So where all those winners, that this will suck?

I still stay to the point the Dreamkeeper is amazing song and throws us back to India times (as vocals on Stardust too). The other songs are again top class symphonic metal, with even more Nightwish resemblance with those pipes added.

Not so much blown away by the tracks and not alot of originality again either. I would see myself bored with the album after a few listens.

Awww... i didn't know they've got a new vocalist. their previous one was pretty good

Written by Ag Fox on 10.04.2014 at 21:24

Awww... i didn't know they've got a new vocalist. their previous one was pretty good

Are you back? I enjoyed a couple of reviews of yours, as Within Temptation's.

Written by R Lewis on 10.04.2014 at 21:46

Written by Ag Fox on 10.04.2014 at 21:24

Awww... i didn't know they've got a new vocalist. their previous one was pretty good

Are you back? I enjoyed a couple of reviews of yours, as Within Temptation's.

sort of, since I'm considerably less active. thanks for missing me =P

I cannot stress how sick of this sound i am. Don't get me wrong, i love female fronted metal, but these type of bands NEED to try something new. The riffs are cliche, the background symphonics are overused these days on songs that just aren't complex enough. It's not just Xandria i'm talking about either.

Written by Ag Fox on 10.04.2014 at 21:24

Awww... i didn't know they've got a new vocalist. their previous one was pretty good

This. I was really excited for this album and for seeing them open for Sonata Arctica this autumn... until I heard their new singer. BOOOOOORING!!!

Written by SoUnDs LiKe PoP on 11.04.2014 at 01:07

This. I was really excited for this album and for seeing them open for Sonata Arctica this autumn... until I heard their new singer. BOOOOOORING!!!

Amen to that - bring on the next one, I say!

Pretty boring unfortunately...

Still will wait for the full album to fully decide but this just sounded really generic and boring, other than "The Undiscovered Land" nothing really stood out. Also the band said this album was going to be much darker... doesn't sound an ounce dark other than the some of the song titles.

As for the vox, they don't bother me much. Sure, not nearly as good as the last singer but still pretty good imo.

Written by deadone on 11.04.2014 at 09:38

Written by Dark Cornatus on 11.04.2014 at 00:29

I cannot stress how sick of this sound i am.

The riffs are cliche, the background symphonics are overused these days on songs that just aren't complex enough. It's not just Xandria i'm talking about either.

I'm hearing you!

I'm no expert on this but it sounds like Nightwish.

I was thinking more Epica. Theatrical metal is just too overdone these days. It's sad to see a lot of bands heading this direction. It's almost like it's a competition to see who's sound is richer and more dynamic. The problem is that the core music is often sub-par. Riffs sound like you've heard them before, choirs sound like you've heard them before (lets face it, choirs always sound similar anyway, as it's always a similar selection of vocal tones).

Listening to it now.

I hope when it gets the release date you all will understand how wrong you were.
Yes it's absolutely unoriginal, but songwriting is killer! Melodies and boombastics are just the best!
And Dianne sound amazing. Just amazing! A perfect combination of both Manuella and Lisa!

The vocalist is good, but the whole album is something we have listened to many times in the past. Another dull symphonic/gothic/i-don't-know-what-else- band.
Some bands have such good vocalists and don't really exploit them.
We need something new, or at least something that brings back memories from the '90s era.

Written by HellriderRising on 11.04.2014 at 15:48

The vocalist is good, but the whole album is something we have listened to many times in the past. Another dull symphonic/gothic/i-don't-know-what-else- band.
Some bands have such good vocalists and don't really exploit them.
We need something new, or at least something that brings back memories from the '90s era.

It's a matter of context. Xandria or any other sympho metal band is not searching for a new approach nowadays, so it's quite meaningless discussing originality, cause we are not getting it from these bands.
I agree, that, Sacrificium is an 8 album, no more or less, just a safe zone. But I wasn't expecting anything esle of them, cause thats what we got from them with India and Neverworld too. So in that context Sacrificium is amazing album. But if we compare it to Decipher, World of Glass, Mother Earth, Mana or Lucidity, then yes, it sucks a big time.

But from todays perspective it's a fresh record, because of great songwriting, which most of those other unoriginal sympho bands are lacking. At least the songs are catchy.

I can't even think of something original in this scene. Epica is the most original product at the moment and they tried the boundaries even more with Requiem, but most of the fans were disappointed, so they will go back to DYU sound (which is good and bad at the same time).

I would love to see a heavier version of Globus somewhere in the near future with a real cinematographic sound, not just claiming to have it (Luca Turilli, Lacuna Coil, etc.).

Written by annodomini on 11.04.2014 at 16:16

It's a matter of context. Xandria or any other sympho metal band is not searching for a new approach nowadays, so it's quite meaningless discussing originality, cause we are not getting it from these bands.
I agree, that, Sacrificium is an 8 album, no more or less, just a safe zone. But I wasn't expecting anything esle of them, cause thats what we got from them with India and Neverworld too. So in that context Sacrificium is amazing album. But if we compare it to Decipher, World of Glass, Mother Earth, Mana or Lucidity, then yes, it sucks a big time.

But from todays perspective it's a fresh record, because of great songwriting, which most of those other unoriginal sympho bands are lacking. At least the songs are catchy.

I can't even think of something original in this scene. Epica is the most original product at the moment and they tried the boundaries even more with Requiem, but most of the fans were disappointed, so they will go back to DYU sound (which is good and bad at the same time).

I would love to see a heavier version of Globus somewhere in the near future with a real cinematographic sound, not just claiming to have it (Luca Turilli, Lacuna Coil, etc.).

I cannot disagree with you. Originality is lacking nowadays. But we need something new. There could be really symphonic metal masterpieces and don't exist due to bands' shortage of imagination. It's a pity to waste some great talents on average stuff. Hope you can get me.
Hail \m/

The vocals are a little less operatic than previous singer and music still sounds like well produced symphonic metal with lots of arrangements although a little less bombastic this time around.

In my opinion "Dreamkeeper" is a good song, but it sounds like it might actually be the least impressive of the bunch. Safe to say, my expectations have skyrocketed again. Everything else in this sample sounds amazing and every bit as epic as I had hoped for. Seems like there is an abundance of variety too.