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The Gathering are a Dutch
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band formed in
Oss OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
,
North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...
in 1989. The band's lineup currently consists of founding brothers
René Rutten René Rutten (born 2 July 1972 in Nijmegen, Gelderland) is a Dutch guitarist for The Gathering. He founded the band with his brother Hans in 1989, and together they released eleven studio albums, four live albums, and four EPs. His latest work w ...
(guitars) and Hans Rutten (drums), Silje Wergeland (lead vocals),
Hugo Prinsen Geerligs Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (born 16 December 1973 in Oss) is a Dutch bassist. He was the original bassist of The Gathering, and together they released seven studio albums, two live albums, and three EPs. After the release of '' Sleepy Buildings - A Sem ...
(bass) and Frank Boeijen (keyboards). The band's earliest releases were categorized as atmospheric
doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
with influences from
extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
acts like
Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
and
Hellhammer Hellhammer was a Swiss extreme metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are ...
, undergoing numerous vocalist changes before breaking out in 1995 with ''Mandylion''. It was The Gathering's first album to feature lead singer
Anneke van Giersbergen Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...
and the band's first to chart in the Netherlands. With van Giersbergen, the band's sound shifted from
gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal music, heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different ...
to one influenced by
shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...
,
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
and
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
, starting with their fifth studio album '' How to Measure a Planet?'' in 1998. In 2007, van Giersbergen left the group to focus on her new band Agua de Annique. The band replaced her with Wergeland, of the band
Octavia Sperati Octavia Sperati, formerly known as Octavia, is a Norwegian gothic metal band from Bergen, Norway. The group released their debut album '' Winter Enclosure'' in 2005. Their second album, '' Grace Submerged'', was released in May 2007. Both albu ...
. The band went on hiatus from 2014 to 2018, and their most recent album, ''
Beautiful Distortion ''Beautiful Distortion'' is the eleventh album by Dutch rock band the Gathering. It was released on 29 April 2022 via the Gathering's imprint Psychonaut Records. It is their first full-length album in over nine years, after the band took an hia ...
'', was released on 29 April 2022.


History


Early years (1989–1994)

Founded by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits, The Gathering formed in the city of
Oss OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
in 1989. Soon after they were joined by
Hugo Prinsen Geerligs Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (born 16 December 1973 in Oss) is a Dutch bassist. He was the original bassist of The Gathering, and together they released seven studio albums, two live albums, and three EPs. After the release of '' Sleepy Buildings - A Sem ...
, Jelmer Wiersma and Frank Boeijen to complete their first line-up. The Gathering's earliest recordings were categorized as atmospheric
doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
with influences from
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
acts like
Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...
and
Hellhammer Hellhammer was a Swiss extreme metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are ...
. In 1990 they recorded a demo tape entitled ''An Imaginary Symphony'' which met some positive reactions from the underground metal scene due to their unusual use of keyboards in metal-oriented music. A second demo, "Moonlight Archer" was recorded in April 1991, was picked up by several music journalists. Both demos suffered from poor production; however they did help establish the band's name on the live circuit opening for bands such as Dead Head, Invocator,
Samael Samael (; , ''Sammāʾēl'', "Venom of God"; , ''Samsama'il'' or , ''Samail''; alternatively Smal, Smil, Samil, or Samiel) is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic tradition; a figure who is the accuser or adversary (Satan#Judaism, Satan ...
,
Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...
and
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
. After signing with Foundation 2000, the group released their debut album '' Always...'' in 1992. On this album, Bart Smits was accompanied by Marike Groot on vocals, who also joined the Gathering on stage for most of the gigs. The album sold nearly 20,000 units over the next few years in Europe. In 1992 both Smits and Groot left the group due to musical differences; the other members wanted to change direction towards a lighter, more progressive sound. Smits went on to form his own project, Wish, to explore a darker, heavier sound. In 1993 the group recruited two new vocalists, Niels Duffhues and female counterpart Martine van Loon. A second album, ''
Almost a Dance ''Almost a Dance'' is the second studio album by the Dutch doom metal band The Gathering. Track listing Credits adapted from the original release. Personnel ;The Gathering * Niels Duffhuës – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, arrangements o ...
'', was recorded and released in 1993 by Foundation 2000. The album was met with much criticism aimed at Duffhues' punk-ish tone being decidedly out of step with the music, and the album was largely written off as a result. The group collectively acknowledged their disappointments with the album and started writing new material and looked for a new vocalist.


