The Gathering
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THE REVIEW

Novelty is the watchword for this group, always. Always willing to renew themselves and take risks, given that a certain kind of changes in direction, as we know, don’t always receive the right appreciation.

We are in 2006, and knowing this group, what could we ever expect after 16 years of continuous evolution? Obviously, a further expansion of musical horizons, always perfectly blended with wisdom, renewing a recipe that has always been their distinctive mark, which allows them to remain constantly relevant compared to many other groups devoted to the same genre, and above all, never predictable. In short, The Gathering do not disappoint and this "Home" is therefore not a cross and delight, but only delight.

Let me explain: it could be considered just another useless and artless change, but it’s not like that, and although many have abandoned the group for their (questionable?) choices for quite some time, this album is still another pleasant and beautiful piece that fits well in the substantial discography they have been able to produce. It is difficult to define the style of these Dutch artists at this point; the most varied reminiscences are blended with their personal skills, from pure rock to soft parts sung in a whisper/falsetto combined with more psychedelic digressions if you will, always maintaining a very melodic and melancholic line. Words, words, words, as a famous song goes, only listening will clarify your ideas since you won’t find riffs, drums, keyboards here, but many emotions that will be transmitted to you through the velvety and unmistakable voice of this band. Want to give a technical opinion? Classify their music by trying to understand who inspired them or attempting to find improbable and extravagant (and misleading) mixes with other groups to give an idea? Try it, but I can assure you it is very difficult.

Some reviews on the internet indeed claim that this album is influenced by Massive Attack, Pink Floyd, Talk Talk, Tori Amos, Radiohead, and Cranberries. Would you understand what kind of music they make from this improbable collage, to which I would add "the more, the merrier"? By now, The Gathering stand on their own, a history of an inimitable and highly distinctive mosaic of sounds. I must say that, even if at the beginning and later with albums like "Mandylion" or "Nighttime Birds" they could certainly be considered a group belonging to the great metal family, today it is no longer so. Mind you, it's still music for those who are "devoted" to a certain type of listening, it shouldn't be trivialized and it's not the kind of songs you'd put on just to listen to something, given that such work always deserves a certain amount of attention, but the traces of doom/gothic metal here have completely disappeared by now. Around the web, they have all given the highest ratings to this album; personally, I spared the last star, as I find ita bit subdued compared to other more substantial works of theirs and overall a bit too soft.

The album flows easily and the songs all end at their most beautiful, because they capture you melodically, and thus the torpor that pervades them is such that you remain amazed when you realize the piece is over or about to be. Let yourself be carried away, as always, the trip in this case too can take you to unexplored territories of your mind and help you find at least for a moment a state of peace after an entire day, through space and time in a psychedelic key with a pinch of modernity.