There are several bands called The Gathering is an:

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.

Golden Grounds
The Gathering Lyrics

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As the sand
spreads wide open
and the glow of the sun
pearls the skin
All hope is craving fluids
and the yearning to where we've been

Golden grounds

so absorbing
When the heat of the sun
boils the skin
We have to stand the test of nature
to return to where we've been

Hold on my saviour
Keep my heart in holy dimensions
Drag me on your back
for one more day
One more day

One more day

You give
You learn
You live
You learn

I guess what ever you may find
It's all right to eat a piece of your mind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Gathering's song "Golden Grounds" are rich with imagery of a hot and arid landscape, where the sand spreads wide and the sun's glow beads sweat on the skin. The first two lines of the song use the metaphor of the sand to convey the vastness and emptiness of the world around the singer, punctuated by the intense presence of the sun. The words "All hope is craving fluids / and the yearning to where we've been" suggest a longing for something that has been left behind or forgotten, and the heat and thirst of the desert only magnify this sense of loss.

The repeated refrain of "Golden grounds / so absorbing" brings to mind the idea of buried treasure or hidden secrets waiting to be discovered. The heat of the sun is both a test and a promise of something important that lies just beyond reach, if only the singer can endure the hardships of the journey. The lines "Hold on my saviour / Keep my heart in holy dimensions" add a religious dimension to the song, suggesting that there might be some divine force guiding the singer through this difficult time.

The final lines of the song - "You give / You learn / You live / You learn / I guess what ever you may find / It's all right to eat a piece of your mind" - are a kind of philosophical summary of the song's themes. The singer has gone through a grueling experience, but has come out the other side with a deeper understanding of the world and of themselves. The idea that it's "all right to eat a piece of your mind" suggests that it's okay to be introspective and to explore the many dimensions of our own thoughts and emotions, even if that means taking risks or making mistakes.

Line by Line Meaning

As the sand
With the spread of the sand

spreads wide open
Extending over a vast area

and the glow of the sun
Together with the radiance of the sun

pearls the skin
Causing the skin to glisten

All hope is craving fluids
Everyone is in need of hydration

and the yearning to where we've been
The desire to return to our past experiences

Golden grounds
The beautiful environment

so absorbing
Fully captivating

When the heat of the sun
As the sun's temperature rises

boils the skin
Causing the skin to excessively heat up

We have to stand the test of nature
We must endure the challenges of the natural world