MANDYLION

To me, this is the album with which THE GATHERING truly begin. The addition of ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN as the new vocalist completely changed the band's direction. One might debate whether their first two records have anything to do with PROG. Now with the third one I guess this is no longer the question.

There are outstanding vocal performances to be found here as well as a collection of great songs. The guitar is still alowed to add power riffs (which I really miss a lot on later efforts like SOUVENIRS or HOME). Put it all together and you get a quite unique blend of deep atmosphere and beautiful melodies. Most of the tracks have what it takes to become a classic within THE GATHERING repertoire.

While I can absolutely recommend this album, I should maybe explain why I can not give it a 5-star rating. Oh, don't get me wrong, I can understand anyone who gives it full points. Only from the musicians point of view, I find myself waiting for some more elaborated instrumental additions ... ooops, maybe even a ... solo? This is not a mistake really. The focus of the album is atmosphere, created by this fantastic voice and supported by arrangements that are a bit stripped down to basics in order not to disturb the mood but rather to enhance it. The formula works almost perfectly, as it does on the following NIGHTIME BIRDS and HOW TO MEASURE A PLANET. This is the triad of CDs for which I like them the most.