Well, not that they were ever a straightforward metal band, but The Gathering is definitely no longer a metal band at all, and I think this record is the logical next step that most people really were expecting them to take. It's similar to their last record, just without any trace of metal. This is ambient sort of alternative rock with a trip-hop type of electronic presence happening, and I can even hear bits and pieces that musically remind me of U2 or some of the stuff that Cave In's been doing lately... and of course Anneke's vocals are fucking beautiful, as always. There are lots of spacey guitar textures and chilled out atmospheres here, so the songs are very driven by vocals and general feeling rather than guitars, bass, and drums. Opener "These Good People" has a very memorable chorus, and "A Life All Mine" has both male and female vocals (the male vocals compliments of Ulver's Trickster G.) and is almost entirely electronic, so both pieces definitely stand out a lot. But sometimes the songs can be a tad long and, frankly, sort of boring (see "Even the Spirits are Afraid", for instance). However, the general tone and mood of the album is great, and I definitely see even more potential for this material to break the band into what could be perceived as "mainstream success" - but not in a bad way. The recording is fucking amazing. No complaints here. Every single tone is lush and perfectly mixed, creating a cascading array of sounds and textures with a bright vocal presence and a crystal clear attention to detail. The layout looks splendid, though ironically the enormous booklet which seems to fold out endlessly contains no lyrics and almost no text. It's just blank white and olive green space with some tiny photographs and textures spread out. One side has the band name, the other the album title. The inside (the white side) has a lot more vibrant color, but both sides are fairly minimal and visually appealing. Very nice. I would've liked to see lyrics incorporated somehow on at least one side, but what can you do? Honestly this is not the most exciting record in the world, and none of the songs are all that catchy or anything, but something about this resonates with me and I can definitely appreciate where they're coming from. I think that this might be the first step in a true transition that could bring forth incredible work in the future.
[The End]
Running time - 55:00 (approximately), Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: These Good People, Monsters, Jelena, A Life All Mine]
The End Records - http://www.theendrecords.com
