ALBUM REVIEW: The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest – Anneke van Giersbergen

One of the most respected alternative artists of the last thirty years, Anneke van Giersbergen has turned everything she’s done into gold, from her days as frontwoman of THE GATHERING in the mid 1990’s to her work with virtuoso DEVIN TOWNSEND, her short-lived project THE GENTLE STORM and current metal outfit VUUR. Alongside all of this, however, she’s also produced a number of quality solo albums and tomorrow sees the release of her sixth such effort, The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest, brought out via Inside Out Music and the twenty-third album to feature Anneke across her incredible career.

The last album to solely bear Anneke’s name was 2018’s bombastic Symphonized, but if you’re imagining she’s following suit here, you’re far from the truth. Faced with financial difficulties and problems in her marriage (the latter of which has been thankfully resolved), Anneke took herself away to a remote cabin with a guitar and just wrote; the result is an album with more in common with FLEETWOOD MAC than say, NIGHTWISH. In fact, the only hint of any electric guitar comes in single Hurricane, and even then it’s nothing more than a brief moment. The rest of The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest is rooted in country and folk music, the most prominent factor being Anneke’s timeless voice that, as it enters on opening track Agape, clearly hasn’t missed a beat whatsoever.

The aforementioned marital issues are the subject of many of the tracks here, notably The Soul Knows with the wrenching line ‘My soul longs to wait, but my heart guides me straight to your arms’ and subsequent track The End, with Anneke’s soft vocals conveying her anguish and pain in a truly beautiful manner. Closing song Love You Like I Love You is just as poignant and a wonderful way to round off the album, ‘If I didn’t love you like I love you, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today’ bringing not just a smile but a tear to the eye as Anneke’s letter of adoration to her husband in the most wholesome way.

Although this is the main lyrical point, musically there’s a lot more to enjoy. Lo and behold is an indication of what country music would sound like if it originated from Central Europe and not the USA, with Anneke channelling her inner Stevie Nicks to excellent effect, an added layer of sultriness in her voice giving the song charm and charisma. Keep It Simple does exactly what the title says – straightforward and easy on the ear with no messing about and a gorgeous refrain towards the end of the song. The one slight anomaly, although retaining the feel of the record, is I Saw a Car which is about, seeing a rather nice car, then an attractive man and finally a beautiful bird. Playful and snappy, it tells its own story within the concept that, no matter how much one may be struggling, they can always find the positives in life. This also holds true to Survive, written about everyone battling through the current pandemic and relayed in an upbeat manner of hope and promise.

It would be foolish to assume that anything Anneke van Giersbergen puts her name to would be sub-standard and The Darkest Skies are the Brightest is another example of this. Away from the bells and whistles of her metal persona is an individual unafraid to lay bare her soul and in a career that has seen so many highlights, this is up there with the best of them.

Rating: 8/10

The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest is set for release on February 26th via InsideOut Music. 

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