their past experiences by clearing their mind.
Contributed by Julia S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.