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Band: The Gathering
Album title: Disclosure
Release date: 12 September 2012
Label: Psychonaut Records
Tracklisting:
01. Paper Waves
02. Meltdown
03. Paralyzed
04. Heroes For Ghosts
05. Gemini I
06. Missing Seasons
07. I Can See Four Miles
08. Gemini II
When Anneke Van Giersbergen decided to leave The Gathering in 2007 I assume many of us - The Gathering fans – were quite anxious to see and hear where the future of this band stands. Anneke was replaced by Silje Wergeland, who is no stranger to singing, and in 2009 the first post-Anneke album, The West Pole, was released. Unfortunately The West Pole was a bit of a letdown, as it didn’t radiate that special The Gathering vibe and I thought the band will never sound as it should. And then there came Disclosure.
The Gathering has evolved in its 23 years of existence drastically, going from death/doom metal in their early days, through gothic metal to more progressive sounds and settling somehow in a genre popularly labelled as “trip rock”. For those who don’t believe in originality, Disclosure is nothing more than The Gathering copying The Gathering. For those of us who are a bit more open minded, dare I say, Disclosure is one of the best possible combinations of elements The Gathering incorporated in their unique and ethereal style through their many years of composing music.
The brilliancy of The Gathering’s music has roots somewhere in depths of their sound; they don’t use mind-blowing guitar riffs or insane beats, but they blend all musical elements in a passionate conglomerate of melodies that can’t keep anyone cold. As their previous releases, Disclosure offers everything: the opening song "Paper Waves" is upbeat, light and bright, "Gemini I" and "Gemini II" are more obscure and melancholic, and "Meltdown" a bit more aggressive (and at this point I need to mention the intro reminds me quite a bit of Muse’s "Citizen Erased" from Origin Of Symmetry) and flirts with alternative rock. If you are a fan of The Gathering’s works of epic length (Sand And Mercury, The Black Light District, How To Measure A Planet?) you’ll be pleased that to know that "Heroes For Ghosts" and "I Can See Four Miles" exceed 9 minutes in length and exceed in originality as well. However, there is no denying the similarity between those two songs and How To Measure A Planet? especially due to the use of electronic elements.
Needless to say, Silje’s vocals add a special touch to Disclosure. She sounds like a siren – seductive, mesmerizing and at moments even self-destructing. The sounds of Disclosure varies from Mandylion through How To Measure A Planet? to Souvenirs, alternative rock and gothic rock and yet remains fresh, a new step in The Gathering’s evolution. If you’re a fan of atmospheric, experimental rock this is the album you’ll definitely want to grab and hold onto.
Review written by: Ines
Rating: 8,5/10
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