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The Gathering > Always... > 1992, CD, Foundation 2000 > Reviews
The Gathering - Always...

Underrated Innovations - 86%

Gothic_Metalhead, April 7th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2014, 2CD, Peaceville Records (Slipcase, Remastered)

The Gathering, fresh off The Netherlands has always been one of if not the most influential gothic metal bands during the mid-1990s the moment Anneke Van Giersbergen entered the band. However, more often than not, The Gathering's early work is often overlooked in the history of gothic and death-doom metal. It's understandable to see why hearing from the band's debut album "Always..." I've always liked this album, and I've always considered this gothic metal, but this is the same direction as followed by early death-doom bands Paradise Lost and Tiamat. "Always..." is dark in atmosphere and instrumentation, but has its fair share of flaws throughout the entire album.

Musically speaking it is flawed, but still great to listen to. It follows a death-doom approach and has that raw production value that makes it sound aggressive and primal. One of the elements that overpower these instruments is the keyboards. Compared to early gothic/death-doom bands like Paradise Lost, The Gathering's debut was one of the first bands (alongside Type O Negative) to really add keyboards into gothic metal, let alone death-doom. It adds atmosphere, and textures in each song and makes it sound church-like in unison with the production and vocals. The biggest issue I have with the keyboards is the tone and effect. It sounds too electronic, and synth-like that it again overpowers the music. One of the reasons why I couldn't digest the Song "King for a Day" is because of the keyboards, and how out of place it sounds with the instrumentation. The way the music is composed, however, is a better experience. It may be a shy release and a phase for the band, but they enter uncharted territories for death-doom and that is tempo. The music is exciting because it goes over the fence between death-doom and regular death metal and has better aggression. On the other hand, it can be an identity crisis because it feels that the band don't really know whether the music should be slow or fast. Nevertheless, the music is still great to listen to and a breath of fresh air that would become a good concept for future generations of bands.

"Always..." is also the only album to feature Bart Smits as the vocalist. Throughout the album, his performance has been phenomenal. His growls are incredibly dark and very death-doom inspired. Some of the shouts he does in some Songs like "In Sickness and Health" adds aggression and dynamic into the music. Like Paradise Lost, The Gathering is also a precursor of the beauty and the beast vocals. Note that they don't utilize female vocals throughout the entire album, but it's something that is never done in doom metal. In Songs like "Second Sunrise," and "Stonegarden" it adds textures in the vocals and a lighter approach for death-doom. The Gathering uses more of this approach than Paradise Lost and that gives the band more depth. The vocals have been phenomenal throughout the album with very little mistakes heard.

"Always..." is definitely an underrated release in The Gathering's discography. It may be groundbreaking for death-doom and gothic metal, but it's still got flaws that can draw away listeners. Music is alright, the lyrics are sophisticated and dark, and the way The Gathering use these new characteristics for this direction of metal is unique and different for its time. This direction wouldn't last long as the band continued more experimentation, and would make cuts to its music and vocals. A huge recommendation for anyone who likes some atmospheric death-doom or interested in knowing the early history of gothic metal, "Always..." is a great album.

“Never Produce This Dark Brooding Feat Again!” - 83%

bayern, September 6th, 2018

Wait, wait a minute, why not?! This was a perfectly acceptable fare within the freshly initiated gothic doom/death metal confines by Paradise Lost’s pioneering “Gothic” in the early-90’s. In fact, this is the first album/band, alongside My Dying Bride’s “As the Flower Withers”, to capture this sound in its early entirety after the mentioned Brits’ ground-breaking effort, and for this reason alone it deserves a shower of accolades. Yes, it’s by no means the most dexterously executed outing in the genre, but hardly any overtly glaring flaws can be detected in its dark brooding skeleton.

I hold deep respect for the band for the fact that ever since the inception the four core members have always been together, with the only rotating position being the one behind the mike, of course. A couple of guest musicians have been seen/heard contributing in the background on some instalments, but by-and-large this outfit’s career has been following the artistic decisions of these four troubadours. Yes, it greatly helps when two of these troubadours are brothers (Rene and Hans Rutten), but I believe it’s the solid common vision that have kept the band together through the various stylistic changes witnessed along the way.

