By Jonny Bakes
Well now, Anneke van Giersbergen is one of those names that should be instantly familiar to most self-respecting metalheads, although some may not even realise why. There’s a formidably expansive career to dive into if you can afford the time, from Dutch band The Gathering through to many collaborations (most notably with Devin Townsend) as well as a very fruitful solo career! We’ve seen a whole range of different shades over the years, so it’s going to be very interesting to see what flavour we’ll get in this latest instalment of the saga of Anneke van Giersbergen. The only way is to delve in to be reminded that ‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’.
Like the unexpected Taylor Swift albums from late last year, this is a real stripped back affair that feels incredibly personal. The last year or so has given many people plenty of time to reflect, some might say too much time, and it seems that the resulting trend is that we’re seeing seriously prominent artists releasing these deeply personal cathartic albums. Personally, I think this is not only doing great for the music, but it’s also incredibly important for everyone to realise that tough times don’t discriminate – shit hits everyone in different ways and people cope in different ways. So, I definitely applaud Anneke van Giersbergen for getting deeply personal with this release!
There’s a strong theme coming across in the music of finding the positive outcomes from negative experiences and how challenging times feel tough but often end up being our greatest achievements, it’s there in the title – ‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’. It’s an album that’s born out of a lot of time alone and an acoustic guitar, and maybe a couple of bits of percussion, so you end up with a gentle but powerful piece of music. The low-key nature of the music allows Anneke’s voice to be the focal point of the music, a voice which makes no secret of how personal these songs are to her.
Starting proceedings is ‘Agape’ which introduces the melancholic theme that will run through much of the album. But when this builds up into the chorus which lends itself to the title of the album it brings with it that sensation of hope and positivity. Anneke’s voice manages to be both soothing and powerful at the same time which is an unexpectedly successful combination. Personally, there were a couple of bits that really stood out as they latched right into those feelings that I’m rumoured to have. In particular the line “why in the world is it so diabolically hard?” resonated within me at such a moving frequency that I was almost a bit shaken by the time i got into the second track!
‘Losing You’ is possibly the song that stuck with me the most though and is one I can probably find myself going back to again and again. It’s a gentle vocal-driven ballad that has an overpowering sensation of personal loss (but you probably guessed that by the title). The vocal hook in the chorus was the bit that really got me though with “whatever the reason, I couldn’t believe it, I’m losing you.” The way this rolls up and down the scale just seemed to do something to really capture my attention here!
Overall, this isn’t an album that you’re going to be putting on for a big boozy party but that’s not what this is for. ‘The Darkest Times Are The Brightest’ is something that you listen to because you want to spend some time to detach from the daily grind and get lost in the music. It’s not all melancholy and sadness though, there are still tracks on here that have a real positive energy which is most prominent in the track ‘Survive’ which is incredibly energetic, but also in the catchy ‘I Saw a Car’.
Anneke van Giersbergen’s voice is still as enthralling as it has ever been and ‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’ takes things to another level with the heartfelt nature of her vocals. It’s a bit of an unexpected winner for me, but it’s definitely something that is well worth listening to and will appeal to a wide range of fans. Those who simply appreciate fantastic vocals will find themselves as impressed as I have been, that’s for sure! And the stripped back, almost folk-like, nature of the music is unlikely to deter anyone which makes this a really accessible album for everyone to enjoy.
- ‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’ is released tomorrow (Friday 26 February). You can get your copy HERE.
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