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The Gathering | 
| Artist: Infected Mushroom
Label: Phantom Sound & Vision
Category: Music
Buy New: $27.98
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 106277
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 7290005991240
ASIN: B00004W3N6
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Release Me | | • | Gathering | | • | Return of the Shadows | | • | Blue Muppet | | • | Pyscho | | • | Montoya Remix | | • | Tommy the Bat | | • | Virtual Voyage | | • | Over Mode |
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| Customer Reviews:
The first in a long string of excellent releases October 29, 2007
Steven Reddie (An Aussie in Seattle, WA USA)
I managed to overlook Infected Mushroom until the release of their second album, Classical Mushroom. I wish I hadn't as there are some excellent tracks on The Gathering. One thing I've always liked about these guys is their careful use of sound bites from movies. Some acts don't do a good job of this, but IM seem to use just the right amount to trigger certain associations without it seeming like a ripoff. On achieving this balance, I've always thought of IM as having just the right amount of "cheesiness" to make it uniquely enjoyable and at times amusing (it's sometime hard not to smile at little sounds or melodic phrases) -- I doubt anyone else could pull this off without resulting in their music sounding like a failed commercial trance track.
A sure mental treat. Enticingly dark. July 30, 2007
Zach Fernandez (San Marcos, California USA)
Infected Mushrooms' The Gathering is indeed a most infectious album. While it lacks some of the sound quality and commercial appeal of their current work, it is not in the least bit dull. It's actually a really busy and intense album. Its sounds are [perhaps not always] appropriately harsh, haunting, and crazy, and at times they may seem overbearing to some. In order to gain a sincere appreciation of this music, one must submit him/herself entirely to the untamed layers of sounds and be guided track by track through this Virtual Voyage, as it is a very mentally-involving album. If it doesn't sit well with you at first, give it another listen; chances are that much of it will grow on you and stick with you. I found many of its dark melodies playing in my head on various occasions after listening to it a few times.
Such musical ingenuity is rare to come by these days. I recommend this to any big IM fan.
Favorite tracks:
Release Me
Psycho
Montoya RMX
Virtual Voyage
Over Mode
 The original, kick-ass Gathering... November 13, 2005
Brian A. Berg (USA)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Infected Mushroom is one of those artists that helped uplift the Goa, Psy, and buttrock Goa genre in electronic music. This album is the original; perfect example of their demented handywork.
It's digital harshness is rivaled only by it's organic vocals, instrumentals, and overall composition. Granted the tracks are long, and not all of them appeal to all, but it's a rare nectar in the electronica world simply because of the extremes it can take the listener to. It's alien symphony... it's an orchestra from another world brought to the dancy rythm of trance.
1. Release Me - Brought to life through the "What is it you want us to do" exchange from Independence Day; this monster is a holy relic in the psy-trance genre. It's riviting melody crescendoes into a world of dark and lovely aura that surrounds the listener with the eyes of xenophobes. One of my favorites.
2. The Gathering - simply wierd, not my favorite, but it has it's moments. It's distorted lead and it's funny vocals that are speed up to sound like munchkins is really fun at time. A bit long for the vibe, but still good.
3. Return of the Shadows - this is a hit and miss track if you ask me. It's genius is seen in the beginning: that metallic bubbling that goes into an awesome rythm, but is quickly left behind. I wish that would have been focused on more. THe rest of the track is a mind bending percussion group from Andromeda - until the middle of the track where this acid lead goes into an amazingly thought out anthem that the bassline follows around like a caged monster. It's not their best, but not horrible either.
4. Blue Muppet - a crazy track that is more minimalistic for the most part. It has very strange noises that sound like pteridactals dying or something like that. The guitar near the ending is a definate plus.
5. Psycho - killer and wierdo beginning. The kick drum in this track has a really thick snap to it that I somehow appreciated. What's really nice about this track is how there is all these snap-crackle-and-pop noises that give you a headache if you listen to them closely. That's just awesome. The track evolves slowely, but it goes into these intense moments with these pad-like sounds that shrill into a void of darkness. It's taking a sunday walk in the mind of a dormant killer. However, mutations to the track really start to breath life into it past the middle, and these phreaked out leads start to scream all kind of obscenities at you. A softer melody near the end can be heard that is very much Goa, and is a good counter to the digital harshness of everything else in the song. Quite a trip...
6. Montoya Remix is alot like Return of the Shadows. This track has a very slick intro. This intro should have stayed around some more and evolved within it's own confines. THe piano is a real trippy scare - and almost sounds like the coffin of the Vampires opening up. However, I almost like this track better than Return of the Shadows. Why? Because It has this kick-ass distorted lead that doesn't disturb the mood as much and elements of the beginning continue to play a strong role throughout this. As a matter of fact, this is up there as a really good track in this CD. The rest of the track is really etheral and breathy - yet still maintains it's harsheness at the same time like a symphony played through a distortion amp. It's cool.
7. Tommy the Bat is another organic triffle of goodness. Personally, the trippiness is a tad too long, but I love the bat-squels at this track's finest moment (2:24). The rest of the track seems to brood too much, but the clucky jungle atmosphere at the end of the track is a good one. This is an example of something that could potentially get boring if it's too harsh, but is still a good track.
8. Virtual Voyage is probably among the top 3 best tracks in this album. It's very well engineered vocals are so trippy that it would take a strobe light rotating at the speed of a black hole to properly gather the right energy of this track. THe leads are crazy, and flicker on and off almost as bad as the voices do. These voices elevate to the point where they no longer flicker, and this droning melody summons this powerful climax. What a climax it is... probably the best in the album. Earphones or speakers, this is one of the best...
9. Over Mode is like urban terror that's been mutated into a bunch of zombies. The beginning sounds like a fantastic shoot-em-up sountrack for a game like Contra influenced less by metal. However, it is fast... it's mad... its angerly awaiting the silence of the album. It's computer AI gone whacky... it's spores sprouting legs and walking out of the laboratory... it's the end of the album.
Kick Ass Goatrance! August 3, 2005
Mike Smith
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This album is pretty good upon first listen. Then it grows on you. It is infectious, hence the name `Infected Mushroom'. The first few times I listened to it, much of it did not sit right with me. Some of it even rubbed me the wrong way. But later, coming back to the album, I saw how many things were right with it. There is a lot going on in this album, and it is sure to keep your brain busy interpreting it. They have a good sense of how to implement the echo effect, and on many occasions, they manage to get the sound just right. They certainly know their stuff on tracks 2: The Gathering, 3: Return of the Shadows, 6: Montoya Remix, 7: Tommy the Bat, and 9: Over Mode. These tracks have enough coherent intensity to make this album a very worthwhile purchase. The rest of the album is nothing to sneeze at either, but some tracks deserve to be highlighted over others. If it wasn't for these five tracks, a lower rating would be more appropriate.
Debut Album October 12, 2004
Tirso Alejandro Arjona (WHITEMAN AFB)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the embrionic stage of what is now known as the best trance producers in the world. The tracks are dark with crazy melodies and great beats. Tracks 6 & 8 are the most powefull and wicked. All other tracks are fantastic!!This is a must have for any electronic music fan. check out the "IM SUPERVISOR ALBUM" "CLASSICAL MUSHROOM" AND "CONVERTING VEGETARIANS".
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