The Gathering (Band)
The Gathering (English for the meeting or the meeting ) is a rock band from the Dutch city of Oss. The band was founded in 1989 lived through during the band's numerous changes in style of Death Metal Doom over towards progressive rock. Following the trip-hop genre, the band called their style itself as " trip rock ". The discography of the band includes ten studio albums and three DVDs. In 1999, The Gathering founded their own record label Psychonaut Records.
- 2.1 Demos
- 2.2 albums
- 2.3 Singles / EPs
- 2.5 Miscellaneous
History
Foundation, Always and Almost a Dance (1989-1994)
In 1989, the brothers Hans (drums ) and René Rutten (guitar) along with vocalist Bart Smits decided to form a band. A short time later joined Hugo Prinsen Geerligs ( bass), Jelmer Wiersma (guitar) and Frank Boeijen (keyboards) in the band.
The band rehearsed once a week near the Dutch town of Oss. Your love for metal and willingness to experiment should prove fertile ground for the band. In 1990 the band recorded their first demo tape on An Imaginary Symphony. At that time, the use of keyboards in metal -oriented music still quite uncommon. Nevertheless, the resonances were very positive. In January 1991 the band played their first concert in the small town of Heesch as the opening act for Dead Head and Invocator. Three months later, the band recorded their second demo Moonlight Archer. The band played concerts as the opening act for bands such as Samael, Morbid Angel and Death.
The band signed a recording contract with Foundation 2000 In 1992 the debut album was Always ... published.; Marike Groot with a singer as a counterpart to Bart Smits was committed. The album allowed the band to play many concerts, among others in Belgium and Israel. Since collaboration with Smits and Groot did not work, they both left the band. A year later appeared with Almost a Dance 's second studio album. However, it turned out that the voices of the new singer Niels Duffhues and Martine van Loon did not fit with the music. Both later left the band.
Mandylion, Nighttime Birds and How to Measure a Planet? (1994-1999)
1994 met the band on the singer Anneke van Giersbergen. Her voice was well suited to the atmospheric music, so she got the vacant vocal items. The German record label Century Media gave the band a contract. The third album Mandylion was released in 1995 and was very successful, especially in the Netherlands. The single " Strange Machines " made it as the album in the Dutch charts. Extensive touring brought the band in all parts of their home country as well as Belgium and Germany. The expectations of a new album were high.
Nighttime Birds, published in 1997, proved to be a difficult birth. The writing of new songs while touring ( and study ) was not easy. The same was true of the recordings. The album musically resembles its predecessor and also turned out to be a success. The tours were longer and brought the band to Eastern Europe, France, Italy and other European countries.
At this time, major changes took its course. Jelmer Wiersma had the pleasure of making music and tours lost and decided in July 1998 to leave the band. The band wanted to try out new ideas, other instruments and other recording techniques. The result was the experimental album How to Measure a Planet? , Which also limited released in the fall of 1998 as a double album. Although some fans refused to accept the new way of the band, the album received positive responses from all over the world. In summer 1999 the band played 14 concerts in the U.S..
Annoyed by the music industry, the band decided to take the business into their own hands and founded their own record label Psychonaut Records. In 1999, the debut album Always was re-released a year later Almost a Dance. Both albums have been remastered and with new artwork. Since her contract had not yet expired with Century Media, appeared in 1999, the live album Superheat. Most of the songs comes from the album How to Measure a Planet? , The rest of Mandylion and Nighttime Birds. Were recorded the songs in 1999 in the Netherlands.
If_then_else, souvenirs and Home (2000-2007)
Another chapter in the band's history was followed by the sixth studio album if then else, published 2000. The song material consists of intense and emotional rock songs that have been considerably more compact than its predecessor. There was a fifteen months long tour across Europe and Mexico. The tour ended in October 2001, when the band tingelte by small Dutch clubs. After that, the band took a break. For twelve and a half year band anniversary the band's EP Black Light District released on their own label.
In the meantime, Century Media released the DVD In Motion with two incomplete concerts (Dynamo Open Air 1996 and Katowice 1997), two video clips and a discography. Since the band was not informed of the publication, she regarded this as a bootleg DVD.
In the spring of 2003, the seventh studio album Souvenirs was released. The album hit the bridge between the experimental rock songs of How to Measure a Planet? and atmospheric rock songs of if_then_else. At the end of Hugo Prinsen Geerligs announced his retirement. He was replaced by Marjolein Kooijman.
A year later, the band released the semi-acoustic live album Sleepy Buildings - A Semi Acoustic Evening. This album was recorded on two consecutive evenings in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. Sleepy Buildings was the compilation Accessories like - Rarities & B- Sides by Century Media released.
In the fall of 2005, the double - A Sound Relief DVD was released. The first DVD contains a concert in which the band plays rather quiet, melancholy songs. As matching counterpart was launched in November 2007, the DVD A Noise Severe with the more rocking, harder songs on the market. On 13 April 2006, the eighth studio album, which bears the name of Home appeared. For this album the band has signed a distribution deal with Sanctuary Records. The planned for April Germany concerts as part of their European tour were canceled without replacement due to an illness of Anneke van Giersbergen.
The West Pole (2007 -present)
On 5 June 2007, the long-time singer Anneke van Giersbergen was announced that she will be leaving the band in August, as they continue to want to deal with her new band Agua de Annique itself. The last concert with van Giersbergen, the band played on 4 August 2007 at Ankkarock Festival in Vantaa. The band came to pass in the connection to the search for a replacement for van Giersbergen.
In May 2008, The Gathering announced on their website that they are currently working on two different albums, which are recorded with different vocalists. The new singer Silje Wergeland was presented on March 12, 2009. The Norwegian sang before in the band Octavia Sperati. The ninth studio album, The West Pole was published in May 2009, the tenth album Disclosure followed in September 2012.
Discography
Demos
Albums
Singles / EPs
- 2001: In Motion
- 2005: A Sound Relief
- 2007: A Noise Severe
Others
- 2001: Downfall - The Early Years
- 2005: Accessories - Rarities & B -Sides (Double Album)
- 2008: Sand and Mercury - The Complete Century Media Years ( 9 CD box )