The Gathering
„if_then_else“
Genre? What Genre?

• CD, Album, Digipak
  Box-Set, Limited Edition 2000
• Century Media
• 77298-0
• used

After the more experimental "How To Measure A Planet?", the rockier album "if_then_else" was released in 2000. Since the Anneke van Giersbergen era, I've simply categorized The Gathering as progressive rock. And that's not entirely accurate, because with The Gathering, the boundaries blur. The Gathering's music isn't like the if_then_else of a binary computer; it's like a quantum computer: all genres exist simultaneously. However, this album isn't about computers, but about people. Because just as "red is a slow color" the world is constantly accelerating. We need to consciously rediscover our own slowness from time to time to avoid being overwhelmed by the world.

Behind the cover, I therefore see not an uncertainty principle, but an accelerated world. The explanation lies on the back cover: Only the band stands still and pauses, while the rest of humanity rushes past as a blurry, frantic mass.

"Rollercoaster" and "Shot To Pieces" initially set the pace. And you have to keep up. Anneke's singing, especially in "Shot To Pieces", sets the pace: "What fine judgement I see" and then "in the eyes of our world leaders". And Donald Trump wasn't even on the scene back then! More interesting, however, are the next two lines: "O how beautiful life could be" and then "if it hadn't been shot to pieces." I find Anneke's vocals here cynical, mocking. And the song relentlessly maintains its pace. "Amity" initially brings a sense of calm, but the lyrics convey a melancholic darkness. Here, Anneke emphasizes the lyrics quite differently: she draws out individual words, and here, too, the slow, repetitive rhythm sets the pace. "Colorado Incident" takes on a special meaning for me because it actually incorporates a real-life event from the band's past. A concert had to be canceled, partly due to illness. The song oscillates between fast, guitar-driven sections and a brief pause. If a person cannot allow themselves rest, then the body will take it.

I won't go into detail about every track, but I hope you've gotten a sense that The Gathering doesn't just make music, but creates thoughtfully crafted albums with a lot of love.

It's difficult for me to leave out a song like "Analog Park," which I consider the heart of the album. Here, Anneke sits on a park bench, and we hear her mind switch off as she calmly perceives and describes her analog surroundings. And yet, something "reaches" for her throat. Her restlessness.

Finally, my listening recommendations take a psychedelic turn. The large blue caterpillar from "Alice in Wonderland" sits on the mushroom with the long tobaco pipe. Here we have a spoken scene. And just as the plants move, so does the language. This transitions into the song "Herbal Movement," and I personally consider them one song. And here, Anneke sings in a way I particularly love. She comes across as very calm and ethereal in the quiet part. And then she rises emotionally, yet still ethereally.

Conclusion

“if_then_else” is different from “Nighttime Birds”, featuring more hard riffs and a more direct approach than the experimental “How To Measure A Planet”. It's precisely this evolution that makes each album special for me. The Gathering has maintained a high level of quality across various musical developments. Not every band manages that. And for me, that's why i call this open prog.

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

TheProgThief
©29.September.2026