Free Psychonauts

If I had to make a list of bands I like for each year, The Gathering would be on all of them. Maybe not as my all-time favorite band, but they would always be present. It's not really that surprising because, likeme, the band changed over the years and remainedrelevant. Starting with their death/doom-metal hitAlways and the less successful Almost ADance, the band found success with their third albumMandylion. After losing their old vocalist,they found a stable replacement in Anneke vanGiersbergen. In a time where female vocals in metalwere as unusual as Metallica having short hair, theband acquired a huge following. With NighttimeBirds the band's success continued, but it's withHow To Measure A Planet that we could hear anew, more experimental, side of the band. The sixth albumIf_Then_Else was released in 2000, ending theircontract with Century Media, and then it was quiet fora while. But now, after 1,5 years, the band finallyreleased a new EP, Black Light District.

Anneke van Giersbergen tells me how the overallfeedback is on the new EP. "We didn't know what toexpect because, to the outside world, we were gone fora long time. All we did was write, rehearse and recordmusic. We worked really hard, but people were thinking"what's happening with them?", you know. So now withthe EP out, we get a lot of positive feedback andwe're very happy with that". Black LightDistrict was recorded at E-Sound and their ownMorningsun studio on Ameland (a Dutch island) withZlaya Hadzich. "We have a portable studio and we takeit to all the nice places we go to. We took everythingwith us and recorded there for 4 weeks. The house wascalled Morningsun, so that became the name of thestudio as well". Anneke seems very happy with the newEP, "Yes, but it's really a foretoken for thenext full length album. We are working even harder onit". It sounds like the band is listening to post-rockand Godspeed You Black Emperor since the titeltrackfrom Black Light District has some of thoseinfluences. "There sure are a couple of guys in the bandwho are totally into them, you can indeed hear itback in the music. There are also small influencesfrom stuff like Radiohead and Elbow".

The long-awaited next full length album will be out inJanuary, the direction of the album will not be the sameas their last full length If_Then_Else. "Thatone is a mishmash of different styles, it was okay,but it's not the unity we are always looking for in analbum. So the next album will be more focused on onecertain atmosphere, which will be a bit darker andgloomier than If_Then_Else. The EP is alreadypointing in that direction, but a song likeDebris is a bit to sharp for that". The song isquite catchy, not poppy, but easy to sing along with."That's a direction we would like to follow. Not toocatchy, I don't think we can actually write a hitsong. But writing songs that are easy on the ears, butalso where we could put a 16 minute song next to it.We find melody and mood very important. A song likeDebris is something we like to do as far asroughness and intensity go, but the upcoming albumwill be more beautiful. That's why we made BlackLight District. Three totally different songs,which are good and interesting, but they don't fit onthe next album". Metal celebrity Sarah Jezebel Divalends her voice to the title track, how did she gotinvolved? "That's a long story, but we became closefriends through the years. So because I didn't callher for a long time, she once send a message to myanswering machine that said: "You don't call me, Ithought you loved me", and stuff like that. So Irecorded that and made an "I'm sorry" song from it andsend it to her. I let the rest of the band listen toit. Two years later we needed a narrator forBlack Light District. Frank (keys) rememberedSarah's song, so instead of sampling something from amovie we called her". Sarah is the first guest on aGathering album, but on the next one we can find twoother familiar faces, Kris Rygg a.k.a. Garm from Ulverand Denis D'Amour a.k.a. Piggy from Voivod. How did these two get involved?"Hans, our drummer, is getting in touch with all thesepeople, because we really like Ulver a lot. We'retotally into Perdition City. So Hans started mailingwith Kris. But wewere also label-mates with him on Century Media, so heknew The Gathering. So on one day we asked him if hewanted to sing on a song. Kris liked the idea, so westarted sending stuff abroad. It's gonna be amazing,and we're really enthusiastic about it. It wentsomewhat the same way with Piggy". At the momentBlack Light District is only available throughthe Gathering's website. "That's right, but it will beout in the shops in September or so. We had to startsmall, because we have some legal arguments withCentury Media. So if you have a record in the storesand you have to take them back, then the distributorsaren't happy either. We also started PsychonautRecords, our own label and we released it first on thenet, to see how it goes". The album also got recentlyavailable in America through The End Records.

With If_Then_Else The Gathering fulfilled theircontract with Century Media. I always had the ideathat they promoted the band the wrong way. "Yes, thatwas somewhat the problem. They are good andspecialized in one genre: metal. But we were movingaway from that since our second album, NighttimeBirds. So they didn't have a clue where to putus the promotional sense. The metal fans stayed, but we also thought we havea lot of other influences in our music, so why don'tthey try to put us in other music magazines as well.Or give us some money to do a video clip. Thecommunication between the label and us wasn't goodeither, so they had special meetings about us. We'rekinda proud that we were one of the few bands whostarted bitching. It's a fact that more bands startedto ask questions, because Century Media doesn't put alot of money in their signings. They did take a hugerisk when they signed us for Mandylion, theyput us on the map, that's good. But they didn't movewith us, and they didn't let us go either". TheGathering already started their own label while stillbeing signed to Century Media. Always andAlmost A Dance were recently re-released, andthe old demo's were released on Downfall - The Early Years. Thenext full length will also be out on PsychonautRecords. "We do everything through Psychonaut, but wework with a big record company. We license our album,so you give them a finished product, so they can't saywe have to change things. It's our own album, paidwith our own money, so when it's finished we licenseit to them and they put it on the market and promoteit. They don't try to change a band, but try to sellit if they think it has potential. I think this is apretty good deal." Ex-labelmate Kris Rygg (Ulver) doesthe same thing with Jester Records. "Yes, that's alsoa small label, and so is ours, so we can't spend100.000 euro. A big label can do that, so they hopethey get their money back, and more. And then you dohave to work hard for a band". With years ofexperience in the music business, The Gathering knowstheir way around. So maybe they can help young talentsby signing them to Psychonaut Records. "Yes maybe,also because the music industry is a dirty world, soit's good to give art and music a honest chance withour label. We've seen a lot,so I think we can do stuff like that with ourexperience. Present them an honest contract and deal.We think it's a good plan, but at the moment we arebusy with our own band. But when there is time, thenthe sky is the limit". So with Century Media being notall that nice, I was wondering if the releases fromPsychonaut Records bring in more money. "Well, werecently re-released Always and Almost ADance. Those albums sell themselves, so at themoment they provide us, we rent an office and we havepeople working for us. But from all albums, in theend, those on Century Media bring in more, despite the bad deal".

