The Gathering
Mandylion

THE REVIEW

If we were to rank the most influential bands with a female voice, we would find The Gathering at the top (alongside Theatre of Tragedy and Nightwish). It's easy to understand why: ALL bands in the symphonic scene and beyond (like our very own Lacuna Coil) owe something to the Dutch group.

This is the first CD of the group with Anneke as the vocalist. Before her arrival, the group played music closer to death metal than to the "almost doom" of Mandylion.
In my opinion, the group has two main strengths: the extraordinary voice of Anneke, as soothing as a siren's, celestial and pure like an angel's voice.
The other strength is the tracks, stretched to the brink of incredulity and capable of delivering a vast array of emotions, atmospheres, and sensations.

The CD opens with "Strange machines", the heaviest track (if it can be called that...), although the doom imprint remains at the forefront. Anneke delivers a divine performance.
"Elèanor" is the most beautiful track on the album alongside "Sand and Mercury", boasting numerous tempo changes and dark guitars, enriched by some orchestrations.
"In Motion#1" is another beautiful track, also rather slow.
"Leaves" is the track closest to doom on the entire CD, the perfect meeting point between celestial guitars and slowness.
"Fear the sea" is the only weak point: while the other tracks on the album are intricate, this piece lacks grounding points that allow the listener not to get lost.
"Mandylion" is an almost mystical instrumental track, evoking oriental images in our minds, while "Sand and Mercury" is another stunning track full of different atmospheres: the choirs and keyboards are beautiful, present but never intrusive.
The CD closes with the beautiful "In Motion # 2", which features an absolutely chilling finale.

In my opinion, this is a beautiful CD that magnificently represents musical art.