What an odd history these Dutchmen possess. Finally hitting success with their third album, ‘95’s “Mandylion” (utilizing as many female vocalists in the process. Enter Anneke Van Giersbergen, the recognizable face of the band for more than a decade). Atmospheric goth/doom was the calling card, recording a pair of genre defining albums years before the style was fashionable. Yet before the millennium was through they’d chucked it all away (eventually Anneke too), in favor of a Pink Floyd inspired dreariness which metalheads never embraced.

The ten tracks within are a strange mix, with the occasional glimpse of yesterday, from the jangly, fuzz toned ‘When Trust Becomes Sound’ opener, basically devoid of lyrics, to the old-school title cut (complete with Floydian spoken voiceover). ‘Treasure’ introduces new fem-vox Silie Wergeland (formerly of Norwegian all-girl Octavia Sperati), while the slow, rambling orchestral string accompanied ‘No Bird Call’ (a swipe at old album title?) is more in keeping with the somber mood music of 3rd & The Mortal or Arcana. The 2:54 ‘You Promised Me A Symphony’ is just Wergeland and piano. The disc closing ‘A Constant Run’ is virtually the only use of guitar (fleeting as that may be) within the final five cuts!

Still, this is the first Gathering disc I could listen to in a long while, at least the first half of it.