Music Monday: Xandria
11 Dec 2023 21:31![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
extrapenguinNo meme, but still Music Monday to prove I aten't dead.
Xandria is a German symphonic metal band with, well, some issues wrt vocalists. They're currently on their fourth. The entire band has been replaced twice over or more (save for the keyboards dude, who seems to be the owner of the band) due to the extremely punishing touring schedule, with management and the rest of the band pressuring them to perform even when unable to.
Anyway! Here's the music. I'll go through the albums chronologically. The first four are apparently sometimes hard to find on streaming due to some rights issue(?), but the rest are on Bandcamp.
Kill the Sun (2003)
(album playlist)
The debut album, with Lisa Middelhauve on the vocals. Kinda gothic metal, a bit bleh imo, but the title track is nice (even if the lyrics actually go "you can't kill the Sun").
Ravenheart (2004)
(album playlist)
Similar to the above, though in addition to the title track, I also like Back to the River.
India (2005)
(album playlist)
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. Apparently the band realized they'd written a lot of travel-oriented songs and then added the first and last tracks, but tbh it comes across as exotifying India.
Salomé – The Seventh Veil (2007)
(album playlist)
Retroactively revealed to be in part about Lisa Middelhauve's thoughts on creativity (the title-ish track Salomé especially). In addition to Save My Life above, it also has my favorite Lisa-era song, Sisters of the Light.
At this point, the vocalist Lisa Middelhauve quit the band. Her replacement was Kerstin Bischof, who did some live stuff with them, only to quit mid-tour. Lisa finished off that tour, talked about solo work, and then later quit music altogether. Xandria did manage to replace Lisa's replacement eventually, though, giving us:
Neverworld's End (2012)
The only album with Manuela Kraller at the vocals! (If pressed, I would call her my favorite Xandria vocalist.) The musical genre also changed from more gothic-y stuff to a bombastic symphonic metal style, which I approve. In addition to Valentine, listenable above, I rec Blood on My Hands, Soulcrusher, Call of the Wind (if you liked Sisters of the Light, you'll also like this one), and Cursed.
(or look at the YT playlist)
Then they did another vocalist switcharoonie.
Sacrificium (2014)
The new singer is Dianne van Giersbergen, also of Ex Libris. The bombastic style stayed. In addition to Nightfall, listenable above, I'd rec Stardust (very aspirational for my autistic self), Betrayer, Come with Me, Temple of Hate (fun), and The Watcher.
(or look at the YT playlist)
Fire & Ashes (2015)
An EP with a few new songs and covers of both non-Xandria songs and Xandria songs from pre-Dianne eras. It's fine ig? Nothing I found exciting here.
(but there's still a YT playlist)
Theater of Dimensions (2017)
Not quite as good as Sacrificium, and the selection of free-to-listen songs on Bandcamp is a bit meh. I'd rec Where the Heart Is Home, Death to the Holy (fun melody), and Burn Me (somehow manages to be even more fun).
(or look at the YT playlist)
Then Dianne van Giersbergen left the band, with a statement that it was over bad circumstances and based on her doctor's recommendation due to her obscene stress levels, from excessive touring and being treated like just a co-worker instead of an actual member of the band. Lisa Middelhauve and Manuela Kraller shared that they'd both left for the exact same reason. Xandria got someone temporary to fill in for the rest of the tour and was quiescent until...
The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)
New vocalist Ambre Vourvahis enters! Marco Heubaum has also replaced all the other members. The sound is still symphonic, but a touch less bombastic, being even a touch mellow in places. Nonetheless, I like it. The Bandcamp widget will let you listen to four songs, three of which I really like: You Will Never Be Our God, The Wonders Still Awaiting, and Ghosts. In addition to these, I'd rec Reborn ("It's the end, but I'll be reborn"), My Curse Is My Redemption, Paradise, Scars, The Maiden and the Child, and Astèria,
(or look at the YT playlist)
Xandria is a German symphonic metal band with, well, some issues wrt vocalists. They're currently on their fourth. The entire band has been replaced twice over or more (save for the keyboards dude, who seems to be the owner of the band) due to the extremely punishing touring schedule, with management and the rest of the band pressuring them to perform even when unable to.
