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Van Giersbergen, Anneke: Drive
 Man, it's nice to hear the wondrous Anneke Van Giersbergen singing rocking, upbeat material once again. The former The Gathering vocalist originally added her exquisite talents to their doom laden atmospheric metal, but the band softened and morphed into a trippy, atmospheric gothic-pop machine over the years, and when the singer left the band her solo material kind of followed the same path. Working with Devin Townsend in recent years has seemed to rub off on her, as much of her InsideOut Music debut Drive features 'driving', upbeat catchy rock songs with plenty of hooks, many which could easily classify as 'anthems' of sorts. "We Live On" and "Treat Me Like a Lady" feature soaring radio friendly hooks and catchy guitar riffs, while "She" is as accessible as the vocalist has ever gotten, and in a perfect world this song would be at the top of every chart across the world. The same can be said for the addictive title track, a tune with an ultra catchy chorus that features Anneke at her very best. The potential hits keep coming, as "Forgive Me", "You Will Never Change", "Mental Jungle", and "The Best is Yet to Come" all could easily be FM or internet radio staples in the modern rock, pop, or AOR genres. That in itself tells you that Drive is by no means a prog album, so Anneke's pairing with the InsideOut label does at first seem rather strange, but there is a good chance that this album could potentially be the biggest seller the label has ever had...in a perfect world that is. Even if it doesn't, Drive is still one of the most engaging melodic pop-rock albums you'll hear this year, and Anneke once again shows us what a truly lovely and powerful voice she has.
Track Listing
01. We Live On
02. Treat Me Like A Lady
03. She
04. Drive
05. My Mother Said
06. Forgive Me
07. You Will Never Change
08. Mental Jungle
09. Shooting For The Stars
10. The Best Is Yet To Come
Added: September 28th 2013
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 2332
Language: english
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Van Giersbergen, Anneke: Drive
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2013-09-28 14:35:45
My Score:
With collaborations with acts as diverse as Ayreon, Within Temptation and Napalm Death, amongst others, you may well know the voice of one time The Gathering frontlady Anneke Van Giersbergen, without being fully aware of who this rather talented lass is. Having said that, AVG has also released a clutch of solo efforts, Drive now bringing that total up to five.
What immediately strikes you when you first listen to this accessible slice of melodic rock come metal, is just how seductive, powerful and versatile Anneke's voice is, offering up a rich variety of styles from small compact outbursts, to full on vocal cord expanding workouts. Cleverly she also knows exactly which to do when. In terms of the music, things aren't let down either, with the styles ranging from punchy rockers in the shape of opener "We Live On", the almost Within Temptation surge of "Treat Me Like An Angel", the jarring commercialism of "Drive" or ultra, ultra catchy "The Best Is Yet To Come". The latter possessing one of those choruses that is so memorable that you'll be humming, whistling, singing and imagining it in your head for hours on end. Again and again the hooks catch their intended target, leaving you desperate to hear the album all over again once its (as is the current trend again, thank goodness) pleasantly swift (37 minutes) running time has played out.
Being not quite as metal as some of the female fronted acts out there right now, Anneke has rightly identified that there's a gap in the market for a chanteuse with the ability to appeal to rock fans, while still having genuine chart bothering potential. That may make this album appear light-weight, but that's not really the case, it is more that the melodies are so infectious and vocals so irresistible, that those not as dedicated to this style of music will still find an awful lot to draw them in. Interestingly the mix is more refined than might have been expected, leaving an album more inclined to sneak up on you and cajole you into submission, than to smack you in the face and hold you on the canvas until you plead for mercy. This leaves much more room for the hooks to do their job and for Anneke's voice to truly make its mark, with her range busting, but never showy or ear destroying display during "You Will Never Change" being a perfect example of control over bombast. Something many of the ladies fronting rock and metal bands could truly learn from.
Drive is indeed driven, but then it is also poised, considered and crafted. Somehow though, it still Rocks, being hugely memorable as it does so. One of the best female fronted albums of 2013 so far? I think so.
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