Century Media years (1995–2001)

In 1995, The Gathering released ''
Mandylion According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus Christ had been imprinted—the first icon (). The image is also known as the ...
,'' their third album and first to feature lead vocalist
Anneke van Giersbergen Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...
, through
Century Media A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...
; proving to be their breakthrough and selling over 130,000 copies in Europe. Two singles were released from ''
Mandylion According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus Christ had been imprinted—the first icon (). The image is also known as the ...
'', "Adrenaline/Leaves" and "Strange Machines", the latter which reached number 37 on the Dutch singles charts and helped raise the group's popularity in Europe and the United States. Tours of Belgium and Germany, as well as appearances at the
Dynamo Open Air Dynamo Open Air is a festival in the Netherlands that was held (almost) every year between 1986 and 2005. It was reborn in 2008 as Dynamo Outdoor and in 2015 as Dynamo Metal Fest. History Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of th ...
and
Pinkpop Festival Pinkpop is an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. Starting in ...
s further established the bands presence in the European metal scene. 1997's ''
Nighttime Birds ''Nighttime Birds'' is the fourth full-length album of the Dutch rock band The Gathering, released on 6 June 1997 by Century Media Records. The album was recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany, between 17 February and 15 March 1997 under ...
'' was stylistically and musically a companion piece to ''
Mandylion According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus Christ had been imprinted—the first icon (). The image is also known as the ...
'' sold over 90,000 copies and saw the group tour throughout Europe. In 1998 the group acknowledged their growing influences and their need to experiment with a double album, '' How to Measure a Planet?''. Produced by Attie Bauw, the album is a radical departure from the group's established sound. Upon release, the album received excellent reviews from critics who appreciated the band's absorption of new styles such as
shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...
and
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
into its sound. Positive reactions came from all over the world, including the United States, where they played 14 shows during the summer of 1999. In 1999 the band formed their own record label, Psychonaut Records, with the view of releasing their own music and taking creative control over how their music is marketed and distributed. ''Always...'' was re-released in 1999, followed by ''Almost a Dance'' in 2000, both re-mastered and fitted with new artwork. However, the band were still under contract with
Century Media A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...
, they released a live album '' Superheat'' (2000) which was recorded in several Dutch venues during 1999. Another successful chapter in The Gathering's career followed with the release of '' if then else'' (2000). The album is filled with diverse, intense and emotional rock songs, more compact than its predecessor. Fifteen months of touring ensued, taking them to virtually every nook and cranny of Europe, with a little sidestep to Mexico, and ending with a small Dutch club tour in October 2001.


Independent years (2002–2008)

In 2002 the band members took a break and tended to their private lives. During this period, they ended their contract with
Century Media A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...
. The Gathering had to run their newborn label Psychonaut Records and their 12½-year anniversary was coming up. To celebrate this with their fans, they released the mini-CD '' Black Light District'' on their own label. In early 2003, '' Souvenirs'' was released. '' Sleepy Buildings'', a semi-acoustic live album, followed in 2004. This album was the last one featuring Hugo Prinsen Geerligs as the bass player. He was later replaced by Marjolein Kooijman. In 2005, The Gathering provided the music for a CD-ROM titled "Passengers in Time: The Musical History Tour". This CD accompanied a history study book written by Professor Wim Kratsborn and the band did not consider it to be an official release of theirs. The band released a DVD in 2005, entitled ''A Sound Relief''. This contained more gentle semi-acoustic songs. But this is not their first DVD. Century Media had released ''In Motion'' without band permission at 2001. Nevertheless ''In Motion '' had an acceptable success. The next plan was to release in 2007 a second DVD (recognized for the band) '' A Noise Severe'' which features the more
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
sound of The Gathering. This DVD was recorded in
Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
at 24 March 2007 at the Caupolicán Theatre. In April 2006 they released their eighth studio album called ''
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
''. They had toured in March in North and South America and, after a brief pause to let van Giersbergen treat a
laryngitis Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under 2 weeks. Causes Laryngitis is cat ...
problem, they continued their touring schedule with European dates and music festivals throughout 2006. The Gathering toured throughout the U.S. and Canada with
Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded ten studio albums, two extended plays, two l ...
in early 2007. On 5 June 2007, it was announced that Anneke was leaving The Gathering to spend more time with her family and her own band, Agua de Annique. The band scheduled a final tour stop on 4–5 August 2007 at the Ankkarock Festival, Finland. The Ankkarock Festival was announced as the final performance with Anneke as vocalist.


Silje Wergeland era (2007–present)

In February 2008, The Gathering released a boxed set entitled ''Sand and Mercury - The Complete Century Media Years''. This boxed set was limited to 3000 copies worldwide, and contained 10 discs including a selection of studio, live and compilation albums. The set also contained the audio from the ''In Motion'' DVD as a new live album, also entitled ''In Motion''. In September 2008, The Gathering released a collection of all their old material from 1989 to 1993 on a double CD. The album contains the demos, the never released promo 1992, live tracks and the Celtic Frost cover of "Dethroned Emperor". The songs were from the period of the first line-up with singer Bart Smits. All songs were restored and mastered by Mike Wead (King Diamond / Mercyful Fate) and was released by small Dutch independent label Vic Records. The Gathering's ninth studio album, '' The West Pole'', was released in May 2009, shortly after they were joined by a new singer, Silje Wergeland. On 16 May 2011, the band released the single "Heroes for Ghosts" via their
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
page, as well as announcing a South American tour. The song featured on their forthcoming album. On 12 September 2012, the band released their tenth studio album, ''
Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media Film and television *'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada * ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton * ''Dis ...
''. The Gathering celebrated their 25th birthday as a band with two sold-out reunion concerts at Doornroosje in
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
on 9 November 2014. It was the first time that four of their singers (Bart Smits, Marike Groot, Anneke van Giersbergen and Silje Wergeland) performed together, and the band's first performance with van Giersbergen since her departure in 2007. On 8 December 2016, they surprise-released a double-disc of outtakes, demos & unreleased songs from the recordings of ''Souvenirs'' and ''Home'', called ''Blueprints''. In June and November 2018, they played several shows in the Netherlands and did a small tour in Greece. On 29 April 2022, the band released their eleventh studio album, and first in nearly 10 years, ''
Beautiful Distortion ''Beautiful Distortion'' is the eleventh album by Dutch rock band the Gathering. It was released on 29 April 2022 via the Gathering's imprint Psychonaut Records. It is their first full-length album in over nine years, after the band took an hia ...
''. In December 2024, the band announced that, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ''Mandylion'', they would reunite with van Giersbergen for five sold-out August 2025 shows in
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
.