As I started delving into the band’s discography with the gorgeous “Mandylion”, like the majority of the fans from the 90’s, I had no idea whatsoever regarding the guys’ (and different girls) earlier stylistic meanderings. I found the sophomore a really exciting gothic rock/wave/metal amalgam which didn’t sound like its famed successor, and when I stumbled upon the album reviewed here, a very difficult to find item in Bulgaria at the time, I couldn’t help but admire the musicians for their audacious creative flair and strive for originality. How many other acts are out there who have presented three different styles on their first three albums? Exactly.

Unlike the mentioned My Dying Bride first creation, which more boldly ventured into aggressive death metal territories, this effort here follows more closely the morose mid-paced formula established by “Gothic” only that the Dutch have voted to include keyboards as an essential ingredient. The tunes from this department are largely dark atmospheric, and minimalistic seldom deafening the guitars, but taking quite a bit of space at the same time as well. In fact, it’s the keyboards which give this recording a more individualistic aura, also creating the enchanting melodic decorations which on “The Mirror Waters” border on the dark wave school of thought, the rough brutal death metal vocals providing the rude awakening all over, merging with the heavy riffs at some stage those heard more prominently compared to other cuts (“Subzero”, “In Sickness And Health”) where they march alongside the keyboards in a less expressive, assistant-like mode. Bumpier, angrier rides like “King for a Day” are more than welcome also bringing other tasteful tools like more lead sections and the female vocal presence the latter only ephemerally present, taking more space on the excellent atmospheric doomster “Second Sunrise”. In fact, this is doom metal for a large portion of the time with death metal mostly reflected in the vocals and the few more dynamic walkabouts both completely missing from the short ambient, all-instrumental title-track.

In this train of thought this recording also resembles Anathema’s “The Crestfallen” EP released the same year only that the English act were not fond of the keyboard sweeps although they were equally as not that fascinated with the death metal possibilities. In other words, The Gathering’s first instalment could have easily fitted into the Peaceville catalogue from the early-90’s with its shaken, not stirred layout, a deeply atmospheric saga that also provided the definitive template for the early gothic doom/death metal wave in their homeland (Orphanage, Beyond Belief, Celestial Season, early Creepmime, etc.). Again, it’s debatable whether this is the perfect example to be given from said wave as the level of musicianship falters at times the guys not quite expert yet in the song-structure department, sometimes prolonging a beautiful keyboard-driven passage which overstays its welcome when a guitar-driven outburst would have been more preferable as a desirable exit from the instilling idyll.

On the other hand, it shouldn’t be buried as a mere footnote from the early repertoire of a celebrated contemporary band, which is its more universally spread status, another reason for it also being the superior examples (Theatre of Tragedy) from the trend which followed suit later in the 90’s; and also the band’s abandonment of this particular style, focusing on other more viable genres, never developing their craft in this niche further. Was it the lack of confidence in executing these dark gloomy death-peppered sounds? Or was it the profound paradise... sorry, paradigm shift that may have occurred in their camp? Or was it the unavailability of the first singer hence his replacement with more melodic vocals leading to the change in style?

Questions that may never be answered; and this is hardly too necessary provided that the guys (and girls) literally hit the top in the years to come, having once moved away from their more brutal roots, embarking on nobler deeds like saving endangered night-time bird species, buying souvenirs for all their fans, reaching the West Pole, even measuring our whole planet at some stage… always adventurous, always looking ahead, but always fondly remembering those first rough dark, brooding sketches from where it all began.

Quiet contender - 77%

gasmask_colostomy, August 30th, 2015

EDIT: I wrote the initial review in 2015 and titled it "Influential but mediocre", scoring the album 59%. The bulk of the original text has been retained, with additions mostly of a positive nature. The new title and score reflect my current feelings about the album.


