Falling In Love With an Angelic Voice
The Angel Anneke
The Angel Anneke
Early in my bookmarks, I had put Strange Machines from The Gathering's landmark Mandylion into my rotation, being completely amazed by the melody and an impossible range of their singer, Anneke Van Giersbergen (see previous posting: The Others II) It lead me to want to discover more from this band, having only a vague idea of the band already as a chick metal band, I was pleasantly surprised to bookmark several standouts. But it's that hyper-critical part that comes out in myself and says "Yes -BUT..." So, here is the "Yes, But She's Hot" or "Yes, But she can Really sing" or "Yes but they did this back in 1995". Needless to say, there are a few things to take into consideration here.
Number 1. They are NOT Gothic Metal. Whoever told you they are has no idea what the term Gothic refers to. (But- on that mark neither do most "goths").
Number 2. Its more like "Metal-lite". The term Metal here is used very loosely. But - Its just their roots peeking out on occasion.
Number 3. Anneke really is an Angel. No Buts.
On point 3, this is what makes The Gatherings' fan base the most obsessive Ive encountered. They are also seemingly scatter-brained on what is the bands' best albulm. No one can tell, (its Mandylion btw) they all lean towards their favorite and dump on only one. Its bizzarre actually. Out of the bands Ive researched to find what I like the most, I couldn't go by anything I had read. Not even the suggestions- which I requested for, got me anywhere. I just was beginning to learn one thing- apparently millions of people are in love with an Angel. The level to which people take their obsession with her and her abilities (rightly so, she should be ranked way up at the top of any list) really intrigued me.
So I quickly put into my favorites, any song that seemed to stand out. Knowing they are not a heavy band, that their sound changes on every release, makes it quite daunting to take on the giant list of 9 studio albums and 14+ years. So out of the 6 early bookmarks, Ive only added 1 since then. I featured Strange Machines like I said, and now the 3 that follow.
First up from Mandylion (the first release with Anneke singing, 1995), is Leaves. A powerful heavy rocker with layered on keys, a few electronic drums (the only thing that sounds dated today) and her vocal soaring overhead. Then the next 2 come from Home (the last release with Anneke singing, 2006). Which show in comparison to Leaves, how much the band evolved. Since the release of Home, Anneke has left to do her own thing, a solo project called Agua de Annique and The Gathering recruited Silje Wergeland from Octavia Sperati, one of my favorite discoveries through my endless search. (See previous postings: The First Batch, and The Others I)
On a side note, this blog has now featured 3 dutch female singers, Simone Simons (Epica), Floor Jansen (After Forever/ReVamp) and now Anneke. That is one Uber-talented bunch.
The Gathering, Netherlands Alt-Metal Ambient/Atmospheric
CD version
Leaves- Video Edit
The Gathering- Leaves 1995
Another giant off of Mandylion. This song is simply a vehicle for Anneke's souring voice to showcase its strength and versatility. Her range is on complete display, at the upper sections of the chorus lines and the low drops within the verses. The melody hangs, seemingly impossibly in air, as it takes the entirety of the chorus to resolve.
Perhaps what I really love more about this song is the lyrics. The song alludes to, a doomed relationship, like as if a one-night stand is being celebrated, knowing good and well it will end. To me it sounds like its from an actual experience Anneke had- perhaps on tour, perhaps with some fellow in some unknown town. As each chorus ends with the lines "Although I dont really know you- I dont really care" which gets flipped around in the final stanza as "Now that I do really know you- yes I really care". That should get your attention... hmm...
There is one negative here. I dont care for the "solo" Its a far cry from the heated and passionate vocal delivery, one of pure joy and excitement and even melancholy. It seems unconnected to Anneke's passion.. The video version has this instrumental section shortened. There are so many strong songs from Mandylion and later releases (particularly "How to Measure a Planet") but this is the one which opened my eyes to Anneke's angelic talent and ability.
The Gathering- Alone, 2006
This is the type of song I would hardly ever give a chance to. But I was lucky to have stumbled onto a huge variety of videos for this song. It was a part of a contest- Make a video for The Gathering. This was the case for this song from the albulm "Home", which tends to get widely mixed reviews from even TG's fans. The winner got thier video to be shown as an Official Gathering video. I ended up myself choosing my favorite version (its not the Official One)- which means I sat through at least 8 versions. This video really at times captures the feeling of movement and attempts to display isolation even within a city. Some of the imagery falls right in place but its the middle breakdown that completes it for me.
My favorite part, the middle section to the song (mark at 2:59)- is so beautiful, its as if truly a choir of angels is singing it. In a song of bleakness and desperation, its an amazing resolve, Watch for the line "You will find peace of mind" you will see what I mean. All in all out of the many songs I have listed in my favorites and have made it into my blog - this is the only one which has permeated my actual dreams. There has been times I yearn to hear that one section it touches a nerve deep within- so well. So I recommend it to you and also recommend if you are planning on making a video for a contest - not to put yourself in it, or local landmarks. Record execs know well enough that people will wonder later who and where was that guy in the Alone video?
The Gathering- The Shortest Day, 2006
As a reminder, this is not an American band. But seemingly masterful use of the American language shows throughout in this song. Better so, or at least more creatively, than a huge portion of American artists. I happened on this video while creating this posting, which is fan-based and I feel it illustrates the lyrics nicely. The fan base of this band is one of most fanatical I've seen from just about any band. As The Gathering continues on its path of re-imagining their sound, it is interesting to see the portion of their fan base that dislikes this 2006 release and the other half- who consider it their best. This is the CD's opener. For me it's the simple chromatic melody is the major selling point. Although there are vocal nods to The Cranberries and Alanis, I still find the song- after a year and half in my playlist, as inspired. The marching drum sounds in place even as Anneke smoothly oohs and ahhs over it almost all the way through the end.
As I filter through more from The Gathering, there is a chance I will share more of what I fall in love with here, all in due time. But it is time to shift gears again back to the format which lead me into this Endless Search, Symphonic Metal.
Next update: Getting into Mega-Therion.
