Behold the start of what later become the most awesome Gothic / experimental metal band on this planet! Previous albums fared well on average. It wasn't until Anneke van Giersbergen joined the lineup that The Gathering began to breathe new life into their music. With Mandylion, the band sounded more solid and confident, eliminating initial anxiety whether Anneke would bring a disaster to The Gathering. Definitely not. They are worth the praise for trying new things and the results are often very well appreciated. Despite their growing success, they chose to remain humble while working hard to mold new clay of form out of their creativity. The band's consistency is also something that one should contemplate; their sound while growing ever stronger on shoegaze / trip hop side, is still amazing in its respective nature. At least The Gathering changed their sound for good and this in my opinion does not mean they have sold out. Or perhaps they did and it was for the better too. I liked their first two albums when Bart Smits were filling in on the vocal duties. However, Anneke proved to be something, something more than herself and what The Gathering were previously known as. This is a must purchase album of all time (to open minded people of course). Now available in .flac format with two bonus tracks from Japan pressing.
Tracklist:
1. Strange Machines 6:01
2. Eléanor 6:41
3. In Motion #1 6:55
4. Leaves 6:01
5. Fear the Sea 5:49
6. Mandylion 5:04
7. Sand and Mercury 9:57
8. In Motion #2 6:07
9. Adrenaline [*] 4:13
10. Third Chance [*] 5:36
Total time: 62:24
