Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Home, 10 Feb 2007
Since their beginnings, The Gathering have metamorphasised from a doom metal band, into an extremely beautiful and somewhat abstract pop/rock band. "Home" continues in the same vein as their previous album, "Souvenirs": stunningly beautiful female vocals, often quite abstract lyrics, catchy keyboard led music with only slightly more guitar than their last album. "Home" is something like a musical daydream, traversing miles of different lyrical and musical ground in a solely self indulgent way. The music is a little more complex than on "Souvenirs" displaying several incredibly catchy riffs which will be in your head for days, such as the one in my personal favourite song, "In Between". The band rely a little less on Anneke's incredible vocals and a little more on the music, although the vocals are still the focus of the album, with Anneke's incredible range of beautiful, soaring melodies being the high point of the album.
There are also quite a variety of songs, from the typical "these good people"-esque Gathering-isms of opener "Shortest Day", the more catchy, poppy "In Between" and "Alone", the more introspective, piano lead "Forgotten", the strange, slightly rockier "Solace" which features spoken sections in Spanish and some other language I dont speak, and a pounding militaristic beat and much softer and more stripped down songs such as "Box". There is even an "instrumental" acoustic guitar piece, with no words, although there are vocals. On the whole, it is a fantastic, very interesting and very different album. The Gathering defy genre, but can be enjoyed by anyone who loves beautiful and very talented music, with introspective lyrics and stunningly gorgeous vocals.
|
|
|
1 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can they sound even better?, 2 May 2006
Since 1st song up to the bell ending, a great album, believe me.
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe the Best, Certainly the Most Beautiful one, 12 Jun 2008
Like seasons and the continuous cycle of life and rebirth, the Gathering's gradual development from metalheads to ambient trip-rockers, is something to wonder at but something that strikes the attentive listener - i.e. avid fan - as wholly natural and intuitive.
I wouldn't be surprised if they went back to hard rock now that Anneke has left. In the mean time, savour this exquisite album, with its special personality and concept about self-knowledge. A doumentary about the making of Home can be seen with their stupendous live DVD, A Noise Severe. What makes this album precious is the wonderful momentum running through it, and with its long fade out, its up to you when you stop listening.
To sample Anneke's singing at its most emotive, sample Waking Hour. Anyone who was even slightly disappointed by the previous couple of albums, this should restore your faith. I'm a born-again Gathering man.
|
|
|
|
~ The Gathering
~ The Gathering
~ The Gathering
~ The Gathering
~ Agua de Annique
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home