Let's pretend that this album isn't by The Gathering, because it won't help us if we think about the atmospheric rock group that emerged from this band in the late '90s. Sure, the line-up is pretty similar (only the singer was changed), though the whole ethos of the band had morphed into something altogether more individual and eclectic. Forget about Anneke van Giersbergen, forget about How to Measure a Planet?, and welcome to the beginning of The Gathering.

This album was released in 1992, near the nascence of Europe's doom death scene. The trio of significant UK bands had all put out a release or two, but other big players like Amorphis and Katatonia were without albums. There wasn't a lot of depth to the genre beyond a few basic ideas, which actually makes Always... a pivotal release from a chronological point of view. The band's doom death influence here leads to a lot of atmosphere, melancholy riffing, and gruff vocals, while the keyboards don't really have an exact parallel either before or after, seeing as The Gathering moved steadily away from this style. If we are looking for direct predecessors, Paradise Lost's Gothic might be the most obvious choice, with its slow, begrimed trudge through architectural horrors and the sparing use of symphonic instruments and female vocals. The Gathering makes more concerted use of these last 2 elements: there is a notable keyboard presence and a flautist among the named performers, while Marike Groot provides vocals for around half the songs. The difference - and the biggest surprise, looking back - is that Always... isn't as murky, sinister, or incoherent as those other early doom death albums, actually managing to sound light and spacious in a similar way to Katatonia's debut.

Interesting position in metal's echelons aside, there are some slight issues with this album that may hinder the enjoyment of new listeners. In the first place, those deviations from the style of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema rather change the aesthetic of doom death, since by stripping away some of the nastiness and crusty riff assault, The Gathering end up a little lightweight, putting the focus on mood instead of power. Bart Smits isn't a bad singer, actually exuding the same kind of relaxed growl as Nick Holmes, though with less brute force. His contribution isn't really the focus, but nor would the songs feel complete without him: the guitars and keyboards, as well as the lyrics, are building an atmosphere of natural beauty and wonder, which receives its final impetus from the extra effort of the vocals, like a low-key and long-form Tales from the Thousand Lakes. The female vocals should suit the atmosphere pretty well but are poorly executed, without much idea of control or tune, making their inclusion detrimental rather than merely neutral. 'King for a Day' includes a shrieking section during which I positively want to cover my ears. The neutral/negative assault of the 2 singers isn't backed up as much as I normally expect by the guitars, due to their floating tone; thus, the thin guitars moving aside, we are left to look for direction from the keyboards and the chunky bass. Both of these instruments are well-handled and broaden the sound considerably, even if there are some incompatible key parts and the bass sticks out during a couple of breakdowns.

Generally, I feel positive about how The Gathering combined those elements to form a fairly distinctive sound. The very muted feel of the keys makes little use of actual piano or regular synths, rather achieving a sound closer to the base element which Mortiis used for his first few solo releases, as well as some ill-fitting electronic moments at times. Along with the circumspect guitars, that means Always... ends up sounding antique and unfamiliar, but not in the gruesome gothic manner that some of the more deathly groups were aiming for, more in the way that an old book has strangely soft pages and a peculiar smell. It's musty and faded, though actually quite nice. Partly as a result, the album can't easily be recalled after listening. Doom death was never supposed to be catchy, but nothing really sticks out besides a few of the more dynamic riffs and accompanying melodies in the first couple of songs, which is where the stronger material is concentrated. Originally, I was down on this aspect of Always..., but have come to enjoy the album despite a lack of very intense features. The keyboards are quite overwhelming for the most part and create a great atmosphere that might go with a very powerful and peaceful natural image - from the top of a mountain overlooking the sight of a lake surrounded by snow and forest, for example: this results in a sense of relaxation and harmony that neutralizes some of the chugging and even grinding riffs that fill a heavier tune like 'Subzero'. Most songs have a couple of these ideas, but songwriting is more progressive than conventional, so there aren't a lot of repeating hooks - certainly nothing in the vocals. I would pick 'The Mirror Waters' and 'Subzero' as the best songs on here, with a little more attack and generally better ideas to fill their length.

