Lyrically, and musically, the award-winning Dutch artist lays her soul bare with the most evocative record of her career – captivating song-stories told with acoustic guitars, strings, horns, percussion, and Anneke's hypnotic vocal harmonies

 

The new album's title, 'The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest', refers to the idea that, when facing personal challenges, we are forced to find answers to life's biggest questions. But, at this point in her near-three-decade-long music career, this solo album – and, crucially, the heartbreak that inspired it – was not something Anneke van Giersbergen ever anticipated writing.

 

In 2018, Anneke began working on new material for her metal band, VUUR. Although their debut album, 'In This Moment We Are Free - Cities', was met with a mixed reception, fans were warming up to their heavy, progressive sound. Therefore, a rapid follow-up album would surely establish Anneke's return to fronting a metal band.

However, behind the scenes, these were troubled times.

Anneke shares, ”My belief in VUUR saw me spend all my savings on recording VUUR's debut album and taking the band on the road. After completing our first touring cycle, I realized that more VUUR would mean yet more, huge financial risks.”

 

To make matters worse, in 2018, her long-lasting marriage, which had always been wonderful, unexpectedly saw a storm approaching.

Anneke adds, “I instantly knew I needed to write music about fixing my life. This creative endeavour would be far too personal for a VUUR album. And it would also require solitude.”

 

With just her acoustic guitar and basic recording gear, Anneke retreated to a small house near the woods, just outside her hometown of Eindhoven. She let go of the pressures of what VUUR's future might be, and fell into the meditative process of writing a solo album. In 2019, work continued on the new songs. In 2020, Anneke asked her friend and producer, Gijs Coolen, to help finish the album.

 

The album will be available as CD Digipak, Gatefold LP + CD & as digital album.

 

01. Agape

02. Hurricane

03. My Promise

04. I Saw A Car

05. The Soul Knows

06. The End

07. Keep It Simple

08. Lo And Behold

09. Losing You

10. Survive

11. Love You Like I Love You

 

'The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest' is Anneke's 23rd career album. It proves, once again, that the award-winning Dutch artist defies being pigeonholed by any genre.