Track Listing

1. These Good People
2. Even the Spirits Are Afraid
3. Broken Glass
4. You Learn About It
5. Souvenirs
6. We Just Stopped Breathing
7. Monsters
8. Golden Grounds
9. Jelena
10. Life All Mine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93845 in Music
• Released on: 2003-05-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Album Description
2003 album for the Dutch symphonic metal act. Produced by Zlaya Hadzich (Sonic Youth, Motorpsycho, Low), it features a guest appearance from Trickster G (Ulver). Ten tracks. The End Records.

Customer Reviews

It's so good i don't even know what to say....
Even now with their fifth album, the Gathering has demonstrably proved that they are only getting better. Yes, _Mandylion_ was their best-selling album but the maturation of this special group over the years has since improved them tenfold. _Souvenirs_ is their best album. I say this because I think it is the deepest and most complex release of theirs, and the first album that barely suffices with peripheral listening. This really demands one's attention otherwise it makes for merely some pleasant tunes, and then you are only hearing 1/100th of the music.

Elements of pure songcraft and sonic experimentation are perfected here, with Anneke van Giersbergen's voice is worth dying for. _Souvenirs_ perfectly captures the Gathering with unfettered creativity, confidence, deep wall-of-sound arrangements that recall Radiohead, polished post-rock atmospheres, and a haunting electronic-acoustic mix of textures. The metal days of heavy guitars and epic synths in _Nighttime Birds_ and _Mandylion_ are gone. The twin guitars are used for texture rather than virtuosity, and hollows of space are filled with sounds that come from no discernible human source. The harmonic and rhythmic development is subtle and even minimalist at times. Themes are sparingly orchestrated and the band keeps its textures astoundingly clean and clear. Synths are minimalist since there is no need for symphonic pretenses because the melodic themes and atmospheres are powerful in their own right. Songs are full of subtle tricks and sounds, but it would all be gimmicky if the songs were no good. But...every song is *unbelievably good*: the pure-pop ear-candy of "You Learn About It"; the aggressive, rhythmically tangled "Even the Spirits Are Afraid"; the eerie, poignant "A Life All Mine" (featuring indelible guest vocals from Trickster G. aka Garm -- speaking of which, go buy Ulver's _Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell_); the minimalist layers that slowly crescendo on "Broken Glass" without a trace of bombast; the smoky funk of "Monsters"; and so on and so forth.

I'm too rotten a music critic to get in-depth into _Souvenirs_ the way I would like to. No matter what I say, this is a very special band.

Not their best, but excellent nevertheless!
Fear not, those Gathering fans who were put off by the "Black Light District" ep! The band is back in fine form, on this new album that sounds like it could have come right out of the sessions for "How to measure a planet" (while at the same time, not being that far from the roots of "B.L.D.", either). However, those expecting a return to the more metallic side of this band will be in for a disappointment, as this album is rather experimental, and without the typical verse-chorus-verse song structures that most bands are fenced in by. Overall, a sort of dark, mellow album, with a lot of free-form ideas that only really gel in your mind after repeated listens. In fact, even with "How to measure" being my favorite of their releases, this one took a long time to sink in. But rest assured, as usual, Anneke's vocals are the high point of each and every song here. Now if only they could see fit to launch a real American tour!

A journey to be savored every step of the way
I'm just at a loss for words. Wow...
I found this group from a recommendation on my Amazon friends list. I've never heard any of The Gatherings previous works other than a few songs that are featured on their page on MySpace (which are great songs). I went to a music store near me and was surprised to find that they were listed in the heavy metal section. The songs on MySpace and the clips of Souvenirs on Amazon gave me the impression this group was anything but a heavy metal band, but I was wrong. The music store didn't have Souvenirs, which is the album I was really interested in listening to. Instead, they had Manylion and Nighttime Birds. I liked what I heard from those albums, but they were indeed a lot more `heavy metal' than what I'd heard of Souvenirs so I opted in not buying them. I really wanted my first album by them to be Souvenirs because the sound was a little more in my general taste than their more metal stuff...then once I got a good feel for the Souvenirs album I would start exploring their other stuff.

So I just got Souvenirs and I must say I am blown away. The first song on the album, These Good People, packs a wallop and just immerses and captivates you. The song builds up with this sexy base beat, combined with eerie piano in the background, then the song sort of explodes with the guitars and backup vocals. Anneke Van Giersbergen, the main vocalist, is just truly amazing. There are good singers in this world that are very pleasurable to listen to due to their talent, but they lack that raw emotion that digs its way into your heart. Anneke is an extremely talented singer with amazing range, and then on top of that you hear her emotion in her voice. She sings from her heart and that makes all the difference.

Some of the tracks are a bit grim, starting with These Good People, but some of the songs are lighthearted with a ting of optimism, like You Learn About It. The whole album just takes you on an incredible journey that is to be savored every step of the way. I highly recommend this album and am extremely excited to explore their other works.