If_Then_Else continues the grand tradition of The Gathering

Review Score: (10/10)
This record is excellent. I haven't taken it out of my cd player since I bought it over a week ago. It's typical Gathering, so if you're already a fan, you know you'll like it. It continues as they always have to progress into new uncharted territories of musical exploration without actually changing their style much. Anneke's voice is superb as ever, and she still sings the interesting vocal hooks that first drew me to them. Granted it's not Mandylion or Nighttime Birds, but that's okay. Do we really want them (or any band?!) to do the same exact stuff over and over again? No. This album is like all of their previous efforts in the fact that I had to listen to it several times to get to where I really "get into it." Their songs, to me, have never been instantly catchy from the first listening. Rather I have to listen to the album 3 or 4 times before I begin to really enjoy them. But that is to be expected and anticipated with a band that lays out this much complexity in their melodies. The bottom line is that if you already like the band, you'll love this album (unless you prefer their "Always" or "Almost a Dance" era). And if you're new to The Gathering, you should give if_then_else a few spins in the cd player. The more you hear it, the more I guarantee you'll like it.

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