THE GATHERING is currently mixing their 9th studio album which is due to be released in April/May 2009! The new album will be called 'The West Pole'.

The band's former singer Anneke van Giersbergen left THE GATHERING in 2007, and the band has since been working on new songs with different singers to complete the new line up. THE GATHERING have now found a new (female) vocalist, and will also have two (also female) guest singers on 'The West Pole'.

Hans Rutten (the band's drummer) had this to say about 'The West Pole': ’We have now started the mixing process and I can tell you we are very, very proud and we feel we have made something really special. It will contain 10 tracks and will be released on our own imprint label Psychonaut Records. It will be a very extravert, rock orientated, alive album. Typically THE GATHERING, but with many new elements.’

On further details of the recordings Hans says: ‘On various songs we worked with a string ensemble, and used some ‘exotic’ instruments like Stylophone and a real Harmonium, a very old wooden keyboard instrument. Our guitarist René produced the album (for the very first time). In fact, everything we could do ourselves, we did. What you get on ‘The West Pole’ is more THE GATHERING then ever.

THE GATHERING will celebrate their 20th anniversary this year (which all started back in 1989) and their label will mark this event with some special effects and free gifts. People who buy a special ‘The West Pole’ package (new album and exclusive t-shirt) will get a brand new exclusive EP called ‘City From Above’ for free! This EP includes some unreleased tracks that didn’t make it on to the new album as well as a 13 minute epic instrumental title track THE GATHERING wrote for Arr. 2, a combination of dance and music which was performed in The Netherlands in 2008.

When the songs are finished/mastered the band will put up a few new songs on their MySpace together with the announcement of the names of the vocalists involved on the album.

Song titles for ‘The West Pole’ will be: ‘When Trust Becomes Sound’, ‘Treasure’, ‘All You Are’, ‘You Promised Me A Symphony’, ‘The West Pole’, ‘Capital Of Nowhere’, ‘No Bird Call’, ‘Pale Traces’, ‘No One Spoke’, and ‘A Constant Run’.

The new album will be available via the band's web store (http://shop.gathering.nl/) and also through Plastichead Music Distribution for European markets.