Customer Reviews

The West Pole

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The question was: can The Gathering survive the departure of one of the most versatile singers of all female fronted bands ? The answer is a clear yes, Silje Wergeland (from the norwegian band Octavia Sperati) replacing Anneke Van Giersbergen with a style which is somewhat similar and works well with the band, even though no one will forget Anneke, at least with this record.

Anneke's departure was scrutinized because of the stunning influence she had acquired over the years, leading the evolution of The Gathering from their metal origins to the alternate/experimental band of recent years. If her influence was in doubt, it is enough to listen to her own solo effort Air by Agua de Annique to realize how much of her inspiration went into The Gathering. In this sense, following her departure was more akin to replacing Neal Morse in Spock's Beard than Tarja Turunen in Nightwish.

In my mind, it is the Spock's Beard model that applies here and The West Pole evokes the same kind of transition as the immediate post-Snow efforts from the Beard; familiar sound, in a sense free from a dominating influence, but also a little more repetitive, having more difficulty looking for a direction. As a result, all the tracks are good but I don't hear yet a classic stand-out track in the lot. Perhaps a matter of getting used to the new balance.

To be clear, The West Pole is no Mandylion or Nightime Birds and The Gathering is still a way off from those glory days. But the energy is there (the wall of guitar sound of the first track When Trust Becomes Sound) and the delicate lace is there too (the completely Silje Wergeland written and composed You Promised Me a Symphony).

The most promising aspect of the new record is the extent to which Silje has already integrated with the band. Not only does her work mesh well with the guys (and gal) but she has penned seven of the ten tracks, suggesting she is game for the challenge.

With this recipe in place, not only is The West Pole a very enjoyable record but it is also a transition album that suggests a bright new life for the band.

UPDATE: in fairness to the band, five months later, I must say that The West Pole grows on you. While it is not Mandylion or Nightime Birds, it does recapture a lot of the raw, hypnotic energy of those early gems, energy perhaps a little lost in the latter, more intimist Anneke-years albums.

I must disagree with the other negative review here, as I found this to be an exceptional album, in many ways, even surpassing "Home". I'd expected the worse with an "Anneke replacement", as her voice is simply one of the best, and brought this band from obscurity to world fame. But I must say, the new singer definitely holds her own here, sounding a bit like her predecessor on a few tracks, while adding her own flavor to other songs. I also find some of the music here to remind me of some moments from my favorite Gathering album, "How to measure a planet", while offering a few slightly heavier, guitar-oriented pieces that harken back to the "Nighttime Birds" days. My only complaint, really, is the lead track, a one-note guitar riff song with no vocals, that simply doesn't belong here at all. Thankfully, everything that follows is a big step up. If you like this band at all, you should find this Anneke-less version just as compelling.

I have been a fan of The Gathering for many years and I consider Anneke van Giersbergen to be a personal hero to me. She is hugely inspiring and I was quite despondent when I heard she had parted from The Gathering. However, 'The West Pole' has been a wonderful addition to my collection and I've been listening to it regularly since it came out. The sound reminds me more of earlier songs, such as 'Frail', and is overall very mellow.

Silje Wergeland sounds like an angel. Her voice is smooth and very legato, floating gently and with ease. Does she compare to Anneke? I think so. She hasn't proven herself to be anywhere near as dynamic and powerful, but she does have a beautiful, unique voice that I admire.

I enjoy every song on this release, but here are my top 5:

1. 'Capital of Nowhere' - This is the song I listen to absolutely the most, but is also one that I didn't like at first. It sounds almost like she is singing predominately in head voice throughout the track which is something that had to grow on me. It so did, though, and the instrumental bit at the end reminds me very much of older Gathering songs ('Confusion').

2. 'The West Pole' - The title track was the first song of the album that I listened to and it was a very promising introduction. It is slow to moderately paced and very beautiful. It is one of the catchier songs, in my opinion, so if you're just starting to get a feel for this new release, I would recommend listening to 'The West Pole' as one of your first.

