| The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 February 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2020 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 41:48 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Producer | Gijs Coolen | |||
| Anneke van Giersbergen chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest is the third solo studio album by Anneke van Giersbergen, released on 26 February 2021 by Inside Out Music. It was written entirely by van Giersbergen and produced by Gijs Coolen.
After releasing the first VUUR album in 2017 and going on tour, Anneke van Giersbergen and the band started plans of recording a second album for the project in 2018. This first effort, although, had been financially demanding, and recording a second album and going on a second tour would imply more financial risks. At the same time, the singer's marriage went through difficulties and she and her husband envisioned a divorce. As a way of recovering and think about her future life decisions, van Giersbergen retreated alone to a small house near the woods outside Eindhoven. She then started writing songs by herself there, with just an acoustic guitar and basic musical gear, [1] without the intention of transforming them into a full album. In 2020, delving back to that songs, the singer invited her friend and producer Gijs Coolen to help her polish the songs. Eleven of them ended up becoming a full album, and so van Giersbergen decided to release them. The release was announced on 16 November 2020, along with the cover artwork and the tracklist. [2] [3] The title, The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest, reflects the album main themes and refers to the idea that people are forced to find answers regarding big life questions when facing personal challenges. [4]
The first single from the album, "My Promise", was released on 4 December. The lyrics came from van Giersbergen reflecting on how her life after a divorce would be and revolves around her determination to fight for love. [5] According to the singer, "for the new album [she] wrote a lot of songs filled with messages of love and heartache, but [she] also went on a more propulsive journey, with darker storytelling", which is clear in the second single released, "Hurricane". [1] Musically, the album follows a more melancholic and modest landscape, opposite to the singer latest progressive metal ventures. [6] It features mainly acoustic guitars, strings, horns and percussion, along with van Giersbergen's vocals. [4]
All music and lyrics composed by Anneke van Giersbergen and produced by Gijs Coolen. [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Agape" | 4:09 |
| 2. | "Hurricane" | 3:57 |
| 3. | "My Promise" | 4:27 |
| 4. | "I Saw a Car" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "The Soul Knows" | 3:52 |
| 6. | "The End" | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Keep It Simple" | 3:56 |
| 8. | "Lo and Behold" | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Losing You" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Survive" | 3:46 |
| 11. | "Love You Like I Love You" | 3:12 |
| Total length: | 41:48 | |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] | 5 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] | 63 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [10] | 73 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalog | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 26 February 2021 | Inside Out Music | B08NTX2S1M | [11] | |
| Vinyl | Century Media Records | Y4LPCE359 | [12] |
The Gathering are a Dutch rock band formed in Oss, North Brabant in 1989. The band's lineup currently consists of founding brothers René Rutten (guitars) and Hans Rutten (drums), Silje Wergeland, Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (bass) and Frank Boeijen (keyboards).
Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project was originally called Agua de Annique, but now goes by her own name.
Home is the eighth studio album by Dutch band The Gathering. The album was released on 15 April 2006 by Sanctuary Records through its heavy metal label Noise. The album had a separate release in North America which took place on 18 April 2006 by Brooklyn-based label The End Records. It was the last album to feature lead singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen.
Marcela Alejandra Bovio García is a Mexican singer and violinist who is currently a member of the Dutch symphonic death metal band MaYaN.
Globus is a Santa Monica-based movie trailer music-inspired band consisting of a mix of producers, musicians, and vocalists. The band is led by composer and producer Yoav Goren.
Daniel Cavanagh is an English guitarist and singer who formed the British band Anathema in 1990 with his brother Vincent Cavanagh. He is the band's principal songwriter, a role he had previously shared with bassist Duncan Patterson until Patterson's departure in 1998.
Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique was the solo project of the former The Gathering vocalist, Anneke van Giersbergen.
Addicted is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second album in the Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on November 17, 2009, on Townsend's independent record label HevyDevy Records. The album was written and produced by Townsend, and features Ryan Van Poederooyen, Brian Waddell, Mark Cimino, and Anneke van Giersbergen.
An Acoustic Night at the Theatre is the fourth live album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation that has been released in October–November 2009.
Maiden uniteD is an acoustic project. Musicians from different bands join together to play an all-acoustic tribute to English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The songs are played with new arrangements.
Mind the Acoustic Pieces is the first studio album by Maiden uniteD. It is an all-acoustic reinterpretation of the 1983 Iron Maiden album Piece of Mind with rearranged music for an acoustic setting
Jon Davison is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012.
Drive is the second studio album by Anneke van Giersbergen, released in the Benelux Union on 23 September 2013 and internationally on 15 October.
Dianne van Giersbergen is a Dutch spinto soprano singer. She is the founder and frontwoman of the progressive metal band Ex Libris, and she was the vocalist of German symphonic metal band Xandria from 2013 to 2017.
The Gentle Storm is a Dutch musical project by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, founder and leader of other musical projects such as Star One, Ayreon, Guilt Machine and Ambeon. The duo has previously collaborated in Ayreon albums Into the Electric Castle and 01011001. The project's debut album, The Diary, was released on March 23, 2015, in Europe, and the following day in the US.
The Diary is the debut studio album by the Dutch band The Gentle Storm, consisting of composer and guitarist Arjen Anthony Lucassen and singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen. It was released on March 23, 2015 in Europe, and the following day in the US.
This is the discography for Dutch rock/metal singer Anneke van Giersbergen.
The Gentle Storm Exclusive Tour CD is a cover EP and the first release of the Dutch heavy metal/folk band The Gentle Storm. It is entirely acoustic, and features only bandleaders Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Anneke van Giersbergen, and drummer Rob Snijders.
VUUR is a Dutch progressive metal band formed in 2016 by singer and lyricist Anneke van Giersbergen and musicians she has worked with previously in bands like The Gentle Storm or her own solo band.
In This Moment We Are Free – Cities is the debut studio album by progressive metal band VUUR. It was released on 20 October 2017, via Inside Out Music. Apart from the regular edition, the album was released on special editions including a CD digipak and a gatefold 2LP + CD.