Anyway! Here's the music. I'll go through the albums chronologically. The first four are apparently sometimes hard to find on streaming due to some rights issue(?), but the rest are on Bandcamp.
Kill the Sun (2003)
(album playlist)
The debut album, with Lisa Middelhauve on the vocals. Kinda gothic metal, a bit bleh imo, but the title track is nice (even if the lyrics actually go "you can't kill the Sun").
Ravenheart (2004)
(album playlist)
Similar to the above, though in addition to the title track, I also like Back to the River.
India (2005)
(album playlist)
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. Apparently the band realized they'd written a lot of travel-oriented songs and then added the first and last tracks, but tbh it comes across as exotifying India.
Salomé – The Seventh Veil (2007)
(album playlist)
Retroactively revealed to be in part about Lisa Middelhauve's thoughts on creativity (the title-ish track Salomé especially). In addition to Save My Life above, it also has my favorite Lisa-era song, Sisters of the Light.
At this point, the vocalist Lisa Middelhauve quit the band. Her replacement was Kerstin Bischof, who did some live stuff with them, only to quit mid-tour. Lisa finished off that tour, talked about solo work, and then later quit music altogether. Xandria did manage to replace Lisa's replacement eventually, though, giving us:
Neverworld's End (2012)
The only album with Manuela Kraller at the vocals! (If pressed, I would call her my favorite Xandria vocalist.) The musical genre also changed from more gothic-y stuff to a bombastic symphonic metal style, which I approve. In addition to Valentine, listenable above, I rec Blood on My Hands, Soulcrusher, Call of the Wind (if you liked Sisters of the Light, you'll also like this one), and Cursed.
(or look at the YT playlist)
Then they did another vocalist switcharoonie.
Sacrificium (2014)
The new singer is Dianne van Giersbergen, also of Ex Libris. The bombastic style stayed. In addition to Nightfall, listenable above, I'd rec Stardust (very aspirational for my autistic self), Betrayer, Come with Me, Temple of Hate (fun), and The Watcher.
(or look at the YT playlist)
Fire & Ashes (2015)
An EP with a few new songs and covers of both non-Xandria songs and Xandria songs from pre-Dianne eras. It's fine ig? Nothing I found exciting here.
(but there's still a YT playlist)
Theater of Dimensions (2017)
Not quite as good as Sacrificium, and the selection of free-to-listen songs on Bandcamp is a bit meh. I'd rec Where the Heart Is Home, Death to the Holy (fun melody), and Burn Me (somehow manages to be even more fun).
(or look at the YT playlist)
Then Dianne van Giersbergen left the band, with a statement that it was over bad circumstances and based on her doctor's recommendation due to her obscene stress levels, from excessive touring and being treated like just a co-worker instead of an actual member of the band. Lisa Middelhauve and Manuela Kraller shared that they'd both left for the exact same reason. Xandria got someone temporary to fill in for the rest of the tour and was quiescent until...
The Wonders Still Awaiting (2023)
New vocalist Ambre Vourvahis enters! Marco Heubaum has also replaced all the other members. The sound is still symphonic, but a touch less bombastic, being even a touch mellow in places. Nonetheless, I like it. The Bandcamp widget will let you listen to four songs, three of which I really like: You Will Never Be Our God, The Wonders Still Awaiting, and Ghosts. In addition to these, I'd rec Reborn ("It's the end, but I'll be reborn"), My Curse Is My Redemption, Paradise, Scars, The Maiden and the Child, and Astèria,
(or look at the YT playlist)
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Date: 2023-12-12 00:40 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-13 15:39 (UTC)