FORGOTTEN/ FORGOTTEN REPRISE - THE GATHERING
The sound of Dutch band the Gathering has been evolving for 15 years, its Gothic metal mutating into a variety of forms. New album “Home” shows the group still treading gloomy rock waters while splashing its moody sonics with pop. But emphasis track “Forgotten” reverberates from the Gathering’s dark side. A few haunting notes on Frank Boeijen’s piano open the song, with singer Anneke van Giersbergen’s clear voice floating above it. That’s all it takes to make it an ode of disquieting beauty. “Forgotten Reprise” transforms the uneasy tone into a hymn with a warm, echoing chime, an organ’s drone and faintly tolling bells before fading from the speakers as gradually as a sunset. For all the quietness, both tracks starkly resonate in the air.–Billboard
