Rene Rutten

The Gathering with singer Anneke van Giersbergen, René Rutten [guitar], drummer Hans Rutten, Marjolein Kooijman [bass] and Frank Boeijen [keyboards] have unmistakably reached a new level with Home.

In full view of their musical achievements over the last one and a half decade, they again dive in the unfathomed deep. Letting go of all stylistic hooks, the band is simply celebrating the music. The new songs seem to come from a land of fairy-tales, each track a jewel in itself. Our music is and always was its own source of inspiration, Anneke van Giersbergen explains. Things that we see, feel and experience every day. Some experiences are simple and positive, others complex and challenging. On the new album we emphasize three aspects of human life, the hectic roller coaster of our time, the life-changing events and the dissolving, soothing atmosphere of inner happiness. All this set to words and music.

One might ask how it all fits into a musical genre. These songs fill the complete array of pop music, sometimes with a warm, dark impact, sometimes with a light, refreshing up-tempo sound. Together they tell a tale, but each in itself is an easily accessible song delighting the mind....