Dutch alt-prog artists, The Gathering, are currently in the studio recording the follow-up to their critically acclaimed (by me) album The West Pole. The currently untitled album will be the second to feature new vocalist Silje Wergeland. In order to create a bit of excitement for its eventual release, the band have released one of the songs as a free download and video. The song is titled “Heroes for Ghosts” and clocks in at just under eleven minutes.

Sonically “Heroes for Ghosts” shares the same crisp clear production featured on The West Pole (which dropped the grittier sound of the few albums before it), but musically it has more in common with the expansive and moody experimentation of How to Measure a Planet. Over the course of the eleven minute song, it seems to pull from a handful of different influences that the band have tried over the years. There’s the obvious experimentation of How to Measure a Planet, the synth/brass sounds and distorted guitars of Mandylion, the chill vibes of The West Pole and even a bit of Souvenirs in a few of the percussive elements. It’s definitely another excellent song by The Gathering and seems to imply that they aren’t ready to make the same album twice. With the lack of a clear, recurring chorus the song will take a few listens to sink in, but it seems to be The Gathering’s preferred method.

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