Covering all the important subgenres, it’s New Music Friday: The Rock and Metal Releases for 11-22-24.
Which one of these releases are you most excited about?Continue reading
Tag Archives: Xandria
PREVIEW: New Music Friday – Rock and Metal Releases for New Music Friday 11-22-24
Covering all the important subgenres, it’s New Music Friday: The Rock and Metal Releases for 11-22-24.
Which one of these releases are you most excited about?Continue reading
Delain Share a Live Version of “Moth to a Flame” – New Album Coming Soon
Melodic synth-metal group, Delain, have shared a live rendition of their hit single, “Moth to a Flame.” The track appears on their upcoming collection, Dance with the Devil, set for release on November 8, 2024 via Napalm Records. The second single from the release, the original song featured on their latest opus, Dark Waters (2023), the band’s most successful record to date. Catch the live version and more from the band below.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Orden Ogan – Final Days
It’s been all change in the Orden Ogan camp recently, and while obviously playing it’s part, not all of it due to the current Coronavirus situation. Firstly, because of a hand injury sustained in 2018, frontman Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann was forced to perform a series of summer dates minus his guitar, fronting the band as vocalist only. Realising he actually prefers performing this way, Levermann has chosen to step back from six-string duties, recruiting guitarist Patrick Sperling to take over in his stead.
Metsatoll Added to 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, More Bands To Be Announced
70000 Tons of Metal Cruise 2015, by MasterPhelps Photography
Estonian folk metallers Metsatoll have been added to the upcoming 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, setting sail in less than a months time. As of now 46 of the 60 bands have been announced for the cruise, which is sold out but has a wait list that makes it possible to get a last-minute ticket. Continue reading
Xandria Releases Their New Song Featuring Björn Strid Of Soilwork
After the successful release of Sacrificium back in 2014, Xandria is proud to announce that the highly anticipated follow up, Theater Of Dimensions, will be hitting stores on January 27th via Napalm Records. Continue reading
70000 Tons Of Metal 2017 Cruise Is Five Months Away, 39 of 60 Bands Announced
In a little less than five months, the 7th Editon of the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise will set sail from the Port of Miami, to Labadee, Haiti, and back on a cruise made of metal music and fun.
Xandria – Fire And Ashes
With the EP Fire & Ashes (Napalm), German Symphonic Metal band Xandria releases their second work to feature vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen.
Only the first three songs on the EP are new and original works. Opening number ‘Voyage of the Fallen’ is impressive with its use of orchestra and choir, but it lacks features that set it apart from other symphonic bands. In fact, it sounds like After Forever, Epica, and Nightwish rolled into one. ‘Unembraced’, however, has a much more unique feel with some guitar riffs and synths that feel more like NDH (Neue Deutsche Härte). This is new and interesting, and is something they should pursue if they want to really stand out from the crowd as the prospect of more high operatic vocals over NDH is very exciting. The final original song, ‘In Remembrance’, is very pure and small, and coupled with the theme and classical style this brings to mind ‘When I am Laid in Earth’ from the opera Dido and Aeneas.
The EP also features two re-releases of old songs, namely Ravenheart, previously on Ravenheart and ‘Now & Forever’, previously on India (both Drakkar). They are both good songs, but neither have enough individuality to really set them apart from other Symphonic Metal bands.
Then there are the two covers. One is Meatloaf’s ‘I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’, and that actually works really well once they really immerse it in their own style. The other shows a serious lack of judgement, because it is Sonata Arctica’s ‘Don’t Say A Word’. Since this is the same genre of music, everything but the vocals is identical to the original. And the operatic vocals miss the sting that Tony Kakko gives to a line like “Open your blue eyes, tell me that you love me, whore!” Only the bridge is done in a very original manner. This would have been great as a live performance, because Xandria fans are bound to know Sonata Arctica, but it doesn’t have enough that’s recognisably Xandria – or at least, that’s not Sonata – in it to earn its place on an album.
With only three new songs, two old songs, and two covers, it is not clear to me why the band actually made this EP. The new material is good, and has a little more individuality than the older material, but it would be much better suited to an album of its own.
6.5/10
LORRAINE LYSEN