Dutch atmospheric metal pioneers The Gathering have released the live album “Echoes of Mandylion”, available now as a high-resolution digital release via Psychonaut Records. The record documents five sold-out residency concerts held at Doornroosje in Nijmegen between 27 and 31 August 2025, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s landmark 1995 album “Mandylion”.
The release captures the long-awaited reunion of the classic “Mandylion” line-up, bringing iconic vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen back together with the band on stage. The 16-track album was mixed and mastered by Guido Aalbers at Giesound Studio.
Anneke van Giersbergen and the legacy of Mandylion
When Anneke van Giersbergen joined The Gathering in 1994, her arrival marked a monumental turning point in heavy music. Released in August 1995, “Mandylion” departed from the band’s early death-doom stylings, pioneering an atmospheric, progressive sound carried by van Giersbergen’s luminous, emotive clean vocals.
Tracks such as “Strange Machines”, “Eleanor”, and “Leaves” proved that heavy, downtuned guitars and female vocals could form a transcendent, genre-defining partnership. Van Giersbergen fronted The Gathering through a string of celebrated releases including “Nighttime Birds” (1997) and “How to Measure a Planet?” (1998) before stepping away in 2007 to build a distinguished solo career and front acts like Vuur and The Gentle Storm. Her return for these anniversary performances honors one of European metal’s most influential legacies.
The classic line-up reunited on stage
The Nijmegen concerts brought the complete classic era line-up back together: Anneke van Giersbergen on lead vocals, guitarists René Rutten and Jelmer Wiersma, bassist Hugo Prinsen Geerligs, keyboardist Frank Boeijen, and drummer Hans Rutten.
Across 16 live performances, the ensemble delivers the complete “Mandylion” tracklist alongside fan favourites such as “Saturnine” and the sprawling epic “Sand and Mercury”, recreating the warmth, dynamism, and chemistry of their mid-1990s peak.
From Nijmegen to Santiago and beyond
The five residency shows in Nijmegen sparked an international wave of enthusiasm that expanded into a celebratory tour, concluding with an emotional performance in Santiago, Chile, shortly before the live record’s release.
Following the overwhelming response from fans, The Gathering have announced two additional reunion shows dedicated to “Mandylion” and “Nighttime Birds”, scheduled for 10 January 2027 at Doornroosje in Nijmegen and 16 January 2027 at the Melkweg in Amsterdam.
