Synopsis

The Gathering's "Liberty Bell" video places Anneke van Giersbergen and the band inside a distinctly space-age visual world. Van Giersbergen appears aboard a spacecraft as psychedelic images, cosmic motion, and studio performance footage merge into an impressionistic journey through the galaxy. Rather than presenting a literal narrative, the clip follows the song's themes of orbiting Earth, weightlessness, fear, and changing light. Its dreamy, effects-heavy presentation complements the track's expansive sound and the futuristic atmosphere of the album "How to Measure a Planet?"

Factoids & Trivia

• "Liberty Bell" was released as a single in Europe in 1998 and came from "How to Measure a Planet?", The Gathering's fifth studio album.

• The video's spacecraft imagery and psychedelic effects reflect the album's recurring space-travel concept. Its visual language has also been compared to the cosmic imagery of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

• The clip was included on "In Motion", a Century Media DVD released in 2002 alongside concert footage from The Gathering's 1996 and 1997 performances.

• The band later stated that it had not been involved in the release of "In Motion" and did not regard the DVD as an official band release.

• The original album version runs for about six minutes, while the promotional single used a shorter radio edit.

• "Liberty Bell" arrived during a major stylistic change for The Gathering. The band was moving away from its earlier metal sound toward a more atmospheric blend of progressive rock, alternative rock, shoegaze, and electronic influences.

• The song was also issued in Canada on a bonus CD distributed with issue 12 of the magazine "Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles".