The Gathering is a Dutch rock band that was formed in Oss, North Brabant, in 1989. The band's current members include founding brothers René Rutten (guitar) and Hans Rutten (drums), as well as Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (bass) and Frank Boeijen (keyboards). Anneke van Giersbergen, the former lead singer, is now a touring member.

The band's earliest music was called atmospheric doom metal, influenced by other extreme metal groups such as Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. The band went through many changes in lead vocalists before becoming popular in 1995 with their album Mandylion. This was the first album to include Anneke van Giersbergen as the lead singer and the first to appear on music charts in the Netherlands. With Anneke, the band's music style changed from gothic metal to one influenced by shoegaze, post-rock, and trip hop. This change began with their fifth album, How to Measure a Planet?, released in 1998.

In 2007, Anneke left the band to work on her new project, Agua de Annique. In 2009, Norwegian singer Silje Wergeland from the band Octavia Sperati joined The Gathering as her replacement. Their first album with Silje, The West Pole, was released that same year. The band released three albums with her. In 2025, Anneke returned to perform with The Gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mandylion. Silje left the band at the end of 2025.

History

The Gathering was formed in 1989 in Oss by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits. Soon after, they added Hugo Prinsen Geerligs, Jelmer Wiersma, and Frank Boeijen to complete their first group. The Gathering's earliest recordings were classified as atmospheric doom metal with influences from death metal bands like Celtic Frost and Hellhammer.

In 1990, they recorded a demo tape called An Imaginary Symphony, which received some positive reactions from underground metal fans because of their unusual use of keyboards in metal music. A second demo, Moonlight Archer, was recorded in April 1991 and noticed by music journalists. Both demos had poor sound quality, but they helped the band gain recognition through live performances with groups such as Dead Head, Invocator, Samael, Morbid Angel, and Death.

After signing with Foundation 2000, the group released their debut album, Always…, in 1992. On this album, Bart Smits was joined by Marike Groot on vocals, who also performed with the band during most concerts. The album sold nearly 20,000 copies in Europe over the next few years. In 1992, Smits and Groot left the group due to musical disagreements. The other members wanted to shift toward a lighter, more progressive sound. Smits later formed his own project, Wish, to explore a darker, heavier style.

In 1993, the group added two new vocalists, Niels Duffhues and Martine van Loon. Their second album, Almost a Dance, was released in 1993 by Foundation 2000. The album faced criticism for Duffhues' punk-style voice, which did not match the music. The group acknowledged their disappointment and began writing new songs and searching for a new vocalist.

In 1995, The Gathering released Mandylion, their third album and first with lead vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, through Century Media. This album became their breakthrough, selling over 130,000 copies in Europe. Two singles, Adrenaline/Leaves and Strange Machines, were released. The latter reached number 37 on the Dutch singles charts and increased the band's popularity in Europe and the United States. Tours in Belgium and Germany, as well as appearances at the Dynamo Open Air and Pinkpop Festivals, helped establish the band in the European metal scene. Nighttime Birds (1997), a stylistically similar album to Mandylion, sold over 90,000 copies and included European tours.

In 1998, the group released a double album, How to Measure a Planet?, which marked a major change in their sound. Produced by Attie Bauw, the album was praised by critics for blending new styles like shoegaze and trip hop. Positive reactions came from around the world, including the United States, where they performed 14 shows in 1999.

In 1999, the band created their own record label, Psychonaut Records, to control how their music was released and marketed. They re-released Always… in 1999 and Almost a Dance in 2000, both with new artwork. While still under contract with Century Media, they released a live album, Superheat (2000), recorded in Dutch venues in 1999.

The band's next successful album, If Then Else (2000), featured diverse, emotional rock songs. A 15-month tour followed, taking them to Europe, Mexico, and ending with a Dutch club tour in October 2001. These atmospheric trip hop albums increased the band's popularity in South America.

In 2002, the band members took a break to focus on personal lives. During this time, they ended their contract with Century Media. They managed their new label, Psychonaut Records, and released a mini-CD, Black Light District, to celebrate their 12½-year anniversary.

In early 2003, the band released Souvenirs. In 2004, they released Sleepy Buildings, a semi-acoustic live album, which was their last with Hugo Prinsen Geerligs as bassist. He was later replaced by Marjolein Kooijman.

In 2005, The Gathering provided music for a CD-ROM titled Passengers in Time: The Musical History Tour, which accompanied a history study book. The band did not consider this an official release. They also released a DVD, A Sound Relief, featuring gentle, semi-acoustic songs. A previous DVD, In Motion, was released by Century Media without the band's permission but had some success. A second DVD, A Noise Severe, was planned for 2007 and recorded in Santiago, Chile, in March 2007.

In April 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Home. They had toured in March in North and South America and continued with European dates and festivals in 2006 after a short break for Anneke van Giersbergen to recover from laryngitis.

In May 2007, The Gathering joined Lacuna Coil, In This Moment, and Stolen Babies on "The Hottest Chicks in Metal" tour in the United States, sponsored by Revolver. On 5 June 2007, it was announced that Anneke van Giersbergen was leaving the band to spend more time with her family and her new project, Agua de Annique. Their final performance before her departure was at the Ankkarock festival in Finland on 4 August 2007.

In March 2009, the band announced Norwegian singer Silje Wergeland, of the band Octavia Sperati, as their new lead vocalist. Their ninth album, The West Pole, was released in May 2009.

On 16 May 2011, the band released the single "Heroes for Ghosts" via Bandcamp and announced a South American tour. This was the lead single for their tenth studio album, Disclosure, released on 12 September 2012. In 2013, they released Afterwords, featuring alternate versions of songs from Disclosure. Drummer Hans Rutten described it as more of an EP than a full album.

In January 2014, the band announced the departure of bassist Marjolein Kooijman after 10 years and planned a hiatus for the end of the year.

The Gathering celebrated their 25th anniversary with two sold-out reunion concerts in Nijmegen on 9 November 2014.

Etymology

Frank Boeijen explained the origin of the band's name: "The name The Gathering was created about eleven years ago when we started the band. We were all between the ages of 15 and 17. We watched many movies at that time. One movie was about immortality and how immortals could be killed by cutting off their heads. This movie was the first part of Highlander. In the first part of the movie, the characters talked a lot about a gathering where all the immortals would come together. We thought this was a good name for a band, and that's how we chose it. We believe it's a strong name for five people who come together to create music." [sic]

Discography

• Always… (1992)
• Almost a Dance (1993)
• Mandylion (1995)
• Nighttime Birds (1997)
• How to Measure a Planet? (1998)
• if_then_else (2000)
• Souvenirs (2003)
• Home (2006)
• The West Pole (2009)
• Disclosure (2012)
• Afterwords (2013) – also considered a remix album and EP
• Beautiful Distortion (2022)