ANyone know if there's anything saying they're working on a new album?

The new song heroes for ghosts is simply amazing! Can't wait for album!

Found this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzEoRnz2psI&feature=related

Seems to be another song from the new album, except for Heroes for Ghosts.

I'm having high hopes for this one...

Quite good album but too upbeat sounding for my tastes...i miss the darker and dreamier sound that they had with Anneke (and before her) . 7/10 for now

I loved it. Much better than The West Pole that I really disliked. 9/10 for me.

Loving it , surpassed my expectations .

I love the new album and that Mandylion symbolism expressed trough songs Gemini I & II always puts a smile on my face. :3

Actually, one of the best albums ever!

I really loved this album, and now i just want to listen afterlights EP

A great album, I can hear the influences from Mandylion, Nighttime Birds and If_Then_Else mixed with a fresh sound, it's so great that after West Pole that was quite boring and unexpressive to me The Gathering took a step to their classical direction and gave us that obscure and surreal sound only they can produce.

This album is wonderful... I already have three new favourites from this tracklist. And I do love the way they've given the style of the earlies albums a new go... I really have a feeling of listening to a new and expanded version of The Black Light District...

Simply awesome; lyrically and musically great...It's like if each song was an earlier album with a renewed style

Written by souvenir_s on 14.09.2012 at 07:51

I really loved this album, and now i just want to listen afterlights EP

Is that why you tanked all the other high scoring albums released this year with 1s?

Ooooooh busted!

The whole album is flawless but "Paralyzed" and "Heroes for Ghosts" are breathtaking. Well Done the Gathering !

The rating here is gotta be some kind of conspiracy.. This band is continuing their way downwards, and the new singer is nothing special. Do not in any way deserve a place on the top list of 2012..

Written by peggazuzz on 02.10.2012 at 15:43

The rating here is gotta be some kind of conspiracy.. This band is continuing their way downwards, and the new singer is nothing special. Do not in any way deserve a place on the top list of 2012..

Try to give it a few more spins, maybe it will sound better to you. At least it did (a lot) for me.

Maybe I will. But a Gathering without Anneke is not the same...

Written by peggazuzz on 03.10.2012 at 17:08

Maybe I will. But a Gathering without Anneke is not the same...

True , but I prefer a lot more a The Gathering without Anneke than a Anneke without The Gathering. I think she did the completely wrong choice here.

Oh man I'm starting to like this more and more. The long instrumental sections are a mindfuck. 3,5/5 ("Very Good") at the very least, might move into the esteemed 4-star territory ("Excellent"). Here's my RYM review:

Quote:
When The West Pole came out, I was worried the The Gathering's story was over. It wasn't awful, but it was clearly their weakest (barring the similarily transitional Almost a Dance, of course). It felt like the band had lost their direction. The lack of cohesion was probably in part due to three different lead singers, but the songwriting was also uneven. Needless to say, I was nervous to hear if the band could pick up the pieces on this album. They did.

Disclosure continues in the guitar-driven rock direction of its predecessor. Gone are much of the reverb, electronic sound effects, piano balladry and heavy beats of their last few Anneke records. All those elements are still there, but the overall sound has a different focus. Some strings and a trumpet accompany the band, making it the warmest and most organic album they've ever made.

As Shoulton states below, the vocals are pretty central to moving the songs along when they're around. While their new sound is pleasant and airy, it does lose some in depth and substance. With their high point on Souvenirs, almost every element was important and powerful. This time there's just less going on beneath the vocals. But then we come to the spaced-out jams between verses. They are the best thing this album has the offer. They grow to spectacular heights and show what these guys are capable of. I can only imagine the mindbend it would be to hear I Can See Four Miles live; it's like Black Light District with fireworks and color. The trumpet on Meltdown and Heroes for Ghosts is divine and took me completely by surprise. Especially in the former, it's in stark contrast to the very electronic beginning.

The album does have a bit of filler, unfortunately. Namely, I don't care for Paralyzed or Missing Seasons. It's not that the melodies are necessarily weaker, but the songs are too straightforward and don't really have anything other than the vocals driving them. Paralyzed at least has a familiar, darker vibe, but Missing Seasons is way too saccharine for me. Surrounded by all these epic tracks with two-minute post-rock interludes, they just fall woefully short.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this album is. It's still growing on me and might gain a full four stars with time. I can't put the band's albums into order of preference, but it stands comparison to their earlier work. It's a clear step forward in their evolution, but it retains the core of what makes The Gathering great and in many ways harkens way back to How to Measure a Planet?. It's also the album where Silje Wergeland comes into her own and solidifies her place at the band's front.

Also, I love how they pulled the In Motion thing again on Gemini I & II.

Highlights: Paper Waves, Meltdown, Heroes for Ghosts and I Can See Four Miles. Yeah... that's half the album.

Finally managed to listen to the album and I am impressed, it's one of their best works if you ask me; nice atmosphere and I loved the use of trumpet. One of the best albums I've heard this year!

I've found out that this album seems to be a real grower for me. It started out as a 7 and has now moved close to a 9. The same as I felt when I first listened to Meltdown, at first listen most songs may seem flat and boring but as you listen to them more times they seem to gain depth and complexity. Pretty much all TG albums have been growers for me but I think this one required the most effort. I must say it was worth it though with great tracks such as Paper Waves, Germini I, Heroes for Ghosts and I Can See Four Miles. I agree that especially Paralyzed seems to be a filler though. Other then that the biggest minus for me is the digital sound of especially the drums, to me the production of this just can't compare with e.g. HTMAP or Souvenirs.

Great album!
Silje is awesome in this record!

What a travesty to see this album have an avg user rating below 8.

Written by SoUnDs LiKe PoP on 03.12.2021 at 06:19

What a travesty to see this album have an avg user rating below 8.

I'm surprised the difference to The West Pole is so small, given how much better this is. In retrospect, I think it's also better than if_then_else and Home (at least in the context of their discography).

But to be fair, a 7.9 rating is still pretty good. It's basically a 4-star album, which (on my scale anyhow) makes it very top-tier. There's like one or two 4,5/5 (9/10) albums a year for me.

Written by IronAngel on 03.12.2021 at 11:39

Written by SoUnDs LiKe PoP on 03.12.2021 at 06:19

What a travesty to see this album have an avg user rating below 8.

I'm surprised the difference to The West Pole is so small, given how much better this is. In retrospect, I think it's also better than if_then_else and Home (at least in the context of their discography).

But to be fair, a 7.9 rating is still pretty good. It's basically a 4-star album, which (on my scale anyhow) makes it very top-tier. There's like one or two 4,5/5 (9/10) albums a year for me.

True enough, still a bit low-ish by MS standards. Obviously my opinion is subjective. I just really enjoy this album and find every track to be very enjoyable - I suspect it gets an unfair wrap because people don't like that Anneke isn't on it and that it's not gothic metal like their earlier catalogue.

An underrated gem.