3. 'You Promised Me a Symphony' - A gentle piano melody accompanying very sad, gently spoken lyrics. This song is a bit heartbreaking and bitter, and I was very attracted to its honesty. 'You Promised Me a Symphony' is in 3/4 time and is a bit different from the other tracks on the CD. Definitely a winner for someone who is a fan of slow, sad piano-predominant songs.

4. 'No Bird Call' - It takes a while to get started and is very slow, but is also very interesting and beautiful. I LOVE the end of this track, "She had it all...", backed by beautiful strings and vocal harmonies.

5. 'No One Spoke' - My favorite upbeat song on the album! If you're looking for a faster, more commercial introduction to the CD, I recommend this song.

Again, I enjoy every song on this CD. Is it for everyone? Probably not. This release isn't very commercial and, in my opinion, would probably appeal more to fans of more down-tempo music. Is it for me? Definitely. I hope this review is useful to you, as I don't typically write them, but I felt 'The West Pole' needed more positive words spoken about it.

It's rare that a band survives the departure of a beloved front person with so much talent and charisma; however, the Gathering have done it in stunning fashion. Silje Wergeland has revitalized the Gathering creatively, musically and emotionally. Not just a replacement, but a new member who was heavily involved in the album, she is a fantastic addition to the band. The West Pole is lush with rich, lyrical melodies and heavy atmospherics, as well as, a harder, edgier guitar sound than the recent Gathering albums. This album has energy and emotion on all tracks, including the instrumental and the slower paced ones. Although there will never be a replacement for Anneke, the Gathering have rediscovered themselves with the West Pole and charted a new direction. The creativity of the music, the beautiful vocals and the wonderful lyrics once again have Gathering songs "spinning around in my head".

I never thought I would say this, but perhaps it was for the best that Anneke left The Gathering. "Home" is by far their worst record, and Anneke's subsequent output has ranged from disappointing (Air) to embarrassing (In Your Room). If this is the kind of music she wants to make now, she made the right choice in leaving.
Contrary to some other reviewers, I think "The West Pole" shows how little Anneke brought to the creative process in The Gathering. To be sure, her voice is spectacular and it is missed on this record, but Silje does a fine job, as do the other guest vocalists. The songwriting on this record is top notch and has some of the best material we've seen from the band in years. Can't wait for the next release.

Without a doubt replacing Anneke would be impossible, and finding a female lead that would fit the band would be nearly impossible. When I first heard The Gathering back in 2000, I feel in love with the band and their Progressive Metal sound and love their more Trip rock/Progressive Pop somber sound. While Silje Wergeland is no Anneke, she is a prefect fit for the more Progressive Rock sound of the band and this Album really shows this. This album is yet just another must have for any fan of The Gathering.

on this album, The Gathering sounds like they are almost back to their roots. the first song is an instrumental, but the second song tones it down a little. the new female vocalist reminds me a little of Anneke. while not death metalish, there is a hard rock sound to this album, but Silje's vocals sound very haunting. the guitar work is definitely a standout on this album. the third song "All You Are" breaks down into a bit of a piano work before it fades. this is some beautiful metal music, sort of like Lacuna Coil, and early Theatre of Tragedy.

I've been listening to this for awhile now, and I must say, I like it a lot. My complaint about The Gathering since Mandylion/Birds is that they don't totally kick out the jams and rock enough, they're always restrained and measured, and my initial response to West Pole was exactly that - turn up the volume and smash it for chrissake. There are parts here that do pound pretty good in spots, like "All You Are", but they're mixed so dense into the fabric that you need to push the volume real high to get that feeling out of it. That said, there are more growling guitars here than in the last several CD's, and I like that, I'm a guitar kind of guy.

Once I got past what I wanted this to be (Nightime Birds 2) and got used to what it is, it grew on me, as Gathering albums tend to do. The quality of the song writing is very good here in a subtle way, hooks that beguile. You can tell when something clicks when you find yourself with a passage rolling around in your brain without really thinking about it, as the title song has been doing all week (though today it seems to be the coda from "Constant Run"). In fact, as an album of songs as opposed to themes, this CD is as close to "Birds" as they've come since. If this is an example of the songwriting we can expect in the future, I'll gladly take more in this vein. Just a little crunchier please.