The difficulty with Always... is that it actually broke new ground for an emerging genre, but neither achieves the instrumental seriousness of the heavier doom death contingent at the time, nor really proves memorable enough to be considered worthwhile now. Compounding that awkward position, The Gathering never consolidated the strengths of their debut, ending up somewhere quite different but still with the songwriting charm that this initial exploration showed. Always... is certainly underrated from a historical point of view, and has also been a little neglected from a musical perspective. A quiet contender.

I wanna be with youu, and make believe with youuu! - 50%

RageW, March 6th, 2013

I'll start this by saying I'm a big fan of The Gathering's atmospheric rock work. They developed a very interesting sound, and thankfully have stuck with it ever since, because they know that's what they're good at. Sadly, to reach that point, the band had to learn it the hard way - the same way poor Anathema learned it - by releasing a couple of extremely bland death/doom albums. Always is just that; bland, inoffensive, full of death growls by a man who doesn't really know how to growl (Sort of like Anathema!). It goes through one ear and comes out of the other, without either leaving good or bad feelings behind.

It truly is awe-inspiring, just how many different riffs and variations this band could manage to cram into a single song, and still somehow end up with something lesser than the sum of its parts. Most songs have various progressions, different song structures, elements that, in essence, should make for an exciting listen. They don't. They don't, not because of lack of trying or talent by the band, no, my theory is that The Gathering didn't have this kind of sound in their minds and hearts since day one. It sounds like they wanted atmosphere, textures, sections that would make you feel like you were floating in thin air - but they were no Lykathea Aflame to accomplish it via a metal medium. The result is a sound that doesn't seem to find its way in life; it doesn't know where to belong, it's so sad and lonely and helpless, because its creators weren't looking for it in the first place.

What we have here is an extreme case of gender confusion; bigger than an eighteen year old boy who kind of looks like a girl and doesn't know whether he likes guys or girls, but looks too much of a girl to have any success with either. It's like that, but with metal. There's an instance of female singing in the middle of "King for a Day" which sounds like if she were trying to sing USPM, but it just comes off as a mess. The female vocals themselves are rather weak, too; she's no Anneke, obviously, but even with that fact in mind some notes sound flat at times, and once again, like they wanted to do something entirely different from what they ended up with. They're used very sparingly, though; which sadly doesn't allow me to actually go all the way and hate them. How else would you explain the random synth-poppy keyboards that pop in at random intervals? You don't put those in a death/doom album and try to pass them off as completely straight.

Aside from the female vocals, we have the death growls. In the introductory paragraph I mentioned how they sound like Danny Cavanagh's back when he believed those to be a good idea. Mix in a bit of After Forever's debut album growling, and you get the ones in Always. The male vocals are at times replaced by a melodramatic whispering/talking thing which doesn't really suit the music below, which doesn't even try to change the tempo a lot. Everything is middle of the barrel; it's not slow, it's not fast either, it's eternally mid-paced. The music doesn't grab you, but it doesn't really lose you by being horrid. Sometimes everything will lapse into acoustic sections which are much more in line with the album's general feeling, just to go into mid-paced death/doom again.

In general, The Gathering's debut is plain bland. It's not good, but there's nothing overly bad about it either. However, you can just see how much they were struggling to keep playing death/doom even when they clearly didn't want to do it. It would take a few albums more and a change of singers, and getting rid of their tube amps, for their true sound to really shine through. It's not a case of the band evolving with time, it's a case of the band knowing what they wanted to do from the start, but being shy about it. So basically The Gathering rule but they suck at metal. The end.

Hidden Gem - 89%

mikeald, February 26th, 2009

Its 1992 and a young band called the Gathering would release their only death/doom album thus far. Yes, most fans might be turned off by this release since the majority of vocals are death metal growls. Yet fans of early death/doom metal will dig this up. The problem…fans of death/doom might not know of this release, leaving Always sitting on the shelves in many CD stores.

