Forming in the late ‘80s, a band called The Gathering emerged out of the Netherlands with a ton of potential. Eventually, the band captured the attention of a broad audience with their 1995 album Mandylion, their third album, and showed a progression in their sound. Mixing in many different elements, the key to success was the voice and touching lyrics of the new singer, Anneke van Giersbergen.
Joining The Gathering at only age nineteen, van Giersbergen remained with the band for thirteen years until 2007, when she bravely decided to go out on her own. Spending her young adult life with The Gathering, and after six studio albums and extensive touring with the band, she knew it would be difficult, but also felt it was time to spread her wings as a solo artist.
Now, eighteen years after leaving The Gathering, Anneke van Giersbergen has successfully found her way as an artist, releasing music and working on several projects that explore other musical personalities, such as Alternative Rock and Pop Rock. A diverse individual, amidst her growth, van Giersbergen remained close to the Metal world, working with the likes of Devin Townsend and Moonspell, before releasing a Metal-leaning The Diary album in 2015 with her then-new original Metal band The Gentle Storm.
Consistently busy with various collaborations, van Giersbergen’s evolution continued in 2021 with the stunning solo album The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest. Similar to her past music, it was deeply personal, and now in 2025, she returns with yet another soul-bearing collection of songs in the form of the new EP La Vie.
Anneke van Giersbergen’s first new music in four years, much has happened in her life, and it all comes pouring out in these songs. To begin with, she and her husband, Rob Snijders, previously navigated through rough times as expressed throughout The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest. On top of this, in early 2024, she tragically lost both her mother and father two months apart from one another. Events that can rattle the soul and make you question your very existence, no matter how old you get, the loss of a parent is one of the most painful experiences in a lifetime.
With this in mind, she turned introspective, morphing her sorrow into music. A great way to heal, work out thoughts, and honor those we love, van Giersbergen soon brought her eight-piece band into the studio to record the new songs, and four of them are featured on the La Vie EP. Arriving digitally on February 28, 2025, this is the first part of the three EPs that will be released in 2025, with the plan of uniting them into a full-length album called La Vie, La Mort, and L’Amour, which will arrive in 2026.
Something to look forward to, in the present, La Vie is love at first listen. The sonic quality of the songs, which mix Alternative Rock and Pop, is reminiscent of something you might have heard recorded by The Cranberries or Alanis Morissette during the mid-90s. It is melodic, emotional, and full of dynamic elements sorely missed in many other modern recordings. All attributes make for some great music, but La Vie’s effectiveness ultimately comes together because of Anneke van Giersbergen’s beautiful singing.
Truly laying it all on the line, she sings genuine words from inside that anyone who has lost someone they love can relate to. Hard to explain unless you have been there, it is a combination of sadness, anger, and regret that burns off into one clarified thought of appreciation. It is the realization that our time is short, and while it may be difficult, we should always try to remember to make the most of the moments we share with one another.
This is what pours out of each track on La Vie, starting with the heartbreaking “One More Nanosecond,” the self-reflective “When I Die,” the beauty of real human connection amidst “More Than A Thousand Words,” and the yearning to feel whole again with “Heal Me.”
Altogether, La Vie is a cathartic exercise in coping with loss. Always an individual who strikes a chord inside your heart, much like Anneke van Giersbergen sang in the 2003 The Gathering song “You Learn About It,” we are all works in progress. Speaking of which, the original lineup of The Gathering’s Mandylion will be reuniting with Anneke van Giersbergen to celebrate the album’s thirtieth anniversary. An exclusive set of shows, the first of which will happen on June 20th at club Dynamo in the Netherlands, will be followed by five sold-out August evenings at Doornroosje in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
With much life left to live and so much to give, it will be exciting to hear what Anneke van Giersbergen offers next. In the meantime, it is highly recommended that you check out La Vie, which Cryptic Rock gives 5 out of 5 stars.
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