Etymology

Frank Boeijen on the origins of the name of the band: "The name the Gathering has been made like eleven years ago when we started this band. We were all between 15 and 17. We were watching a lot of movies those days. One of the movies spoke about immortality and that you could kill the immortals with cutting their head off Highlander'' Frank is speaking about">Highlander_(film).html" ;"title="t's the first ''Highlander (film)">Highlander'' Frank is speaking about In the first part of the movie, they speak a lot about the Immortal (Highlander)#The Gathering">gathering Gather, gatherer, or gathering may refer to: Anthropology and sociology *Hunter-gatherer, a person or a society whose subsistence depends on hunting and gathering of wild foods * Intensive gathering, the practice of cultivating wild plants as a s ...
. There will be a gathering once with all the immortals. We thought it was a nice name for a band, and that's how we created this name. And you can feel it's a cool name for five people who come together to make fine music." ''[sic]''


Members

Current lineup *
René Rutten René Rutten (born 2 July 1972 in Nijmegen, Gelderland) is a Dutch guitarist for The Gathering. He founded the band with his brother Hans in 1989, and together they released eleven studio albums, four live albums, and four EPs. His latest work w ...
– guitars, theremin, flute, keyboards, percussion (1989–present) * Hans Rutten – drums (1989–present) *
Hugo Prinsen Geerligs Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (born 16 December 1973 in Oss) is a Dutch bassist. He was the original bassist of The Gathering, and together they released seven studio albums, two live albums, and three EPs. After the release of '' Sleepy Buildings - A Sem ...
– bass, guitar, flute, additional keyboards, percussion (1989–2004; guest 2014; 2018–present) * Frank Boeijen – keyboards, synthesizer (1990–present) * Silje Wergeland – lead vocals, keyboards (2008–present) Former members * Jelmer Wiersma – guitars (1989–1998; guest 2014) * Bart Smits – lead vocals (1989–1993, guest 2013 and 2014) * Marike Groot – backing & co-lead vocals (1992–1993; guest 2014) * Niels Duffhues – lead vocals, guitars (1993–1994) * Martine van Loon – backing & co-lead vocals (1993–1994) *
Anneke van Giersbergen Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...
– lead vocals, guitars (1994–2007; guest 2014) * Marjolein Kooijman – bass, backing vocals (2004–2014) Timeline


Discography

* '' Always...'' (1992) * ''
Almost a Dance ''Almost a Dance'' is the second studio album by the Dutch doom metal band The Gathering. Track listing Credits adapted from the original release. Personnel ;The Gathering * Niels Duffhuës – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, arrangements o ...
'' (1993) * ''
Mandylion According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus Christ had been imprinted—the first icon (). The image is also known as the ...
'' (1995) * ''
Nighttime Birds ''Nighttime Birds'' is the fourth full-length album of the Dutch rock band The Gathering, released on 6 June 1997 by Century Media Records. The album was recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany, between 17 February and 15 March 1997 under ...
'' (1997) * '' How to Measure a Planet?'' (1998) * '' if_then_else'' (2000) * '' Souvenirs'' (2003) * ''
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
'' (2006) * '' The West Pole'' (2009) * ''
Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media Film and television *'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada * ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton * ''Dis ...
'' (2012) * '' Afterwords'' (2013) - also categorized as a
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
and EP
* ''
Beautiful Distortion ''Beautiful Distortion'' is the eleventh album by Dutch rock band the Gathering. It was released on 29 April 2022 via the Gathering's imprint Psychonaut Records. It is their first full-length album in over nine years, after the band took an hia ...
'' (2022)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gathering Dutch doom metal musical groups Dutch gothic metal musical groups Dutch heavy metal musical groups Dutch musical quintets Dutch progressive metal musical groups Century Media Records artists Sanctuary Records artists Season of Mist artists The End Records artists Articles which contain graphical timelines Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 2014 Musical groups from North Brabant Female-fronted musical groups Mixed-gender bands Organisations based in Oss