Nighttime Birds is the fourth full-length album of the Dutch rock band The Gathering, released on 6 June 1997 by Century Media Records. The album was recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany, between 17 February and 15 March 1997 under the guidance of producer Siggi Bemm. Unlike their previous album, Nighttime Birds is much more experimental, atmospheric and melodic.
| Nighttime Birds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 June 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 17 February – 15 March 1997 | |||
| Studio | Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:44 | |||
| Label | Century Media | |||
| Producer | Siggi Bemm, The Gathering | |||
| The Gathering chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9/10[3] 8/10[4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 9/10[5] |
| Rock Hard | 9.5/10[6] |
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Anneke van Giersbergen; all music is composed by The Gathering, except where noted otherwise.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On Most Surfaces (Inuït)" | 6:55 |
| 2. | "Confusion" | 6:33 |
| 3. | "The May Song" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "The Earth Is My Witness" | 5:31 |
| 5. | "New Moon, Different Day" | 6:07 |
| 6. | "Third Chance" | 5:26 |
| 7. | "Kevin's Telescope" | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Nighttime Birds" | 7:00 |
| 9. | "Shrink" | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Leaves" (live) | 6:55 |
| 11. | "Eléanor" (live) | 6:34 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The May Song" (radio edit) | 3:50 |
| 11. | "The Earth Is My Witness" (edit) | 4:14 |
| 12. | "Confusion" (live) | 7:08 |
| 13. | "The May Song" (live) | 3:32 |
| 14. | "New Moon, Different Day" (live) | 6:03 |
| 15. | "Adrenaline" (live) | 4:06 |
Tracks 10–11 taken from The May Song EP.
Tracks 12–15 taken from the In Motion DVD. Recorded live in Krakow, Poland, 1997
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "New Moon, Different Day" (demo/EROC sessions) | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Kevin's Telescope" (instrumental demo/EROC sessions) | 4:47 |
| 3. | "Shrink" (demo/EROC sessions) | 3:59 |
| 4. | "The Earth Is My Witness" (demo/EROC sessions) | 6:09 |
| 5. | "Diamond Box" (Instrumental demo/EROC sessions) | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Nighttime Birds" (demo/EROC sessions) | 7:02 |
| 7. | "On Most Surfaces" (demo/EROC sessions) | 7:30 |
| 8. | "Hjelmar's" (instrumental demo/EROC sessions) | 1:35 |
| 9. | "In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated" (Dead Can Dance cover, written by Lisa Gerrard, Brendan Perry) | 4:05 |
| 10. | "When the Sun Hits" (Slowdive cover, written by Neil Halstead) | 4:52 |
| 11. | "Confusion" (EROC remix) | 7:16 |
| 12. | "Shrink" (alternate version) | 2:14 |
| 13. | "Adrenaline" | 4:15 |
| 14. | "Third Chance" (alternate version) | 5:37 |
Tracks 1–8: EROC demo sessions recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany, mixed by EROC, 15 to 30 November 1996.
Tracks 9–10 recorded at S&K Studios, Doetinchem, Netherlands, 1 to 4 September 1997. Taken from the Kevin's Telescope EP, produced by The Gathering & Dirk Kemper.
Track 11 taken from the Kevin's Telescope EP, remixed by EROC.
Track 12 recorded at Patrick Steenbakkers Audioprodukties, Shijndel, Netherlands, Summer 1996. Taken from the Liberty Bell EP, produced by Patrick Steenbakkers & The Gathering.
Tracks 13–14 recorded at RS 29 Studios, Wolluck, Netherlands, 30 March to 3 April 1996. Taken from the Adrenaline / Leaves EP, produced, engineered and mixed by Oscar Holleman & The Gathering.
Trivia
edit- In the song "Nighttime Birds" (after minute 3:45) there is a sample of Indian flute music (a Raga Kafi) which can be heard in the Dutch theme park Efteling at the fairy tale of The Flying Fakir.
- The song "Nighttime Birds" contains a quote from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Personnel
edit- The Gathering
- Anneke van Giersbergen – lead vocals
- René Rutten – guitars, flute
- Jelmer Wiersma – guitars
- Frank Boeijen – synthesizers, grand piano
- Hugo Prinsen Geerligs – bass
- Hans Rutten – drums
- Production
- Siggi Bemm – producer, engineer, mixing
- Matthias Klinkmann – engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums Chart[8] | 12 |
| Finnish Albums Chart[9] | 32 |
| German Albums Chart[10] | 80 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands (NVPI)[11] | Gold | 18,600‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ↑ Chantler, Chris. "10 essential goth metal albums". Louder Sound. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ↑ Huey, Steve. "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ Azevedo, Pedro (7 June 1997). "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ Wasylyk, Adam (12 August 1997). "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ↑ "Review Album: The Gathering - Nighttime Birds". Rock Hard (in German). No. 121. 15 May 1997. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds (Japanese edition)". Discogs.
- ↑ "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds". Dutch Charts.nl (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds (album)". Finnishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ "The Gathering – Nighttime Birds (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ "Dutch album certifications – The Gathering – Nighttime Birds" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 July 2025. Enter Nighttime Birds in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2025 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".