On the 5th of June, in Enschede, the Netherlands, we sat down with Hans Rutten, founder and drummer of the gothic/metal/alternative/crossover band The Gathering.
Metal Blast: How have the fans reacted to Silje Wergeland, the new singer?
Hans Rutten: The reaction was very good. We did a lot of shows in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, and the reacting has been very good. We didn't know what to expect, with Anneke leaving the band and all, but she did a great job, and the audience accepted her immediately. It was flawless, the reaction were very good... it happened in a natural way.
MB: Despite a style that has become softer over the years (going from a song such as "Gaya's Dream" with heavy growling, to "Liberty Bell", and now to "Heroes for Ghosts") the Gathering is still associated with metal, being considered a Female Fronted Metal Band. Do you think that you're still a metal band, or have you shifted completely?
I really don't care about it! Sometimes we play in a metal festival... yesterday we played in a non-metal festival (Oddstream). It doesn't matter to me; for me it's music and I don't think it's interesting to discuss if we're metal or not; I don't think so, but we just make music, we play where people invite us and that's it.
I think we're a crossover band; We cross over from rock, metal, symphonic (maybe?)... in the past a little bit of gothic kind of things (what's now called gothic metal)... we just do a big crossover, I think.
MB: "Heroes for Ghosts" was made available for free online. Do you think that it has now become too hard for bands to compete with, well, the free music available online?
H: It's impossible to compete with it. You will never win. I hope fans who like The Gathering understand that buying albums or t-shirts really benefits the band. We need, maybe not a lot of money, but we need money, to go to the studio and do our thing.I hope people understand that if they buy something they really help the band, making new music, buying new instruments, etc.
MB: Speaking of "Heroes for Ghosts", what can you tell us about the next album?
H: Well, not much. We're just into the process of writing music. Right now we do the tour, play some shows in Holland and then in South America in a couple of weeks. We think a lot about it... but I can't really say much about it yet.It will be more experimental, we will try new things. We loved "Heroes for Ghosts" immediately, and wanted to share it, which is why we did it [put it online for free]. True, we have some gigs were people will hear it, but we wanted to share it immediately with people, like "we have a new song out, it's a long song, it's 11 minutes... just download it, it's for free". But the whole album? Well, we still don't know. It could go in any kind of direction, though it will be different, of course, from The West Pole.
MB: Well, you experiment a lot. Are there still things you want to try with the band?
H:We still have a lot of ideas and some experiments we want to do. Of course, you can't do everything. I mean, we do a lot with The Gathering already, experimenting and doing strange things... we are, after all, a crossover band.We also feel the urge to experiment. Sure, there are limits, and sometimes we want to go beyond those limits, but we are The Gathering, and we can't simply alienate ourselves from the fans, musical-wise. We still have a lot of goals.I think we can do a lot of things, I think that fans accept it and, to some degree, demand it, like "The Gathering? They have to try something new!". The West Pole as a basic kind of album, rock-oriented, not really searching to experiment with it... but with the new one it will be completely different.
MB: Throughout these experiments, what were your influences?
H: A lot! When we did "How to measure a planet?" we loved the album "OK Computer" by Radiohead, and "Mezzanine" by Massive Attack . Though we obviously didn't try to copy it, that, and our producer Attie Bauw, helped us think outside the box.
But, in any case, our influences come from everywhere, from classical music to... anything really, as long as we like it. We don't aim to copy anybody, since we want to keep "The Gathering Sound", our typical, and very distinct, sound and style.
I think it has always been "Gloomy-Doomy", not happy, at least not often, since we sometimes do things that are a bit uplifting. Most of the times is rather melancholic... it's difficult to say it in words, but if you hear it, you know it's us.
MB: Although I'm sure that you have a lot of memories, what's your most memorable gig so far?
H: Lots, like the first time we played at the Dynamo Open Air (a big festival in the Netherlands) which was great. The first two times in Chile were also very special... well, all the times in Chile have been very special, but the first times we were really surprised like "What is happening here?!", with the fans jumping in The Big Sleep, even though it's a slow-paced song.
We played in a beautiful venue in Poland, in a classical, baroque kind of building, with great acoustic.... I don't know, it's hard to simply pick one and say that it's the best gig.
MB: What can the fans expect from this tour?
H: Well, we're playing some new material, some songs we haven't played that much...new songs (I always like it when a band plays new songs) and, of course, some oldies that we almost always play. It will be a nice mixture from a lot of albums.
MB: Speaking of songs, and throughout this long career, what's your favorite one?
H: Well... it's always great to play Travel, since it's such a powerful song that we simply can't play it badly... We're playing Herbal Movement again, which is a great song to play live. I love to play dynamic songs, with a lot of movement in them, with both soft and noisy parts.
MB: Finally, since I know that you have other things to do (like hitting the stage!) any final message to the fans?
H: Definitely. I hope people show up in South America. We think we have a very nice set right now, so we hope that they'll leave their houses, even though it's winter, and it's cold. I hope to see you all there!