Like all Gathering albums, the music is simple yet effective. The songs are mid to slow pace similar to Amorphis’ “Tales of the Thousand Lakes” except longer. Franks’ keyboards are hidden in the background for atmosphere rather than the dominate role they play in newer releases. Some cheesy keyboard sections such as the intro on “In Sickness and Health” could have been taken out completely.

Rene and Jelmer’s guitars are slow and simple, yet catchy. There are few thrash like solos scattered throughout the album…which are pretty funny knowing how out of character they are with this band. Hugo’s bass is present like all Gathering albums. Nothing to complicated but that doesn’t mean its bad.

Bart’s vocals are similar to early Amorphis, guttural yet understandable. Marike’s female vocals are one of the biggest problems, awkward and off key. Thankfully she isn’t used that often. The lyrics are your typical Gothic romanticism subject matter… no Cannibal Corpse subject matter here.

All in all, Always.. is a hidden gem in this bands amazing catalogue. If you’re not into death/doom metal but love the Gathering buy this album for the amusement of your favorite band doing death metal. If you’re into old Amorphis, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, & Anathema buy this now!

The History Of The Gathering. - 70%

Perplexed_Sjel, December 6th, 2007

So, this is where it all began for The Gathering. The first record of many and a very different acquisition to my collection of The Gathering records, and just in general really. When I first came across it, having not heard The Gathering records in order, I just assumed that the line-up was practically the same throughout their history as a band. I wasn't aware of the numerous changes the band have gone through before and after this record came out. In actual fact, I didn't know much about this Dutch act at all when I first started listening to them, as you may be able to imagine. So, when I picked up 'Always' I had assumed it was fairly similar, or as close to something like 'Mandylion', which has gone down in history as a very important record. However, much to my surprise, 'Always' is immensely different from the aforementioned record.


I, like many others no doubt, was disappointed when I heard 'Always'. I was used to hearing Anneke's stunning vocals over some of the best gothic inspired music i've ever heard. However, in her place, which is probably quite unfair to say, was a male vocalist, Bart Smit's. As time progressed, I actually learned to appreciate 'Always' for what it was, the first The Gathering record essentially. I attempted to avoid making comparisons because the band on this record are completely different to the band we saw on the last outing, 'Home'. So, with this newly found mindset, I proceeded to listen to 'Always' again, after ignoring it for several months. The more and more I heard it, the more I began to enjoy it, though I suppose the same could be said about a lot of things in life. With time and patience, it grew on me. I feel 'Always' is probably one of those records that will remain underrated simply because of the astounding achievements that were made after 'Mandylion' hit public ears.


'Always' is a very different slab of The Gathering material, as I said. It's perhaps a little more doom inspired than the latter material. This can be seen in several different ways. The down tuned nature of both the guitars and the bass. The guitars are particularly effective. In some instances, they tend to create some very atmospherically pleasing riffs, but not as much as the keyboards tend to do. The keys are without a doubt an up-and-coming instrument. The influence they have on 'Always' is undeniable. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect about them is how well they work alongside those ethereal guitars, simply superb. 'In Sickness And In Health' seems to be a particularly good example of this.


The way the soundscapes of the keyboards oozes through those of the guitars is brilliant. Also, with the addition of a female vocalist, Marike Groot, The Gathering have several different dimensions they can play with at ease. Opting for female vocals, with male backing vocals. Male vocals leading the way with female vocals following behind. Whichever way The Gathering choose to do it, it's done well. The vocals of Marike are good, not as good as Anneke, but she is a different kind of vocalist. Marike's range is good and she's always in control. Bart's vocals suit the gothic paradise The Gathering are creating, with those doom laden riffs weaving in and out of the free space.


The Gathering's brilliant musicianship is showcased further by the use of a variety of instruments which all add something fresh to their sound. This is very appealing. The percussion has a tendency to become lost in the brilliance of the other instruments and vocals, which is sad because 'Always' needs a penetrative percussion sound, but doesn't always get one. This and the fact that some of the songs lack flair is the only downside to 'Always'. However, they're quite big downfalls, so I can understand why people may have a problem with this record in comparison to the latter records which are seen as almost flawless by many. In terms of highlights, i've picked 'In Sickness And In Health' as well as 'Stonegarden'.

