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CD: The Gathering - Mandylion	Released: 1995
Reviewed By: Gautham Khandige (deathrider)	Rating: (4.5/5)

Tracklist:
1. Strange Machines
2. Eleanor
3. In Motion #1
4. Leaves
5. Fear The Sea
6. Mandylion
7. Sand And Mercury
8. In Motion #2

Let me just start by saying that Anneke van Giersbergen is a vocal Goddess. Her clear powerful voice is the perfect foil to the music.

The Gathering is a Doom Metal band of high quality. The songs are slow, heavy and generally melodic. In fact one could say that the music in this album was written specifically with Anneke's rich voice in mind.

The album opens with the wonderful "Strange Machines." This is a song that will fly over your sensibilities and gently caress you. Anneke's voice soars over the music and at times threatens to overpower the music itself. However this never happens and the music always manages to assert itself. Infact the song writing is top notch throughout this album. The biggest drawback that most Doom Metal bands have is a lack of variety. This is not so with The Gathering. The songs are involved and possess enough variety that they never become predictable. An excellent drummer and a variety of drum sounds and percussion also adds to this variety.

Stand out tracks include album opener "Strange Machines", "Eleanor", "Leaves" and the superb "Sand And Mercury." Another highlight is the title song. A largely instrumental song that is strangely disturbing and makes fantastic use of the synth, percussion and probably a wind instrument of some type although I'll be fucked if I know what. Anneke's sublime vocalization on top of the music leaves you with a song that is strangely disturbing yet beautiful.

The Gathering today have lost whatever Metal they had and instead have transformed into a classy psychedelic rock band. Mandylion though is Doom Metal through and through and a must for fans of the Genre.