The Gathering

Formed in the late 80s in the Netherlands, The Gathering played back then a doom death that really hurt the ears. After two albums released between 1993 and 1995 (Always and Almost a Dance), Bart Smits, singer/screamer by trade, left the band and the Dutchmen decided to spare our eardrums by changing musical direction. Now heading towards a more atmospheric than cavernous metal, they secured the services of a young woman going by the sweet name of Anneke Van Giersbergen. A stroke of genius. Her arrival within the band would completely change the game for The Gathering. The Dutch then delivered albums such as Mandylion or Nighttime Birds, blending their past influences with others more unexpected such as Dead Can Dance or Slowdive, for a result that would propel the band to the rank of icon of the genre.