The Gathering

Having followed TG since Mandylion (that's not that long) I think they have only improved. Not that every album is an improvement or a drastic change on the former in my opinion. But mostly there are always at least some subtle changes in the sound and structures of the songs.
And I like where they are now best. 'Souvenirs' (considering that to be their latest regular release) is bloody brilliant and I don't even like 'We just stopped breathing', 'Monsters' and 'Golden grounds' all that much. But that's just me and still I think 'Souvenirs' to be their best album (yet!).
(Mind you, I do think 'Sleepy buildings' is fantastic.)
Can't wait to hear where they will be going (and taking us) next. But I'm pretty sure it's worth listening.
As long as they do as jstv127 writes (which I'm pretty sure they do) they cannot go wrong. No success guaranteed of course. But it's the way to go.

I really like how the Gathering have evolved, and I agree that Souvenirs is their best yet! . If I compare if-then-else and Souvenirs (the two albums I like best) to their earlier albums I can say I definately prefer the more recent stuff, although obviously its all brilliant! (apart from the pre-anneke stuff which I don't count ) I think if the Gathering continue to move in this sort of direction with their music, they can only get better!

I also think that the correct way to say it's change,and not evolution,because if you say evolution,looks that you are saying that the sound they maded in the early years,or even in the Mandylion/Nighttime age,was primitve,inferior,and of course wasn't,it's was only different of that they play today,but good at the same way.

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at times I like the "evolution", at times I like the older stuff (not "older" as in pre-Anneke, but Mandylion+). I'm really interested in how the next album will sound with the new bass player, and to see what influences she brings to the writing process. Also, I'm not sure I agree with just one guitar player in the band...seems as if it could take away from some of the thickness and Rene's freedom to "explore".

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sad the darkness

Anneke plays guitar also. Maybe she'll play some on the next album...

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everything before us or behind us is nothing compared to that which is within us

And maybe she'll buy a 7string-guitar
Or 8 to play Meshuggah

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Ez az egy perc az ok, amiért itt vagyok...

Tesam evanukampartham
Aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhava-stho
jnana-dipena bhasvata

After the concert of the gathering in thes/niki,Greece a e-zine wrote :there is no evolution in Gathering's music!!!!!!!!!
So many of us(from the ''elliniko dwmatio'') Made them upside down!!!

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hmm not exactly evolution I may say, is more a change as they want to leave their gothic side of their beginings. Perhaps there is evolution in their 2 or 3 last albums.

mm.. gothic, I don't think tg ever played any gothic, maybe atmospheric doom metal with psychedelic touches but gothic... mmm.. I don't aprove

I will not say evolution but growing process, you know when you grow you add some things to your personality/views/thougths, some other things are unchanged and some other are removed all based on your external stimulus that form your experience. I see much more as a natural grown (this doens't means getting better) process that has ocurred side by side with their grown process as persons than evolution that seems to be somehow an unidimensional concept, following a line.

When you grow you go up, down, left, right and to many other directions, sometimes just stays where you are, sometimes you move fast, so it's much more of a polidimensional thing. Dunno, don't like the word evolution at all, it looks too restricting to me, it's like getting from A to B following a line and always going up.

Thx for letting me bent my imagination again.

OOpps.. sorry, the question was about what I thought of Gathering musical evolution Oh well, I like it, I feel like my musical tastes have grown with (and even thanks to) their music

n.p. Anja Garbarek - Stay Tuned

Well, I must admit I prefer the earlier stuff from a fan's perspective, but what's cool with the Gathering's evolution is that they always manage not to turn themselves into their own parody. they run away from clichés all the time. this is so precious in our time of degeneration.

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the rest of the universe has surrendered, now it's your turn

Well said Torture Géniale. Anybody could like or dislike the bands evolution but anybody can deny the fact Torture Géniale has pointed.

I like their evolution very much.

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Can't we all just get a bong?

friends just call me T.G.

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the rest of the universe has surrendered, now it's your turn

In 2001 i made an interview with Hugo about this matter:

what´s the main diference between old and new TG.....?
We have seen more, lived more, became mature. Therefore the music has
been able to develope, cause we just translate ourselves and our experiences into music.

Edgar

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Broken-hearted, we leap to God, and die like lovers everyone forgot

I had a hard time with their evolution. until revently I thought that they peaked with HTMAP. While that is still my favorite, I now love the new stuff (except you learn about it).

The way that I listen to music had to change for me in order to really like the new stuff. I used to listen in my car mostly. I have a great stereo in it, but it's more tailored to metal. Godsmack, System of a Down, and Disturbed all sound GREAT on it. Souvenirs was boring.

In May my father passed away from cancer and I inherited his stereo system (over $20,000). Now I listen differently. I appreciate the slow rolling melodies and the intricacies of the songs. I can sit on the couch, turn the lights out, and spend the time to appreciate it. I can't do that in the car. I can't wait to go home and listen.

Very well said I believe. We are all growing experiencing new things, ideas etc...and all this shapes who we are. the Gathering are no different. Being as the music they write is sincere and from the heart, their growing process as people will surely be reflected in their writing.

I have to credit The Gathering for a big part in myself becoming more open minded and receptive to different styles of music. For example, when Mandylion first came out that one one of the few non thrash or death metal albums I enjoyed. Mandylion and Nighttime Birds had enough heavy moments to keep me happy. That coupled with the great mood and atmosphere opened some new doors for me in the way I listen to and what I look for in music.

I initially had some trouble getting into HTMAP. With the quieter guitars and generally more laid back vibe it took many repeated listens before I could grasp and appreciate this album. It was probably not until I saw the band perform these songs live summer 99 when I could fully understand the magnificence of this album. To this day I hold that album as a masterpiece (other than the actual song HTMAP...that song is just a bit too abstract for me) and possibly their finest work in my opinion.

If Then Else seemed to me to be a lot more accesible and easier to get into than HTMAP with the return of more heavier upfront guitars. The hardest release for me to accept was Black Light District EP. I just could not get into it for awhile. I put it aside and did not listen to it for maybe 6 months. Nowadays I love the title track and Broken Glass. I still do not care for Debris (the only song from BLD, Souvenirs & Sleepy Buildings I don't like)

Souvenirs to me is a very diverse collection of songs of many moods and styles....an album with no barriers. One I've come to fully love.
I still love the metal and music I grew up with in my youth, but 10 years ago I could hardly fathom listening to stuff like The Gathering let alone truly enjoying it, but that's what growing will do to you.

I think that tg has evolved from mandylion to HTMAP (sorry I just don´care about the first 2 cds) i think that nighttime birds is sort of a mandylion v2.0 with more ellaborated songs and htmap has lots of effects but however it sounds metal to me. its like an evolved metal, i dont know how to explain it.
After If then else the band started a different "musical path", withouth caring a lot about doing something musically perfect but concentrating more in emotions.