Kudos to Silje Wergeland, that's like replacing Brett Favre at quarterback, and she pulls it off seamlessly, at least in the studio (from what I've seen live, she lacks Anneke's power). Another good show, from a band that simply does not miss.

_The West Pole_ marks an obvious new era for the Gathering, being the first album in over a decade not to feature the signature vocal intensity of Anneke van Giersbergen. The album starts with a riff-based instrumental, which tends to remind one of the band's previous work, but also seemingly provides a buffer zone for the drastic change that is about to be heard in the vocal department. "Treasure" marks the entrance new vocalist, Silje Wergland. It's not a completely bad first impression, but it's easy to tell that this is going to be a rough transition. The song itself is a good quality tune--as are several throughout the album--but undeniably lacking, and it doesn't take a fanboy to consider: "how much better this would sound if Anneke was still at the vocal helm." This sentiment continues on into "All You Are," a heavier song that is a definite strong point of the album, yet still falls short of being truly memorable. The title track is a nice song, but it doesn't seem to hold up well under repeated listens, and neither do most of the following tracks. Actually, one of the strongest points of the album is the last couple minutes of "Capital of Nowhere": the simple, plodding, riff-driven, instrumental melody (would this album have been better if it were completely instrumental?). Another high point comes with "Pale Traces," which features Marcela Bovio (my favorite female vocalist, second to AvG). She doesn't quite excel on this track as she does in some of her other work, but she still helps make it the best track on the album. It's great that the Gathering invited her for a guest appearance. "No One Spoke" has a really nice instrumental interaction going on, which keeps interests sparked just long enough to make it to the end of the album.

Overall, Silje gives a decent performance, but after a 12-year love affair with Anneke, it's just not a palatable follow-up. Much like _Almost a Dance_, I still feel comfortable giving the album a relatively high rating, based on the fact that I do like the music to a certain degree, even if the vocal department isn't comparable to the previous era. (Although unlike _Almost a Dance_, at least the singer here isn't a complete joke.) This isn't an entirely bad album, but I wouldn't say that it's anything better than average, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to listeners unfamiliar with the band's other works. All things considered, it's a definite step down for the Gathering, and the album's shortcomings become rapidly obvious: a low repeatability factor, and again, a vocalist who, while good in her own right, is in this case--to put it brutally--simply inadequate.

*puts on _Nighttime Birds*

Here it is at last. The highly anticipated new cd from The Gathering!
No doubt this new release was very important for the band to prove they can carry on just fine without their former singer. Did they succeed?

Well, to be honest, yes and no. Overall I find this to be an "okay" album. The new singer is proficient enough, but lacks a little in comparison to the former The Gathering singer Anneke (which is understandable given how great Anneke is).

There are some really nice songs on here that I find to be moving and fairly solid. This is a little more guitar driven than the last cd "Home", but by no means is it very heavy at all. The songs seem like a natural progression from "Home" and if you liked that last album you'll find something to like on The West Pole also.

But there are several songs on here that to me seem boring and uninspired. Almost like they didn't really know what direction to take some of the songs, so they just kind of dragged them out in a repetitive way. It's difficult for me to find a strong desire to restart the cd again unless for the reason of seeing if I can try to like it more. Perhaps with more time it will grow on me some.

My personal hunch is that their former singer Anneke also contributed her own ideas and parts to the song making process on previous Gathering albums. Whereas this time, the band was left to do it all on their own without Anneke's help, and then just have the new singer sing the parts assigned to her. So they lost a strong creative force in the band and I think it shows.

By no means is this a "bad" album. It's good, just not great, and to me doesn't feel very much inspired. Still, if your a long time fan of The Gathering like me and want their new works then feel free to get it. You'll for sure enjoy 3-4 of the songs on here, maybe more.