The Gathering - If_Then_Else

1. Rollercoaster (4:45) 2. Shot To Pieces (4:10) 3. Amity (5:57) 4. Bad Movie Scene (3:49) 5. Colorado Incident (4:53) 6. Beautiful War (2:32) 7. Analog Park (6:05) 8. Herbal Movement (4:10) 9. Saturnine (5:11) 10. Morphia's Waltz (6:37) 11. Pathfinder (4:38)

Total Runnig Time: 52:47

The Gathering has reached a peak. At the beginning of its career, the band had to climb up through rough terrain and bypass all kinds of metal clichés in order to tear up the tag that had been cast upon it: doom metal. Plain and simple. With albums like Nighttime Birds and How to Measure a Planet, the band's members proved to the critics that they were more capable than most of their peers, and that they weren't just another mere metal act.

The Gathering has been an amazing musical outfit for long now. The band has managed to display an incredible evolution throughout each album and has stayed true to its philosophy, focusing on delivering great music through different approaches (like metal and prog). Never compromising to any pre-established standards, The Gathering has succeeded in creating a sound all its own; unique and pure.

This album is the The Gathering's masterpiece. If_Then_Else is written with such an amazing way of embracing atmospheric synth layers, powerful processed guitars, and laid-back grooves, that it transcends most of the band's previous work. The record is truly mellow and in turn relaxing, with only mere hints of a metal approach here and there. Tracks such as "Analog Park" and "Colorado Incident" display the band's capability of managing varying time signatures and innovative ideas, while others, like "Saturnine" and "Amity," simply flow in a graceful manner and shine through their fairly simple approach. Moreover, Anneke's vocals shine throughout the album, with her melodies and angelic vocals giving the record a life of its own.

A band like this can't be ignored. Going beyond all the demands placed upon it, The Gathering is one of the few pursuers of new musical perspectives, willing to explore every possible boundary within its means. The band's evolution and career up until now has truly been a great one. Let's hope there are more peaks to come in its musical journey.

-by Javier Elizondo

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