Lost/Forgotten Album #233

[Jon]

This month's anniversary album is "Mandylion" from The Gathering, released in 1995. This album introduced the world (or me, at least) to Anneke van Giersbergen, and also introduced me into the world of female-lead goth/doom/death/prog/symphonic metal. 

Thanks must be given to "The Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal" by Martin Popoff which included a CD of different Century Media artists including Iced Earth, Nervermore, Strapping Young Lad, Trouble, Stuck Mojo, The Gathering and many more. The track from The Gathering, "In Motion #1", really piqued my interest and the rest is Jonistory.

The album has a very dark feel to it, with some passages showing a glimmer of hope. Anneke's vocals also gives it a feeling of hope, but when you pay attention to the lyrics, there's no hope. So, if you're really, REALLY depressed, this isn't the album for you. 

From of allmusic.com here's the.......

history:

"Creative, classy and highly refined "symphonic metal" outfit from Holland. First album (Always, 1993) was a fairly straightforward death metal album, although heavy use of keyboards made it stand out a bit from other such albums at the time. Followed by Almost A Dance (1994), an album which saw the departure of "growling" vocalist Bart Smits. Smits was replaced primarily by Niels Duffhues, a strange choice for the band; Duffhues' punk-ish tone was decidedly out of step with the music, and the album was largely written off as a result. A shame, because many of the songs on Almost A Dance are quite well written. The album also featured occasional vocals by Martine van Loon, a low-key singer with a pretty tone but one that seldom took to the forefront of a composition. It would appear that the seed had been planted in the band's head to try their uniquely compelling songwriting style with a passionate female vocalist; the result was the addition of the incomparable Anneke van Giersbergen, an incredible singer capable of stretching miles of emotion out of each and every syllable. The next album, 1995's Mandylion, remains one of the very best heavy metal albums ever recorded. van Giersbergen's poetic and haunting lyrics, paired with the band's orchestral ruminations, resulted in darkly important songs that seamlessly blend from one to the next. The follow-up, 1997's Nighttime Birds, acts as a companion piece to Mandylion: similar in tone and delivery, Birds is filled with the melodic and adventurous play that has become the trademark of this very important band. Superheat and If-Then-Else followed in early 2000. After a break with Century Media following the release of If_Then_Else, the band took time off before going into the studio to work on the 2003-released followup Souvenirs. The Gathering will be of interest to more than just heavy metal fans: they have the potential to appeal to countless different audiences, from metal to progressive rock to anyone who values excellent songwriting and powerful female vocalists."

and the review:

"Though it has since been eclipsed by increasingly superb efforts, the Gathering's Mandylion was considered a groundbreaking achievement upon its release in 1995. The first album to juxtapose the formidable vocal talents of the newly arrived Anneke Van Giersbergen's in striking contrast with the group's progressive metal, much of the material sounds amazingly confident and cohesive from the very start, be it through the driving intensity of opener "Strange Machines" or the death metal-style double kick drum of "Eleanor." The singer's enviable vocal talents are also fully displayed throughout the album, whether playing the soft-spoken angel while harmonizing with herself on "In Motion #1 and "2," or portraying the menacing siren while exploring her entire range on "Leaves." Admittedly, the band does seem unsure about just how far they can take this new creation at times. They wander a tad too far afield on the rather aimless "Fear the Sea," never really bring things into focus on the largely instrumental title track, and then bashfully hide a short passage of Enya-like ethereal beauty within the sprawling "Sand and Mercury." Still, all things considered, Mandylion has stood the test of time quite well and will provide an excellent second or third glimpse into this exciting band's discography."

Granted, this isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but I'm not here to make everyone happy.

Mandylion

1. Strange Machines
2. Eleanor
3. In Motion #1
4. Leaves
5. Fear The Sea
6. Mandylion
7. Sand And Mercury
8. In Motion #2

Availability: The two disc version runs around $13 while the original version is around $10.

 

[Scott]

[RJhog (Admin)]

I kind of liked the first song.  Nice voice.  Nice vibe.  And I listened, and listened, and kept waiting for this to go somewhere.  But it just never did.  It sounds like one long song.  Can't say it's anything I wanna hear again.  But having said that, I just may give it one more shot.

[Scott]

[Scott]

Not sure that this style of female vocals against a hard rock backdrop have ever been appealing to me.  Not to overuse the Celtic Women analogy but that's the picture that comes to mind.  Celtic Woman singer backed by Ziltoid and his merry men of distortion!  That's said, she's good... real good.  The music seems to flat line as there's not much change in chords nor feel, just crunch and atmosphere.  Elanor, even with its strange spelling, is a perfect example.

What happened to the production quality on In Motion #1?  The drums fell off the edge and sound weak, was thinking this one was going to buck the trend of the first two... Dang! 

As I would expect the songs are melting into each other and their repetitive feel doesn't work for me.  Its as if well, the picture says it all...    Well no sooner than I start complain about sameness, along comes Mandylion to break it up a tad bit.  Not sure what the purpose of this "interlude" is since there's not a lot of substance to it.

Sand and Mercury extend the same 6 minute songs leading up to Mandylion and stretch it into a 10 minute snooze fest.  And In Motion #2 finally puts this to rest.

This is simply not for me, but you knew that before you posted it...