Pain of Salvation in Minnesota Sat 5/11/13 w/ Anneke

http://www.station-4.com/viewItem.aspx?ID=1727



Daniel posted an update today with news and a tour, but strictly for Europe. I know there's an acoustic EP coming soon titled Naked I guess. And they were recently confirmed to play at the Right of Spring Festival the 1st weekend of May.

http://www.painofsalvation.com/2011/acoustic-tour-announced/


Kicking off activities in 2013, Swedish Pain of Salvation are ready to embark on more worldwide touring. The upcoming European tour in April will be exclusively acoustic based and Pain of Salvation will be joined for the 3 weeks of dates by Dutch singer/songwriter Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex The Gathering) and Árstíðir from Iceland, making this a remarkably interesting package.

The tour is to coincide with Pain of Salvation’s upcoming album release via InsideOutMusic, featuring newly recorded acoustic versions of hand picked Pain of Salvation songs. More details about this special album project will be made public soon.

These are all the dates of the European tour:

PAIN OF SALVATION - ACOUSTIC 2013
special guests: Anneke Van Giersbergen & Árstíðir

03.04.2013 – Krakow (Poland) @ Kwadrat
04.04.2013 – Warsaw (Poland) @ Progresja
05.04.2013 – Prague (Czech Republic) @ Klub Nova Chmelnice
06.04.2013 – Bratislava (Slovakia) @ Majestic Music Club
07.04.2013 – Budapest (Hungary) @ Club 202
08.04.2013 – Wien (Austria) @ Szene
10.04.2013 – Bologna (Italy) @ Estragon
11.04.2013 – Rome (Italy) @ Orion
12.04.2013 – Milano (Italy) @ Magazzini Generali
13.04.2013 – Yverdon (Switzerland) @ Amalgame
14.04.2013 – Toul (France) @ Chez Paulette
15.04.2013 – London (UK) @ The Garage
17.04.2013 – Paris (France) @ Le Trabendo
18.04.2013 – Pratteln (Switzerland) @ Z7
19.04.2013 – Weert (The Netherlands) @ De Bosuil
20.04.2013 – Zoetermeer (The Netherlands) @ Boerderij
21.04.2013 – Essen (Germany) @ Turock
Booking: www.dragon-productions.com

Prior to the European tour, Pain of Salvation will also be perfoming
two regular headline shows in Russia:

16.02.2013 – Moscow (Russia) @ Moscow Concert Hall
17.02.2013 – St. Petersburg (Russia) @ Arctica

Furthermore, Pain of Salvation will be heading out to tour in North America in May.
More details about these shows in the USA and Canada will follow soon...


So some added tour dates isn't surprising. And this show, is very mixed in terms of timing. Of course I saw them 3 times from 2001 to 2004, but Daniel Gildenlow is the only member left since then. And their recent albums have not been close to the level of the music they made in the 90's and early 2000's.

And they were supposed to come to the US with Dream Theater on Progressive Nation in 2009, but their record label folding killed that at the 11th hour.

So, this does not mean what it could have meant, even just a few years ago. However, it still does mean a fair amount. To me? maybe to have the chance to actually chat with Daniel and meet the other new members of the band I suppose. But it means a lot to me to see others who never got to see them, finally get to.

Also Anneke opening adds a little more to this. I still won't ever forget how The Gathering I believe opened for King's X back in 1999 at what was known as the 4th Street Station, and I didn't make it due to being unemployed at the time. Anneke is both eye candy and someone who is a great live singer/performer. I wouldn't expect any stuff from The Gathering, but who knows.

Also, I guess Station 4 may finally have installed AIR CONDITIONING.

The only concern I have with this is the fact the date being Saturday May 11th, the 3rd consecutive Saturday I plan to see a concert. The gf will NOT be happy about that. Steven Wilson is the previous Saturday, and Cloud Cult just announced a show on Saturday April 27th.

At least this show is ALL AGES so, I imaging it'll be over by 10PM, but as far the gf is concerned, that doesn't matter. I'm not sure what to do, beyond wanting to buy her flowers or some other desirable gift(s).

Also not to forget, Nathan with Sword Lord Productions deserves a lot of credit for bringing this show to Minnesota.

Anathema - Weather Systems (2012)

3/13/12 6:20AM

for those unaware, this album was made available yesterday, March 12th, on Spotify (and various other sources/webrips). And just having heard it, it's rather breathtaking.

3/5/12 6:13PM

popmatters story





Wow, this record is sounding better and better. Damn, some of the vocals sound a little like Annuals, who by the way, announced they finished mixing their new album Born Raised recently. But that's unrelated to Anathema and Weather Systems.

