"Souvenir" is the 6th album of The Gathering. Until this one, the albums followed each other and sounded the same, while evolving enough to bring always as much pleasure to listen to them. This opus will be the first turning point in the band's career.
Indeed, the big riffs typical of the Atmospheric Metal of the time and characteristic of the band have totally disappeared. They are replaced by a very strong bass and often by a saturated guitar in a more or less nervous experimental style.
The vocals, on the other hand, have not changed at all. Anneke Van Giesbergen's voice is as admirable as ever and the vocals are an integral part of the dark, melancholic and sometimes mystical atmospheres. In addition, the electronic aspects now play an important role, bringing a new lightness to the genre now that they are no longer drowned out by the invasive riffs.
Fundamentally different, without losing all links with their previous albums, "Souvenirs" shows a real will to renew. An album that has nothing to do with what The Gathering used to offer and that is closer to Theater Of Tragedy's "Assembly" while showing a new facet of a band that dared to leave its comfort zone with success.