Instant classic in 1992. A sweet memory in 2007. - 90%

morbert, October 9th, 2007

At first, seeing things in historic perspective. Back in 1991/1992 the gothic metal we know now in 2007 (After forever, Nightwish, Epica etc) wasn’t around yet and The Gathering were truly a groundbreaking and trendsetting group. If they hadn’t played their part together with for instance Orphanage, the Dutch scene would probably have developed very differently.

Still firmly based upon the 1991 Paradise Lost album ‘Gothic’ but incorporating keyboards in a more important way and writing some lengthy songs. There were death grunts and additional female vocals which these days have become quite mainstream but were refreshing back then. The Gathering were pioneers, so don’t expect the style to be perfected yet on a pioneering debut album. In 1992 ‘Always’ received 100 points in many magazines.

Having said that, the album in a way has lost a lot of impact over the years. This has two main reasons. First an entire scene in this subgenre emerged and later incidentally surpassed this album but secondly the band themselves made some changes later on in their career and broke through to the mainstream audience with their third album ‘Mandylion’ and vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen.

Still, ‘Always’ is a beautiful and very important album if you are into the genre. With some lengthy songs, a lot of diversity and – in contrast to contemporary gothic bands – the emphasis really on DOOM. Bart Smits has a monotone voice but suits the material well and Marike Groot (ex-Little Mary Big, Wonderlust) did a great job with the female vocals. I’ve seen the old Gathering perform live once without their keyboard player and that performance made it very obvious how important the keyboards were on these songs, namely indispensable. The keyboard add an important touch to the atmosphere as well as a lot of melodies.

Verdict: Impact in 1992: 100 points. Historical value: 100 points. Quality compared to 2007 standards: 70. Performance: 80. Result: 88 points. But I’ll just give them 90 points since this important album cannot get anything less. Best songs: the lot. It’s a trip from start to finish.

poison for the ears - 21%

odradek, March 21st, 2007

Mediocrity be damned, The Gathering found a way to unite lackluster songwriting with sloppy musicianship to produce this downright abomination of an album. The focus for each song seems to be some kind of quirky artificial sound effect injected into the rhythm guitar melody, repeated every measure ad nauseum. Each such loop is further combined with uninspired drumming and sloppy lead guitar work to form a synthesis of annoying elements sure to disappoint any listener.

But The Gathering didn't stop there! They further pollute the tracks on "Always" with three (!) forms of poorly executed vocals. There's death metal growling, done in an amateurish manner that sounds forced and deliberate. These growls occasionally give way to a male spoken voice, delivering lines in a phony, overly dramatized style. But the worst of them all are the clean female vocal parts, which are so far off key I literally cringe at every syllable. And believe me she hits every foul note with unabashed emphasis and remorseless conviction. I don't want to put too much blame on her, because after all there are six band members pictured on the back of the album, and I can't imagine it escaped the attention of every one of them how dissonant and just plain awful her vocal track is. But then again, each of them has their own clumsy performance to feel shame about.

Always...well, usually forgotten - 87%

Gutterscream, February 9th, 2006
Written based on this version: 1992, CD, Foundation 2000

“…birth, age, death…”

The only thing pre-Anneke The Gathering seems to gather nowadays is dust. It’s bewildering to me that somehow anything in this band’s portfolio prior to ‘95’s Mandylion has been enveloped by some great (over)shadow, doomed to be overlooked and unremembered like when your family went on vacation when you were too young to know or care. Since ’92, I’ve heard this sextet’s early sound wrongly described often enough (i.e. brutal, basic) that I’m convinced opinions about the band’s particular time period are as educated as the last lazyass who regurgitated info from the last lazy website or zine writer who may have never actually given the record a full, attentive half a whirl in the first place.

