Black Light District

About a year ago I was browsing The Gathering home page and I found out that the band was going to release a couple of new albums in the year 2002. Great, two new albums from one of my all time favorite bands. However, a few months later I read that they would release a mini album and a full length instead of the two promised albums. Well, I thought there might be five or six songs on this mini album, but a mini album for The Gathering is apparently only three songs (one that is sixteen minutes long though).

Black Light District is a long, quiet song that features some narration by Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle Of Filth, Therion, Mystic Circle), along with singing parts from Anneke. The song starts with a few piano chords and then gets more groovy half way through, but then becomes slow again when Anneke starts to sing. The song could have been shortened a lot and it sure would sound a lot better. This song is in the vein of what they produced on the album How To Measure A Planet ? It’s loaded with atmosphere and haunting piano melodies, but a song you listen to only a couple of times due to its length.

Debris is a more rock orientated song although definitely in The Gathering style. I don’t know if this song is going to be on the album, but if it’s not, then the other ones will have to be awesome because I really love this one. The chorus is really great and Anneke displays again her infinite vocal possibilities.

Broken Glass is featured here in it’s piano version which I find it quite boring. The song will probably be featured on the new album since there seems to be something other than a piano version.

The band has postponed the release of the forthcoming album until early 2003 and it really pisses me off. Anyway, the band decides........