Rockfreaks.net

Sanctuary has signed the dutch act The Gathering. Read the entire press release below:

Sanctuary Records is proud to announce the signing of The Gathering!

World renowned Dutch act The Gathering started to work on their 9th studio album recently. For this recording the band has set up a professional studio in a quaint old church in the small town of Maurik, located in the south of Holland. Under direction of Attie Bauw (producer of the band’s illuminating 1998’s How to Measure a Planet?) the band worked here for a month before heading to the Bauwhaus studio to mix and master the music.

Singer Anneke van Giersbergen: “We built our own studio there because we wanted to do something different and create a new atmosphere. As for working with Attie Bauw, he is a very inspirational man with great ideas and we were very eager to work with him again.”

The new album Home is once again a journey for ear and mind. It’s a story without taking you by the hand but rather wants you to make it your own. Both musically and lyrically it deals with the challenges and victories of everyday life. All this translated in to good and solid heavy pop and rock songs where melody, dynamics and emotion play the leading role.

Frank Ströbele, Sanctuary President Continental Europe: “We are very proud to have The Gathering associated with Sanctuary Records. The band has always been regarded a genre crossing and cutting edge rock band. Their new album Home is one of our big priorities for 2006 and underlines our commitment to develop unique European rock bands internationally.”

Anneke: “After a long period of searching a licensing partner along side our own record company, we have found in Sanctuary a partner which shares our vision on music as a matter of the heart and has keen instincts of the nowadays market and business. One might wonder if these two facets are truly combinable. We believe they are and we look forward to this new period of working and creating together.”

Started in 1989 as metal band, later even labelled “gothic”, today’s The Gathering is an atmospheric rock band. On their 1995 release Mandylion, the band introduced a new singer, upcoming talent Anneke van Giersbergen. It became apparent that The Gathering would not fit any common standards but creates their own distinct style. Since then they have won a diverse and devoted fanbase all over the world.

The Gathering will release Home on April 14th - supported by the international Homelands Tour 2006 and festival appearances throughout the summer 2006.