http://thydoom.com/en/interviews/18.html
05.03.2007 : Interview with The Gathering (March 2007)
Just a few days after the New Year the questions were sent to the singer of The Gathering, Anneke van Giersbergen, and here is our short but valuable interview now.
Hello Anneke, thank you for the consent to answer my questions. First of all, better late than never, Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! How did you and other members of the band spend these holidays?
Haha, better late than never but happy 2007! We spent our C-days with our families.
So now you are back to touring with your latest album Home. Is 2007 going to become “a year of concerts” or we should expect some new releases from The Gathering like planned earlier “A Noise Severe” DVD?
Yes, we toured for Home and we will continue until after the summer. We are working on some new songs as well but we are still in the demo-stage. And we will record the live DVD A Noise Severe coming month in Chile. It will come out later this year.
In your opinion doom metal, gothic metal, electronic experiments, etc. are all over for the band now and The Gathering has determined their way or the search is still going on?
We don't really think in terms of music styles. We just create the music we love and that is always a reflection of the time we live in at that moment. So it's possible we will be inspired to make a rock album this year, who knows!!??
You had been holding a fan videoclip contest recently, whose idea it was and how it went?
We came up with the idea ourselves. We had many entries and they were all very creative! We use some of them for our live show projections and of course we picked a winner. He is from France.
Do you and other band members have some favourite The Gathering song?
We all have our favourites but a song like "Travel" we all love because it's a very emotional and intense. It's great to play live and share the reaction with the audience.
Honest, sensitive, sometimes dream-like lyrics (for instance, “Shortest Day”, “Walking Hour”, “Your Troubles Are Over” and “Home” on your latest album), intriguing, maybe strange song names (“Red Is A Slow Colour”, “Sleepy Buildings”, “Even The Spirits Are Afraid”...) – these are what fans love in The Gathering so much. How does the process of lyrics writing usually go?
Thank you! Lyrics and also music come in various ways. Usually we talk about it when we make the music first. When Frank or Ren comes up with a riff or a melody they say what they thought about when they wrote it. Most of the time they already come up with the title. Then I can very easily come up with the lyrics. And sometimes I just think of words when I do something else like walking or doing the dishes. Also the time when we almost fall asleep is a very creative time. Our minds start wandering and a lot of ideas come forward.
Not long ago you have become a mom, congratulations! I wish all the best to your son! Are you going to persuade your son in some way to take up music as he gets older?
Thanks! I think Finn should go and do whatever he feels passionate about in his later life. He likes music already and of course he is exposed to our instruments and music preference so if he wants to do music that would be great but if he feels a passion about mathematics he should definitely pursue that life.
Now lets dream a little if you wouldn’t mind. Imagine yourself living in some other epoch (100, 500, 1000 years earlier as you wish), could you describe yourself?
I would have liked the old Egyptian time I think! I could also very well play music and be a mother. Maybe even a teacher!
What is it – The Gathering – for you?
The Gathering for me means being “together” in a band and make music we love. Also to travel together and having a great time is very important for me.
Any wish to your fans in Russia? Should we entertain hopes of seeing you live in the near future?
I hope soon! We had a wonderful time when we were in Moscow!
Thank you very much for this interview! Good luck on your 2007 tour!
Thank you! They were very nice questions!
Questions by Omnius Est
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