Last week I was in Pratteln (CH) watching The Gathering touring with their latest album The West Pole. I've been following this band since I was 16. Back then they made sort of Gothic Metal (starting with Death Metal on their earlier releases) and in the following years they developed their style to something they call "Trip Rock", a mix of Trip Hop and Rock, quite melancholic and gloomy, but still rock. After their last album their former singer Anneke van Giersbergen left the band in 2007 starting a solo career with Agua de Annique, leaving the band without a charismatic singer. And I must admit, they found a real good successor for Anneke in Silje Wergeland from Norway. I was positively surprised, she did a pretty good performance even on the old songs. All in all I think she fits perfectly into this likable, natural, down-to-earth group of great musicians. And of course I got another band item for my garderobe - a new hoodie - and a signed poster for home office :)
See this video from the show, playing the very first song from my first The Gathing album "Nighttime Birds"
