HOW TO MEASURE A PLANET ?

As every Gathering album (from Mandylion), this one is very interesting. After some though times, the members of the band began to experiment by writing songs with electronic and fuzzy elements. The gothic influences from the two previous albums are gone and the songs sound very raw and dark on this album. By the way, it's quite a long trip as it is a double-album, with a less accesible second disc. The first one contains typical Gathering-songs with excellent melodies, singing and instrumentation. The single Liberty Bell is very loud and energetic, as Red Is A Slow Colour and Marooned are more "underground" favorites with strong melodies and interesting lyrics. The long song Travel, which closes the first disc, is very dramatic, but beautiful. The band is building towards a melancholic climax with loud and fuzzy sequences.

The second disc contains more instrumental work and three vocal songs, which are more experimental and less melodic than on the first disc. The last (title) song, which takes more than 24 minutes, is hypnotic, psychedelic and a little too long, as the same soundscapes are repeating al little too much. Anyway it's still interesting and good music. On the next album (If Then Else) the band found their way into this stuff much better and is considered as the best Gathering-album by many fans, although the follow-up "Souvenirs" seems to be the band's highest artistic achievement to date.