Gathering

The Gathering is a Dutch band which came to fame in the second half of 1990s with vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. Their first two albums, Always... (1992) and Almost a Dance (1993), which played a part in the formation of gothic metal, were recorded with four different vocalists. Their subsequent release, Mandylion (1995), featured the debut of Anneke van Giersbergen singing with the band for the first time. Their following studio albums Nighttime Birds (1997), How to measure a planet? (1999), if_then_else (2000) and Souvenirs (2003) showed the progression of the band from gothic-influenced metal to a somber alternative rock. Sleepy Buildings, released in 2004, is a live semi-acoustic performance recorded by the band over a course of two nights. The band's last album with Anneke was Home and was released in Europe and North America in April 2006. On 5 June 2007 it was announced that Anneke was to leave The Gathering in August 2007 to focus on a new project, Agua de Annique. On 12 March 2009 The Gathering announced that their new vocalist is Silje Wergeland (ex Octavia Sperati). Their new album The West Pole was released in May 2009.