The highly acclaimed and influential Dutch band the Gathering is finally back releasing their 9th studio album: The West Pole. It has been 3 years since the bands last release Home and with their singer over 13 years Anneke van Giersbergen leaving the band in 2007, the band set their sails for a fresh new era. The band (celebrating their 20th anniversary this year) has during their past 8 studio albums showed that they have never been afraid of changing and evolving their musical style. The West Pole shows the Gathering is still standing amongst the pioneers of alternative rock music as they always have!
After van Giersbergen leaving, the band started working on new songs and finding new singers. With finding a new (female) vocalist in Silje Wergeland from Norway the band again completed the line up. Silje has been the singer of the Norwegian band Octavia Sperati for 8 years including several other projects. The West Pole also includes two very talented guest singers: the Dutch Anne van den Hoogen and Mexican Marcela Bovio (from Stream of Passion). The West Pole is a very vital, atmospheric and extravert rock orientated album, with all the quality and power the Gathering is so famous for, also with many new elements. The sound is guitar driven, alive and urgent; a strong and beautifully coloured album with haunting female vocals. It’s produced by guitar player René Rutten and mixed & mastered by Zlaya Hadzich, who also did the production of Souvenirs. The West Pole is nothing less than a piece of masterwork!
