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.
Waking Hour
The Gathering Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They see the paths of our lives
The heart is there to feel
It feels the energy of our time
I can see it
I can feel it
This is my waking hour
This is my place
I can hear it
I feel the power in my heart
And is my moment
It is right there
And it's staring me in the face
Disguise and make-believe
I see the end of all demise
The only way to heal
Is in the honesty of your eyes
The fight is done
And who are we to judge
What will become
All the iron armor
Is laid down away
Followed by the heroes
Who belong on rested earth, we pray
We feel the rescue coming near
Within the woken soul to hear
We sense the calm all wrapped in fear
And all the while we heed
The senses way too vast to see
We beg of you to not let go
Our names will provide us with a soul
Falling down
Start again
Life can bring you down
The monumental truth
Of elegance in you
Falling for
A part of who you are
Makes you shine inside
The lyrics of The Gathering’s “Waking Hour” explore the idea of self-discovery and embracing one’s true nature. The opening lines “The eyes are made to see, they see the paths of our lives, the heart is there to feel, it feels the energy of our time” suggest that our senses help us navigate through life and understand the world around us. The following lines “I can see it, I can feel it, this is my waking hour, this is my place, I can hear it, I feel the power in my heart, and it's my moment, it is right there, and it's staring me in the face” signify a moment of realization, where the singer realizes their potential and embraces their true identity.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of healing and honesty. “Disguise and make-believe, I see the end of all demise, the only way to heal, is in the honesty of your eyes” suggests that hiding behind masks and pretenses only leads to destruction, and true healing happens when we confront ourselves with honesty. The subsequent lines, “The fight is done, and who are we to judge, what will become” reflect a sense of acceptance and surrender to the universe’s inevitable plans. The final lines, “The monumental truth of elegance in you, falling for a part of who you are, makes you shine inside” suggest that embracing one’s true self and acknowledging their flaws and strengths is essential to shine.
Line by Line Meaning
The eyes are made to see
Our eyes are specifically designed to observe and analyze the paths that we take in our lives
They see the paths of our lives
The direction we head towards in life is easily visible to our eyes
The heart is there to feel
The purpose of the heart is to experience a spectrum of emotions
It feels the energy of our time
The heart senses the aura of our present as well as those in our surroundings.
I can see it
I am able to perceive it
I can feel it
I am able to sense and experience the current stimuli
This is my waking hour
I have entered my conscious state
This is my place
This environment feels like my true space
I can hear it
I can comprehend the audible elements around me
I feel the power in my heart
I experience a sense of vigor within my emotional center
And is my moment
I sense that this is the most crucial point of time for me
It is right there
It is currently obtainable
And it's staring me in the face
It's apparent and undeniable
Disguise and make-believe
A scenario that is fabricated, not genuine.
I see the end of all demise
The destruction in all its forms will eventually come to an end
The only way to heal
The pathway to recovery is by being completely transparent and honest
Is in the honesty of your eyes
It is only by looking deep into someone's eyes that the truth can be found
The fight is done
The battle is over
And who are we to judge
Why do we have the right to pass judgement
What will become
What awaits in the future
All the iron armor
All the defenses that were built
Is laid down away
They are being cast aside
Followed by the heroes
Champions follow this course of action
Who belong on rested earth, we pray
Those who deserve to rest eternally
We feel the rescue coming near
We sense that help is approaching
Within the woken soul to hear
The alert spirit can pick up on this rescue mission
We sense the calm all wrapped in fear
We detect a peace that is intertwined with anxiety
And all the while we heed
We must be cautious throughout this period
The senses way too vast to see
The instincts that are extremely comprehensive, but not visible to the naked eye
We beg of you to not let go
We implore you not to abandon us.
Our names will provide us with a soul
Our identity will give us our consciousness
Falling down
Descending
Start again
Begin afresh
Life can bring you down
Life has the potential to weaken you
The monumental truth
The fundamental truth
Of elegance in you
Refinement can be detected within an individual
Falling for
Developing emotions for
A part of who you are
An aspect of your personality that shapes who you are
Makes you shine inside
It makes you feel a sense of inner light
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Anneke van Giersbergen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ronald boreland
Absolutely Beautiful. ☺ The best female singer "EVER"
Ron Klue
I'm going to argue with that & say the best singer ever.
Ron Klue
The very best singer period
Paul Gilbey
The best vocal solo ever! Anneke is a Goddess!
captmcneil
I discovered this band way too late, long after Disclosure. As soon as I heard they would be giving an anniversary gig with all the original band members, I immediately looked for tickets - sold out. Then they scheduled a second show on the same day! I drove 1600km just to see them. The only time I saw them, with Anneke. Worth it, so worth it. Such a special afternoon. I love you guys.
The Quiet Furnace
I get you. I named my daughter Anneke!
San
2:59 starts a mind-blowing voice solo. Just saying \m/
Ignacio Corrales
The whole song is extremely beautiful.... But that part is Out of this World!
eikge65
The most beautiful voice there is: Anneke van Giersbergen
Peter de Frankrijker
One of my greatest regrets is never seeing this band live.