While some bands evolve at a snail’s pace, Dutch rock luminaries THE GATHERING can’t seem to help pulling their listeners harder and harder with each release. Despite the fact that its ambitious production budget looms larger than early records, “Home” presents thirteen songs strategically pruned to their bare essence and garnished with the luscious vocals of Anneke van Giersbergen.

The songs are presented in a similar fashion to 2003’s “Souvenirs” album. Long gone are the days of crashing drums and traditional guitar leads. Anneke’s voice is given abundant space to breathe, with spectacular results. Honestly, her voice over samples of clattering dishes and ringing cell phones is enough for a beautiful song. This is no mystery to the band; both 2000’s “if_then_else” and 2003’s “Souvenirs” hinted that reducing the sonic elements competing with the vocals would only grow the impact of the finished product exponentially. While this is anything but a low-fi recording, it seems stylistically that less is more for THE GATHERING these days. Simple, looped piano passages or dreamy clean guitar melodies are all van Giersbergen needs to launch her gripping vocal hooks and deeply personal lyrics. At times, the arrangements recall the later PJ HARVEY stuff, but only if you substitute reflective vocal elegance for Polly Jean’s punky “lick this, boys” antics. “Waking Hour” twinkles with serene, NEW ORDER-ish synth droplets and commanding basslines from newcomer Marjolein Kooijman. “Your Troubles are Over” cycles through layers of bell-like guitar splash a la U2 or TELEVISION, and “Solace” is a campy affair that alternates marching drums with sultry Spanish female narration. Frankly, I was waiting for a Brian Ferry vocal cameo to kick in at any moment.

Miraculously, this business of trip-hoppy minimalism and vocal supremacy doesn’t seem like an offering from “Anneke van Giersbergen and Her Magic Band”. As she warned us in several recent interviews, the thread of dark drama from the early records runs strong through many cuts here, like “A Noise Severe” and the title track. THE GATHERING has managed to succeed where many prog and metal bands have failed, cutting back the branches of sonic excess to unleash a listening experience taller and more vibrant than ever.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.gathering.nl

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