How to Measure a Planet?

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Professional reviews
How To Measure A Planet?

Studio album by The Gathering
Released	1998
Recorded	Bauwhaus Studios, Amsterdam and Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum between July and October 1998
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	103:21
Label	Century Media Records
Producer(s)	Attie Bauw
All Music Guide link
The Gathering chronology
Nighttime Birds (1997)	How To Measure A Planet? (1998)	if then else (2000)

How To Measure A Planet? is a double album of the Dutch band The Gathering. It was originally released in 1998 by Century Media Records.

The Gathering had begun as a heavy metal band, making two albums in that style. In 1994, though, they gained a new vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, who brought a much more subtle and sophisticated approach to the band, both vocally and lyrically. The Gathering then made two albums, Mandylion (1995) and Nighttime Birds (1997) which stood in a mostly heavy style, while pushing at the genre's boundaries. Over the course of these two albums guitarist René Rutten also changed styles to something subtler and more adventurous, more akin to prog rock guitarists such as David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and King Crimson's Robert Fripp.

On How To Measure A Planet?, the band's fifth album, the Gathering wanted to push boundaries even further. They had already acknowledged the growing influence of such shoegazer bands as Slowdive and the more ethereal sounds of 4AD bands such as Dead Can Dance. Second guitarist Jelmer Wiersma didn't agree with the new direction and left amicably.

Eventually released as a double album, How To Measure A Planet? was produced and engineered by Attie Bauw, mostly at Bauwhaus Studios in Amsterdam. The performers were Anneke van Giersbergen (vocals and guitars), René Rutten (guitar and theremin), Frank Boeijen (keyboards), Hugo Prinsen Geerligs (bass) and Hans Rutten (drums). There were also extensive orchestrations on some tracks, although these were in fact programmed and played on "string synthesisers" rather than using an actual orchestra.

The theme of space travel runs through many of the songs on the album as well as on the cover and CD booklet.

The track "Liberty Bell" was released as a single in Europe.

Upon release, the album received excellent reviews from critics who appreciated the band's absorption of new styles such as shoegazer and trip-hop into its sound. Many fans of the more metallic side of the group weren't so pleased, however, and it sold about two-thirds as much as its two predecessors (although some slippage should be expected, given it was a more expensive two-CD package). Many of the Gathering's fans did stay with the band, and, as the members have said, it brought them a whole new fanbase.

How To Measure A Planet? remains something of a high point for the Gathering, with tracks from the album making up the majority of its two subsequent live albums, Superheat (2000) and Sleepy Buildings (2004).

In Japan a one-CD version of the album was released, omitting the nearly half-hour title track.