The new album will be finished in September andreleased in January 2003, but the band still has todecide for a title. "It's always a struggle, we arevery picky with titles. So probably we will pick one aday before we send it to the printer." But there aresome song titles finished. "Yes, we have a fewworking- and some real titles. We have one song that'scalled Even The Spirits Are Afraid, it's one ofour favorite songs. Broken Glass is also on it,it's a different version then the one on the EP. Avery lively, intense song. We also played several newsongs live, but some of them got dropped, because theyweren't good enough. The fans don't understand wherethe songs went, they liked the live versions and sothose songs become ghost-tracks, they float around onthe internet, but don't get released." The internet isalways a good subject of discussion with a band. Doesdownloading really harm the sales; is it really such abad thing? "The internet is a good medium, if you puta two minute sample of a new song online then peoplesay "That's good, we're going to buy it", so that'sperfect. And you reach a lot of people, it'sunbelievable. But downloading full songs in mp3 isstealing from a band. But, I don't think our public isdoing this. People who suffer from it are the MariahCarey's. But still, it's not fair to them either, theyalso work day and night in a studio, they work just ashard. You can compare it with going to a bakery andyou steal bread because it's so easy and you don'tfeel like paying. It's so comparable. Even my bestfriends burn CDs and they even burn The Gathering. Iknow sales went down because of these things, but wedon't really suffer from it. I think the people wholisten to our music want to own the real thing".

This year The Gathering celebrates their 12 and a half years ofexistence. Anneke gives a view on her past in theband. "Mandylion was special. Its predecessor,Almost A Dance, wasn't a huge success. And theold singer wanted to do to other things, so he left.The band searched for a new singer and that ended upbeing me. But before I joined the band wrote a lot ofmusic, a lot of songs were finished, so all I had todo was to write lyrics and vocal lines. Before that, Isung in several bands and duo's, but with this band itall clicked, and that was really special. We learnedto know each other through the music. NighttimeBirds was a continuation of Mandylion. Wehad a lot of ideas going in different directions, abit more poppy or melodic, or something in-between.But because there wasn't enough time, we had tocompromise a bit. I think it's the least successfulalbum we did. And our producer at the Woodhouse studio, who also didMandylion, wasn't really motivated. On one daywe wanted to jam, record stuff and just try outthings, but that was not possible. After NighttimeBirds we didn't want to record at Woodhouse, because all Century Media bands record there and everyone ends up with the same sound. And wewanted to grow, we had a lot of potential to grow,but that didn't really work out back then". WithHow To Measure A Planet the band finally didwhat they wanted. "We wrote a lot of songs, some ofthem got dropped. We learned new recording techniqueswith our new producer Attie Bauw. We recordedeverything analog, but we also learned to usePro-Tools. The sky was the limit, it was amazing andwe decided to release it as a double album. It's ourbest album. If_Then_Else is somewhat of amishmash. Attie worked on it, but also a new producer,Zlaya Hadzich. It was a nice cooperation, and we learneda lot of new things so he also did the new EP and the comingfull length. But still, we worked underpressure, and that's something we are not good at.That's why we started writing, rehearsing andrecording for the new album a year and a half beforethe release date. At a certain point there aredeadlines, but it's hard to say that we will release arecord in one year. Music doesn't work that way. So atone point we were rehearsing and writing in ourrehearsal room for three days a week, from ten 'tillfive, that's sheer madness. It was a messy period thelast one and a half year, but some beautiful thingscame out of it. We also decided not to write new songsduring a tour, like we did the last six years. We willfocus totally on touring, so we're not going to try towrite four new songs during a soundcheck. We'd gocrazy at some point. So after six years we decidedto separate things: either write a new album, either recording orjust tour. Also taking a break of a month before we start writing again."

With music as diverse as on their last three albums,The Gathering still are stuck in their metal-image."The metal scene is good, a lot of loyal and nicepeople. But there is more. The last couple of yearsthings have changed a bit. A lot of people joined,lots of girls and students and older 'Pink Floydrockers', you know. It's very diverse." StrangeMachines was a small hit in 1994, now WithinTemptation is doing it all over again. "I thinkit's nice. They say they were inspired by our music.We created Mandylion which was quite successfulin '93/'94. We are their predecessors, but they wenttheir own way. They always worked very hard and IceQueen is damn catchy. But the masses arediscovering this now, they think it's all new, butthis music has existed for years already. I think it'sfunny, music is for everyone. Some people even thinkit's sad because we never scored a hit, but that'sreally not important to us. For years already we'vebeen playing everywhere."

So what does the future hold for The Gathering?"We're booked till the end of 2003, with records,promotions and tours. The new album should be finishedin September, released in January, then we will tour'till our butts fall off. And who knows what willhappen, maybe they will offer us a new tour, or whenit ends, we will take a break for a month and thenstart writing again."