Dienstag, 28. Feb 2012, 15:51

Now I have reviewed all albums of The Gathering, I would like to make a ranking list of their studio albums as well. And I must say it wasn't easy, because I like all of their albums so much, and they are all special in their own way. Though in the end I like some more than others, so here it is, starting with the best one on top:

1. Mandylion (1995)
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Their first album with singer Anneke van Giersbergen, and their ultimate best album in my opinion. A standard work in the Gothic metal genre, containing great, original, guitar based metal songs, with a little atmospheric touch. Anneke's amazing voice never sounded as beautiful and powerful as on this album.
Best tracks: Strange Machines, Eléanor, In Motion #1, In Motion #2

2. The West Pole (2009)
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In contrast to the number 1, this is their most recent album and the first album with new singer Silje Wergeland. I was doubting a bit between this one and the number 3, they are very close. But at the end I chose this one over the next, because I think this album is a little bit more cohesive, more complete. The sound is a very atmospheric, but guitar-based trip rock sound, fitting very well with Silje's mystical voice. Great album to listen to while traveling and seeing the landscapes passing by.
Best tracks: All You Are, You Promised Me a Symphony, Pale Traces, A Constant Run

3. Souvenirs (2003)
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As already said, this one is very close to the number 2. It is the first full-length album they released through their own independent label Psychonaut Records, marking a new era of freedom. It is quite an experimental and complicated album, but with a very high quality. The metal sound of their earlier albums has disappeared and made room for the trip rock sound, which is on its best on this album.
Best tracks: These Good People, Broken Glass, Souvenirs, Monsters, A Life All Mine

4. if_then_else (2000)
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A difficult one to rank, because the album itself is not the best, but still containing some of the greatest songs they've ever made. The album covers a wide range of different genres and styles, from the more heavier sounds of progressive metal and progressive rock via experimental rock to a more atmospheric kind of trip rock. This is a strong point, but also the biggest weakness, because this album really lacks cohesion.
Best tracks: Shot to Pieces, Amity, Analog Park, Herbal Movement, Saturnine, Morphia's Waltz

5. Home (2006)
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In the beginning I would not have thought that this album would end up this low on the list. But now I've realized that it contains just a few very very good songs which I really love, but also a lot of songs that are a bit flat and don't really mean much to me. Besides that this album contains the worst song The Gathering has ever made in my opinion, called 'Solace'. Overall it is a very soft album, filled with very atmospheric and beautiful trip rock songs.
Best tracks: Shortest Day, In Between, Waking Hour, Home

6. How to Measure a Planet? (1998)
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Together with the last one, this album is on the bottom of the list. Not because I think it is a bad album, because none of the albums of The Gathering is actually 'bad' (except maybe the ones before Mandylion). This is just one of the albums that means the least to me. It is a very experimental album, a big change of style, and I really appreciate the originality and the courage they had to do something really different from what they did before. But on the other hand it feels like they are still searching, not completely able to get it right. It would also have been better without the title track.
Best tracks: My Electricity, Red is a Slow Colour, Probably Built in the Fifties

7. Nighttime Birds (1997)
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On the bottom of the list the successor of their amazing first album. Also this is not a bad album, it just doesn't impress me that much. It contains a lot of songs that sound a bit the same and although I've listened to them a lot I still can't recognize them. So I must admit that after a lot of listening it is still inaccessible to me. The album has a kind of Gothic, progressive metal style, but more dark and depressing compared to Mandylion. In general it also lacks a bit in power and melodies. Though it still contains some really great songs.
Best tracks: On Most Surfaces (Inuït), Third Chance, Nighttime Birds, Shrink

Now it's just a matter of waiting for their new album to be released, which is planned for September 2012. The first song Heroes for Ghosts made me very hopeful already. If the whole album will have this beautiful atmospheric tripping sound, it is definitely worth waiting for.