I'm gonna prognosticate slightly here and predict this record will finish in my top 10 for 2012. If it doesn't, that either will mean 2012 was amazing, or this incredible stuff doesn't stand the test of the year. But I'm skeptical if that'll be the case.

I received a "pre-order" bundle offer via The End Records in my email (claiming I ordered something from Opeth from them, which I don't recall, lol) that includes Vinyl+CD+T-Shirt for $40. Tempting. I may consider canceling my Flying Colors order, and getting that instead. But I'd guess I have a little while to decide still.


2/15/12 8:37PM
Track times edited-in below


Free download of "The Beginning and the End"
http://www.burningshed.com/store/kscope/freedownload/46/


2/3/2012 12:17AM
Anathema.ws



track list from b-mouth link

1.   Untouchable Part 1 (6.14) 
2.   Untouchable Part 2 (5.33) 
3.   The Gathering Of The Clouds (3.27) 
4.   Lightning Song (5.25) 
5.   Sunlight (4.55) 
6.   The Storm Before The Calm (9.24) 
7.   The Beginning And The End (4.53) 
8.   The Lost Child (7.02) 
9.   Internal Landscapes (8.52) 

story from their homepage

Anathema will return in April with Weather Systems, their brand new studio album.

Weather Systems is the follow-up to 2010’s We're Here Because We're Here. That album featured prominently in numerous end-of-year polls and the producer, Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), has described it as 'definitely among the best albums I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on.'

The bar for Weather Systems has been set pretty high then but Daniel is certain that the album will exceed these lofty expectations, ‘it feels like we are at a creative peak right now, and this album reflects that. Everything from the production to the writing to the performances are a step up from our last album.’

He continues, ‘This is not background music for parties. The music is written to deeply move the listener, to uplift or take the listener to the coldest depths of the soul.’

The intertwining melodic structures of these profoundly beautiful songs are intensely powerful, yet simple. These are songs that will transport the listener closer to the heart of life, that is to say, to the heart of themselves.

It is also an album of polarity. The play of opposites; light and shade, birth and death, love and fear. The simple truths of life and loss, hope and strength and darker internal themes are all explored here.

The album was recorded in Liverpool, North Wales and Oslo, each place significant to Anathema past, present and future. The record was produced and mastered by 5 times Norwegian Grammy nominated Christer-André Cederberg (Animal Alpha, In the Woods..., Drawn), who Daniel has described as ‘a revelation. His calmness and brilliance has helped to bring about the greatest inter-band chemistry that Anathema have experienced together in their career.’

This album will please fans who call for more of Lee Douglas’s vocals, as her role within Anathema’s brand of alternative, melodic rock has matured to become an integral energy. In this way and more, Weather Systems is the sound of a band finding their voice and growing in stature, moving further along their artistic path with a truly stunning musical vision.

Their best ever work? ‘Not yet’ says Daniel, but he does believe that with Weather Systems they have surpassed previous glories; ‘we are pleased and proud of the record and we feel that, alongside the best moments of WHBWH, this record contains our very best work so far in what is becoming a long career.’

Weather Systems will be available on Kscope from April 16th 2012.

Yes yes yes! I actually expect a lot from this, but that of course is a GOOD thing. I adore Falling Deeper and especially their last proper LP We're Here Because We're Here from 2010. Atmospheric, melancholy, gothic, heavy progressive rock.

Fuck yeah! April 16th baby!

Anneke van Giersbergen/The Gathering

This is I guess a few notes about both of them.

I recall around 10 or 11 years ago, maybe even going back to the late 90's, knowing-of The Gathering, and their beautiful lead singer Anneke van Giersbergen aka "Anneke." I think they had their share of fans among the Dream Theater fans even back then. But I know around the time I started listening to "The Root of All Evil" and then volunteering/dj-ing at KFAI, I got to know their name. And eventually I purchased a copy of their 1st album with Anneke 1995's Mandylion




Soon after, I recall James Bickers both telling me about some of their fans at the initial ProgPowerUSA festival in 2001, saying they don't like them anymore because "they're not metal anymore."

And I recall he also wrote about their latest album in his impressive yet short-lived music zine Sea of Tranquility. In fact, it may have been reading about them in there that motivated me to purchase a copy of Mandylion soon after.

And while I liked some of that album, it never really grabbed me to the point of addiction. I probably listened to it 4 or 5 times, and have since not gone back to revisit it sadly.



The other really sad thing about The Gathering for me is, I still to this day, regret missing them live, with what I believe was on their tour during the Summer of 1999 with King's X, at what was known as "The Lab" or "4th Street Station." in St.Paul.

