ADRENALINE / LEAVES

I will start my review by confessing that The Gathering have become one of my favorite bands. So, I have to admit some bias toward anything they put out! This EP needed to be reviewed, so I did so. Anneke van Giersbergen had become the lead singer by this EP, Adrenaline/Leaves, was released. She is a very large part of the reason for the band's success. She has a terrific alto voice, although I wish there was more variety to her singing. The band's early material is often considered simple, derivative death/doom metal, and usually not given a lot of respect. However, these songs come from The Gathering's breakthrough album Mandylion, which is excellent.

All three songs are good ones, with "Leaves" probably being my favorite. I don't care for a lot of versions of the same song, but in this case the second version of "Leaves" takes up less than a third of the total playing time. This is a good listen for anyone who is interested in The Gathering and wants a brief introduction. This is certainly not their best EP or single; some greater variety could have boosted the over all rating. Adrenaline/Leaves is a good introduction to the innovative sound that first brought The Gathering to the world's attention.