The Gathering is an atmospheric gothic metal and progressive rock band formed in Oss, Netherlands in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten. After debuting with death-doom roots on Always... (1992), the arrival of frontwoman Anneke van Giersbergen in 1994 transformed the group and revolutionized the European heavy metal landscape. Their landmark 1995 album Mandylion became a cornerstone of female-fronted metal, inspiring an entire generation of symphonic and gothic metal bands across the world. The band continued pushing musical boundaries across acclaimed records like Nighttime Birds (1997), the trip-hop and psychedelic double album How to Measure a Planet? (1998), Souvenirs (2003), and Home (2006). Following van Giersbergen's departure in 2007, Norwegian vocalist Silje Wergeland fronted the group for 16 years, recording three studio albums including The West Pole (2009) and Beautiful Distortion (2022). In late 2024, the band announced a reunion with Anneke van Giersbergen for the 30th anniversary of Mandylion, culminating in a world tour and the 2026 live album Echoes of Mandylion.
THE GATHERING release live album "Echoes of Mandylion", capturing their five Nijmegen anniversary residency shows with reunited vocalist ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN.
