Burn wrote:
guys, that's what the band felt... I was just reporting how they felt when she arrived... disagreeing with them wont change a thing about a past fact... and I dont miss Hugo like I dont miss Anneke... Lein & Silje are part of a group that still makes me shiver
Bands change, people change, music changes.
I do miss Anneke in some ways; albums like Mandylion stand among the finest I've heard, bar none. But when you look at the "Anneke Era" as a whole, changing the lead singer for The West Pole probably isn't any more of a leap than, say, going from Nighttime Birds to How To Measure A Planet? The music was always evolving, and The West Pole is just the next step.
Burn is right: what I've heard so far of The West Pole is (more!) real spine tingling stuff. I'm an Octavia Sperati fan, so knew and enjoy Silje's singing from there, but she really seems to shine with The Gathering. I'm still looking forward to a third OS album, though.
I was a latecomer to The Gathering, so can't really comment on Hugo leaving, or Jelmer for that matter. I think Marjolein joining TG was great; fresh ideas, and another female member felt like the right gender balance. (Not that I thought there was a gender imbalance; I just find female-influenced "metal" far more interesting than the male dominated stuff - Octavia Sperati being an extreme example.)
I can't wait to hear The West Pole in its entirety when it arrives!