I was first introduced to Anneke via The Gentle Storm and have loved her voice ever since. Loved her work with Devin too (ok, so I heard her first on Epicloud, but really took note on TGS), and got to see her perform with Devin at ProgPower in 2016, along with The Gentle Storm, and I can say it was absolutely amazing. I started looking into her past work and have liked what I have heard for the most part.
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We start off with an upbeat track from her solo work in Feel Alive and then hit a run of slower songs, with some faster elements sprinkled around, namely in Glorious. Now, there is nothing wrong with slow, but too much in a row tends to make my mind wander. And even though there are a lot of slow songs, it is still Anneke! I could listen to her sing the phone book. Remember those? If there had been a couple of faster tracks sprinkled in the first half here and there, it could have made all the difference to me. Out of these, The Gathering tracks, Two Souls and Travel, stand out and really shine.
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There really isn’t anything wrong with these slower songs, it is primarily the grouping and order. Though, with Your Glorious Light Will Shine – Helsinki (hear it below), where almost every syllable gets its own note… it still rubs me the wrong way. I usually just skip this track. But don’t get me wrong! That’s just me. I know a lot of people that love it.
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But the album ends strong. Once You Will Never Change kicks in, its all gold from there on. With Freedom – Rio (VUUR) next followed by Forgotten (The Gathering) and culminating with the gorgeous Shores of India (The Gentle Storm). These last four tracks are worth the price of admission alone.
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In addition to the great Anneke’s performance, there are a lot of great moments where the Orchestra (Residentie Orkest The Hague) really shows their stuff! I want to give this release a 10/10 but due to the things I mentioned, I feel, for me, it’s more of an 8/10. But for anyone that loves everything she has ever done, this will be a 10/10 for you for sure. That is, if you like purely orchestral music. If that’s the case, dive in!
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Tracklist:
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1. Feel Alive (03:34)
2. Amity (originally released by Lorrainville) (06:48)
3. Your Glorious Light Will Shine – Helsinki (originally released by VUUR) (05:22)
4. Two Souls (originally released by The Gathering) (03:01)
5. When I Am laid In Earth (aria by Henry Purcell) (03:47)
6. Travel (originally released by The Gathering) (10:46)
7. Zo Lief (unreleased song in Dutch) (04:05)
8. You Will Never Change (04:18)
9. Freedom – Rio (originally released by VUUR) (06:13)
10. Forgotten (originally released by The Gathering)
11. Shores Of India (originally released by The Gentle Storm) (07:20)
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Label: Inside Out Music
Release Date: November, 16th 2018
Website: http://www.annekevangiersbergen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annekevangiersbergenofficial/
Release Date: November, 16th 2018
Website: http://www.annekevangiersbergen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annekevangiersbergenofficial/
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Album trailer
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Your Glorious Light Will Shine – Helsinki
Progressive Music Planet 
Go get “How to Measure A Planet” by The Gathering and you’ll be so happy you did!
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Thanks for the recommendation, Ryan! I’ve been slowly building up my Anneke collection. I have a couple of The Gathering albums so far, but not that one. I will make it the next one!
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You might enjoy this week’s edition of my radio show Shadow & Light, featuring an interview with Anneke about this album. It airs Tuesday at 3PM eastern time on Delicious Agony (PMP airs there Tuesdays at 8PM).
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