Now I'm not certain in terms of evidence they were on that tour, the Summer of 1999. On Wikipedia though, it does mention

Positive reactions came from all over the world, including the United States, where they played 14 shows during the summer of 1999.

But I do distinctly remember not too long after that show, seeing something online about those 2 bands on tour that Summer. And for King's X, I had never missed seeing them (since becoming a fan in 1996), since I probably had seen them 4 times during the 3 years or more, before that show took place. But the Summer of 1999 was not an easy one for me, as I lost my job at Best Buy and had just moved into my 1st apartment. When I became unemployed, I had to be as careful with my money as I could be.

Fortunately, I did find a job a few months later, but at the time, little did I know I missed the chance to see this band I would grow to become at least curious about. And to add, Anneke being there would have been a big reason to go, as I'll admit, she's as pretty a musician as I've ever seen, even just in photographs. I won't lie, getting to see and hopefully meet her, was probably as big a reason why I felt and still feel sad/bad about missing that show as anything.

But after that period of time, I knew they were still active, and recall wanting to see them live if given the chance. But I don't recall any other tour dates coming to Minnesota, at least for many years. And their studio work, I never spent much time checking out, for whatever reason, likely mostly due to listening to so many other things. Plus, it wasn't like they were a very buzzed-about band in the 2000's. At least not much on the forums I read and posted on.

But I do recall reading about Anneke's departure from The Gathering in 2007. Although I'll admit reading about Tarja Turunen's departure from Nightwish as much, if not more so around that same period of time. Maybe even mixing up the 2 lead female vocalist departures from European Metal bands. And for whatever reason, I wondered if Anneke leaving The Gathering was possibly a good thing.

But it still didn't end up motivating me to check out her music or more of The Gathering's. But now, some 12 years of more later, I stumbled upon her releasing her 3rd in-effect solo (studio) record Everything Is Changing, which was released a little over a week ago, and I streamed it a little while ago here.







Now what I heard on that album didn't really blow me away. A lot of it is gothic hard rock, not that different from my memory of her music with The Gathering. Although a bit also seems to be leaning in the pop and college rock vein. But I'll admit, I am interested to check it out again, with headphones. I also am curious enough about her other solo records, Pure Air, Air and In Your Room.(the latter two under the name Agua de Annique).



I guess the music on those is more acoustic, more stripped down, poppy, folky and singer/songwriter. Which for fans of The Gathering, is a big departure. Although part of what I remember about The Gathering's history, was an interest to change, evolve, not do the same kind of music each time around, etc. At least I recall James Bickers talking about his appreciation for them, for that reason. And in that sense, they were/are progressive. Maybe Anneke could be described in that way too.

And The Gathering themselves, given I have not heard really, more than a few songs beyond Mandylion, I am curious enough to check out their work, especially the albums from the last decade. With Anneke and the one since her departure, The West Pole. A lot of reviews suggest Souvenirs to be their best since Mandylion, but a few others like Home and the heavily layered How To Measure a Planet? may very well be worth the time to take in soon.








And they also have a new album expected in September I guess. The 2nd with new lead vocalist Silje Wergeland, who came from the The Gathering-influenced Norwegian band Octavia Sperati. They released a new single and video last May for the song "Heroes for Ghosts" and I must say, the 1st part of the song starts off a little slow, but by the middle of this track I became more impressed/mesmerized than I expected.



So I'm thinking I will be checking out a lot more of The Gathering and Anneke's work. Anneke has appeared on many albums as a guest and done some collaborations too. Maybe most notably for me, her appearing on Anathema's 2011 release Falling Deeper, on the track "Everawake"





She also performed with Anathema's Danny Cavanagh on a live disc from 2009 titled In Parallel, which I guess is mostly tunes from both Anathema and her work, re-arranged. I found 1 video earlier which was pleasant enough.



Perhaps I may find a new appreciation for both The Gathering and Anneke, in some ways like Anathema the last few years. I guess the biggest issue I have found with Anneke is her voice and vocal-lines seem to be limited to a certain range; which the songs end up sounding a lot alike. But maybe that was partially just a product of The Gathering's music. She does have a very good voice tonally/technically. She does remind me in some ways of Annie Haslam of Renaissance, or rather, my being drawn to her beauty, both outward and inward. She has an angelic voice like Annie. And I can see why many others have called upon her to sing on their albums. Even artists like November's Doom, Moonspell, Giant Squid, Napalm Death and Devin Townsend Project have. In fact I found a video of Anneke with Devin's band from last year live.



That tune is from Devin Townsend Project's Addicted LP. I may have to revisit it now, just for the fact she's on it.