In a world of turmoil, it is good to have constants that can be relied upon. Anneke van Giersbergen definitely falls into this category, having been reliably delivering her distinctive vocals over the course of 22 albums prior to the latest release ‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’.
To some, Anneke may be best remembered for her role with The Gathering early on in her career, while others may know her better for more recent projects The Gentle Storm or Vuur. There have also been solo albums (initially under the name Agua de Annique) and guest appearances with many other artists including Devin Townsend, Anathema, Árstíðir, Within Temptation and Amorphis to name but a few. This winding path has taken her down many styles and she has managed to avoid being pigeon holed into any particular genre.
‘The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest’ was written in response to turmoil and challenges in Anneke’s personal life and these emotions are laid bare through the lyrics on this album. While this must have been an emotionally painful process, one can only hope that it was also cathartic.
I began listening to this album with high hopes, having enjoyed all of Anneke’s previous work over so many years, but I’ll be honest, the first listen left me feeling a little nonplussed and disappointed. The second left me feeling disheartened and in some ways let down. However, I returned for another listen and it was this time that the album clicked and I was glad I persevered as I now love it!
The album opens with ‘Agape’, the third single from the album, and Anneke’s distinctive voice and style are immediately recognisable, conjuring up a peaceful, almost meditative atmosphere with strings adding depth and richness to the track. The feel is not quite acoustic, but perhaps “unplugged” would be more accurate. Following this lush opener, ‘Hurricane’ has a much darker feel with tribal-esque percussion and horns. The vocals have a southern twang, especially early on and as the instrumentation begins to build it provides a perfect foundation for Anneke’s characteristic vocals as the lyrics begin to really open up some of the emotional turmoil “Spin me like a hurricane, drag me through the rain, pour me down the drain, I feel no shame” for example.
The vocals remain crisp and the focal point on ‘My Promise’ before ‘I Saw A Car’, which is a strong track built around an incessant, simple guitar melody. Initially it feels out of place on this album, but scratch at the surface of the lyrics and the anguished theme is continued, or at least that’s how I interpret them! We continue with the emotional anguish on ‘The Soul Knows’ with Anneke sounding vulnerable, laying bare her emotions as this builds to a powerful climax. The lyrics ‘My soul longs to wait, but my heart guides me straight to your arms’ perhaps give us an insight into the inspiration for this track.
The emotions continue during ‘The End’ giving a window into a troubled relationship…… “I never intended to end this, our lives got in the way, I realised I can’t do this”. Listening to this almost feels uncomfortable, as though we are looking in on an intensely private conversation. The track ends with a simple “This is the end” and It is hard to not get pulled in and become emotional as Anneke conveys her anguish and pain in a touching heartfelt manner. ‘Keep it Simple’ is built around repetitive beats and rhythms with a simple but effective song structure before the poignant ‘Lo and Behold’ bordering on a country style. The track is more positive in its outlook ….“You won’t be lonely in the afterlife, in any world you enter, I’ll be your wife”… and repetitions of ‘You’re not alone” build to a powerful emotive climax.
‘Losing you’ is another relatively straight forward track before the intriguing ‘Survive’. Flamenco style guitar builds the track with an upbeat feel leading into the powerful chorus “Survive – This is serious” with its glorious vocal melody. I’ve heard several opinions about what this track is about including the Covid pandemic, global warming and domestic abuse. Personally, I think it is more likely to be about working at a relationship and working through difficulties. I guess one of the beauties of music is that is can mean different things to different people.
The album closes with the poignant ‘Love You Like I Love You’ and the lament ‘If I didn’t love you like I love you, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today’. Powerful stuff.
As I mentioned earlier on, this album might not be immediately obvious, and it takes a few listens to really peel away the layers and appreciate it for its true majesty. The album feels intimate and intensely personal with Anneke’s alluring voice supported by horns, strings and percussion, and although much of this album is built around the theme a struggling relationship and the associated heartache, there is actually an undercurrent of hope which runs through and seems to prevail. Yet again, Anneke has delivered the goods and I sincerely hope we get to experience some of the tracks in a venue soon.
(8/10 Andy Pountney)
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