So, um, at this point The Gathering is merely doom/death metal, eh? And only with the arrival of Mandylion did the heavenly elegance of atmosphere adhere like angel wings, soaring their sound to higher planes of dignity and exaltation. With that known, on Always, Frank Boeijen does his best Captain & Tennille impersonation and only pretends to play keyboards and grand piano while Hugo Prinsen Geerligs adds flute and triangle to his resume to make his bass duties seem less banal. Drummer Hans Rutten brought his wind chimes from home because he likes they way they sparkle in the studio’s lovely fluorescent lighting, meanwhile his brother Rene and Jelmer Wiersma bring their regular and 12 string acoustic guitars along to merely laugh at the serenity and grace they propose. Henk van Koeverden and Marike Groot aren’t guest musicians, but visiting buddies of the band. With nothing better to do, Koeverden happened to drag his Korg MS 10 synthesizer into the studio for kicks and Groot practices her bird calls out of the clear blue. What…a bunch…of tricksters.

Admittedly, the Dutch group’s debut didn’t open to the fanfare of trumpets. The outpouring of keyboards that were remindful of ‘80s new wave ala A Flock of Seagulls and Human League didn’t thrill some fans. Complaints of clandestine ‘happy’ elements arose from others. Fans of whatever available prog-power metal there was despised Bart Smits’s cavernous growl, but is possibly the sole grounds for the death metal realm to even consider this for comradery. And of course those fans ready to pounce on Immolation-level death metal were grumbling about a loss of ten bucks. Consequently, on several levels many wouldn’t recognize the band’s authentic atmospheric verve, an embryo to the semi-symphonic that was already in labor on Paradise Lost’s effigy Gothic. Always can be considered misunderstood much like Frost’s Into the Pandemonium, but how these two discs differ from the funereal strides of Paradise Lost and pubescent My Dying Bride and Anathema is in their darkness and heaviness, or dismissive use thereof.

Overflowing this lp are keyboards running the gamut of the lushly sublime to the mysterious to the oddly chipper, unseating the guttural crunch guitar sound and limiting it to the background where heaviness is strangely more an imposition than a factor – not an option people saw coming and an alternative that’s either an affliction or a consolation, depending on who you talk to. True, Smits’s frightful vocals aren’t enough to quell death/doom expectations, but that’s not its point. Featured throughout these eight fairly long tracks, the death vox may seem a focal point but it’s more a disguised lifeline to the darker metal realm, an old friend wrestling with the sway of progression. And what do we do for friends who are in trouble? We sleep with their significant other. No - we help, and if we can’t help, we root for them. Aficionados of the gravel-mouthed gather 'round with eyes hopeful, but the truth of it is Smits’s thick throat is the last thing the band wants you to dwell upon. They’d rather your curiosity be piqued by the piano-backed cleaner tones he surreptitiously implies in “In Sickness and Health”. They’d rather Groot’s uncommon soprano peel the death grip from your thoughts in “Second Sunrise”, “King For a Day”, and “Gaya’s Dream”. They’d rather the chill of wind chimes tingle your cognition in “Stonegarden”. And of course the keyboards’ sometimes chromatic (“Subzero”, “King for a Day”), sometimes blissful (“…Aways”) mien is not merely an adventure steady and fulfilling, but the uncharacteristic backbone of the effort.

Getting back to those ‘happy’ elements, they do exist – not gaudy Katrina and the Waves or even late ‘80s Bad Religion happy, but exquisite, gaseous stuff that can resemble an ambrosial aural aroma that is much more celestial sounding on Mandylion. Most things murky or malignant are deadened by layers of ethereal coloring - the color of light, the sky, the ocean, and all the hues that can come from them.

Lyrics are rational and linear with streaks of poetic complexion, feeding off the Frostian umbilical cord less than other bands in the youthful genre that were finding it cardinal to do so (and I wasn’t complaining).

I know this isn’t for everyone, but anyone worth their metallic salt should at least recognize what helped forge the atmospheric, orchestral, symphonic, and even gothic genres.