This is the best news I have heard in quite some time: The Gathering are back with new material. The acclaimed and influential Dutch band have just released Meltdown, a single from their upcoming tenth studio album Disclosure. Just like their previous single Heroes for Ghosts, Meltdown is available as a free download at their bandcamp page. In the recent newsletter I received, the band address this track as "an emotional plea about how to come to terms with events in life."
Meltdown kicks off with what perhaps is the grooviest rhythm The Gathering have ever written, led by Hans Rutten's fantastic drumming. Another surprise is the vocals contributed by the keyboard player Frank Boeijen, complementing Silje Wergeland's ethereal voice, and effectively transforming the lyrics into a dialogue. Harsh guitars and electronic elements give way to the organic sounds of the strings and a melancholic trumpet, as the song reveals the melodic soundscapes the band is renowned for in a beautiful second part, led by the exquisite vocals of Silje Wergeland. I suppose that most bands would not have been able to resist a return to the addictive rhythm laid out in the beginning, but this is The Gathering: Meltdown is a work of art in two parts, fading into elegance.
Meltdown kicks off with what perhaps is the grooviest rhythm The Gathering have ever written, led by Hans Rutten's fantastic drumming. Another surprise is the vocals contributed by the keyboard player Frank Boeijen, complementing Silje Wergeland's ethereal voice, and effectively transforming the lyrics into a dialogue. Harsh guitars and electronic elements give way to the organic sounds of the strings and a melancholic trumpet, as the song reveals the melodic soundscapes the band is renowned for in a beautiful second part, led by the exquisite vocals of Silje Wergeland. I suppose that most bands would not have been able to resist a return to the addictive rhythm laid out in the beginning, but this is The Gathering: Meltdown is a work of art in two parts, fading into elegance.
(I)
It’s time to leave - this eerie sound
I cared but failed - the ones I love
I guess it’s just - what comes around
We try to bend - but then it breaks
What kind of mind - makes these odd shakes
I can't believe - it ends all here
You pull me down
You always failed
You pull me down - I fake a laugh - I sway
You broke my heart – I fell so hard always
Because of you I’m still afraid today
It’s time to leave - this eerie sound
I cared but failed - the ones I love
I guess its just - what comes around
You pull me down
You pull me down - I fake a laugh - I sway
You broke my heart – I fell so hard always
Because of you I’m still afraid today
Because of you I’m still afraid today
(II)
I will not give you what you think that you earn from me
I will not make the same mistakes you always made
I tried to show you that I cared although you always failed
I was too young to have known better - better than you
You could have kept all those stories to your self
I tried to show you that I cared although you always failed
I was too young to have known better - better than you
Credits
Music by F. Boeijen / R.Rutten, Lyrics by S. Wergeland / F. Boeijen
Produced by René Rutten
The Gathering: Frank Boeijen – keyboards, vocals, Marjolein Kooijman – bass,
Hans Rutten – drums, René Rutten – guitars, Silje Wergeland – vocals
Backing vocals by Frank, Marjolein, René and Hans
Guests: Jos van den Dungen - violin and viola, Noel Hofman – trumpet
My reflection on Meltdown is that everything we know and love about The Gathering is here, and yet at the same time it feels like listening to them for the first time. This is not just a brilliant band releasing great work; it is the Gathering breaking new ground like never before. And in this respect, Disclosure is most certainly an album to look forward to. The band addressed this release in their newsletter as follows:
'Disclosure' is the most personal soundscape we ever made, lyrically and musically. The album is a great marriage between electronic and organic sounds, and has a wide range of colourfull songs. With long epic songs we stayed close to ourselves. We are incredibly proud of this album which is a reflection of what we do best, and our urge for experiment.
The album will be released on 12 September and its art work is made by Carlos Vergara Rivera from Chile; the handcrafted cover art is inspired by the song Heroes for Ghosts. The track list of the album is as follows:
1. Paper Waves
2. Meltdown
3. Gemini I
4. Heroes for Ghosts
5. Missing Seasons
6. See for Miles
7. Paralyzed
8. Gemini II
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