The Gathering
Nighttime Birds

THE REVIEW

The other day I was traveling, the journey was long, and consequently the evening as well. Usually, when I travel, I really enjoy listening to a good album or taking advantage of the time to discover new ones.

Some time ago, I had started listening to this "Nighttime Birds", and although it struck me from the first moment, I hadn't been able to delve into it due to lack of time, so the other night I thought it was a good idea to use it as my travel companion. The trip was wonderful. As the landscapes swiftly passed by the train window, appreciable and fascinating even though it was already almost dark with the onset of sunset, I was accompanied by the splendid notes of this album.
A follow-up to the famous "Mandilyon", it possesses the same characteristics of gothic rock/metal, but with a more psychedelic vein that makes it very introspective and atmospheric. In short, the perfect accompaniment to the situation I was experiencing at that moment, absorbed in my thoughts, observing the beauty of nature as the day was drawing to a close, with only the desire to reach my destination soon eased by the sounds reaching my ears.

The songs are all measured and melodic, where Anneke's wonderful voice immediately strikes you with its expressiveness and sweetness, supporting melodies that are never trivial, exploding in the choruses, where the distorted guitars (but perfectly measured) know how to add the rest.
An album where it's really hard to find faults: there are none. Everything is skillfully measured, arranged and well-recorded, from the atmospheres created with the keyboards, to the slow and hypnotic rhythm of the drumming, to the guitar arpeggios. But the voice, the voice is a rare and unique beauty that immediately breaks through. Let's be precise, it's not the vocal prowess that hits you (though excellent), it's not the vocal technique that amazes you, but it's precisely its captivating timbre.

I could mention the most beautiful songs, such as the title track, the opener "On Most Surface", "The May Song", or the last "Shrink" made only of voice and piano, but it's better if I stop, because given the intrinsic charm in each of them, I would risk listing them all. In general, the overall sound of the work and the atmosphere created song after song are among the most beautiful you can imagine for this genre: a pearl in the musical landscape of refined and remarkable beauty.
Beauty, because in the end "Nighttime Birds" is this, no exaggerations, no unnecessary frills, just inspired musicians who have managed to draw from their ideas and creativity simply a work of Art (with a capital A).

I recommend it to everyone indiscriminately, if you love things done well, you cannot abstain from listening to this masterpiece.

P.S. Thanks to Fidia for recommending this album to me.