Nightfall snippet in Xandrias newsletter sounds just amazing!!! Dianne fits perfectly!!!

Written by annodomini on 27.02.2014 at 21:12

Nightfall snippet in Xandrias newsletter sounds just amazing!!! Dianne fits perfectly!!!

What do you think the other single, Dreamkeeper?

BTW, the video for Nightfall is out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTAmmTiD_Y

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 23.04.2014 at 20:11

Written by annodomini on 27.02.2014 at 21:12

Nightfall snippet in Xandrias newsletter sounds just amazing!!! Dianne fits perfectly!!!

What do you think the other single, Dreamkeeper?

BTW, the video for Nightfall is out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGTAmmTiD_Y

I already heard the whole album and it's amazing. I adore "Dreamkeeper" cause it reminds me of "India" days. Nevertheless, there are plenty of amazing songs in this new release.

I want this so bad

Just checked in after listening the entire record (it leaked) and it is great. The 10 minute track is amazing.

I thinks this is the best album they have made so far actually, it takes some time getting used to it - it's just so different from the previous albums.

I personally think this is their best album to date, which means it is better than their previous effort.

Even though when compared to The Quantum Enigma which was released at the same time, it feels a tiny bit weaker. But you just cannot compare Xandria to Epica. I have been listening to them both since their beginnings; despite some disadvantages, Xandria still manages to improve their sound bit by bit. While Epica simply explodes with all their glories, Xandria quietly blooms in the symphonic metal scene.

Still I feel that Lisa is the best vocalist Xandria has ever had, however I doubt she could keep up vocally with the kind of music they are playing right now.

Disappointed with this album.. I was looking forward to it after Neverworld's End but this is just too simplistic, too generic and just plain boring. Nothing jumps out at you and captivates your attention like the last album did. There are some definitely some good ideas trapped in the album but as a whole it falls flat. Maybe next time but I'm not holding my breath for it.

Written by AngelofDeth on 04.05.2014 at 02:54

Disappointed with this album.. I was looking forward to it after Neverworld's End but this is just too simplistic, too generic and just plain boring. Nothing jumps out at you and captivates your attention like the last album did. There are some definitely some good ideas trapped in the album but as a whole it falls flat. Maybe next time but I'm not holding my breath for it.

I don't think so. If you listen both albums, you will see that the formula is still the same. Begins with fast-paced songs, then it slows down into some ballads, then picks up again, the album oscillates through different moods, but the formula they used is exactly the same, maybe a bit tonned down for a mezzo-soprano. I love it because Dianne can sing on songs that were Lisa's expertise a while back. It perfectly combines the previous era with the current one. I don't think it is more solid than the previous, but surely on par with it. As for ear-candy, omg, this album has lots of it. I mean, it is hard to not love songs such as Nightfall (similar with Valentine), Sacrificium (similar with A Prophecy of Worlds to Fall), The Undiscovered Land (similar with Forevermore), Our Neverworld or Until the End (similar with The Lost Elysion). Xandria is in great form and it has the luck to have brilliant singers, even though they change kinda often. I find it odd how someone that loved Neverworld's End dislikes this one when the formula is the same, the only thing that changed is the singer.

Written by Spacerunner on 04.05.2014 at 16:26

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 04.05.2014 at 12:55
it is hard to not love songs such as Nightfall (similar with Valentine), Sacrificium (similar with A Prophecy of Worlds to Fall), The Undiscovered Land (similar with Forevermore)

New songs are great until you compare them side by side with the songs from NE. Then it's obvious that songwriting lacks inspiration and new singer is not comparable with Manuella (alas!). Additionaly production is not good either. I can't stand this reverb that was put on just every song's vocals and sinks them among instruments.

Not comparable doesn't mean weak. She has an entirely different vocal register. She can sing both her pieces and Lisa's, so for me, that's a plus, not to mention that when I saw Xandria live with Manuella, it made me disappointed that they sang Neverworld's End entirely with only 1 song from their back catalog (Ravenheart).

When I compare the songs side by side with those from NE, I see the exact same recipe but with a different vocals. And maybe a slightly different production. But that's it.

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 04.05.2014 at 12:55

I find it odd how someone that loved Neverworld's End dislikes this one when the formula is the same, the only thing that changed is the singer.

Yes the formula is very similar but its a watered down and uninspired version of that formula.

I don't really feel the need to defend my statement further but since we're comparing songs to the last album.... Compare Dreamkeeper to literally ANYTHING off the last album and you'll see my point.

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 04.05.2014 at 12:55

As for ear-candy, omg, this album has lots of it.

Lol fanboy much?

If there was no Neverworld's End, I would probably rate this higher. Its way too second rate to the previous and not as memorable for me. IMO the first half I enjoyed more than the second half.

To sum up, for those who loved pre-NE Xandria this is a kind of return to familiar shores. For those who hoped Xandria would replace golden-era Nightwish (me included) it's a disappointment.

Written by AngelofDeth on 04.05.2014 at 22:22

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 04.05.2014 at 12:55

I find it odd how someone that loved Neverworld's End dislikes this one when the formula is the same, the only thing that changed is the singer.

Yes the formula is very similar but its a watered down and uninspired version of that formula.

I don't really feel the need to defend my statement further but since we're comparing songs to the last album.... Compare Dreamkeeper to literally ANYTHING off the last album and you'll see my point.

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 04.05.2014 at 12:55

As for ear-candy, omg, this album has lots of it.

Lol fanboy much?

Dreamkeeper sounds like an India version of The Dream Is Still Alive.

As for fanboy-ism, just because I like an album does not mean I am a fanboy. This album has lots of great moments, moments that you find in Neverworld's End too. It is impossible for me to comprehend how someone that likes that album dislikes this one. I really don't think it is a watered down version, probably it has been a little bit tonned down to adjust it with the new vocalist, which is not a soprano like Manu.

I love this album! It took a while but the more I listen to it, the better it just gets. Dianne is a great singer. I'm so happy Xandria never disappoints with their singers. And I should add the new bassist is a great addition too.

Go Xandria

Written by Spacerunner on 04.05.2014 at 23:56

To sum up, for those who loved pre-NE Xandria this is a kind of return to familiar shores. For those who hoped Xandria would replace golden-era Nightwish (me included) it's a disappointment.

Written by CyberSymphony on 04.05.2014 at 22:52

If there was no Neverworld's End, I would probably rate this higher. Its way too second rate to the previous and not as memorable for me.

Exactly what I'm sayin, don't know why this guy has such a hard time buyin it.

Not as good as NE but close.

After repeated listens it's getting better and better!

I like this better than the previous one, at least they don't sound exactly like Nightwish now.

This is mind-numbingly boring.

There is actual good symphonic metal out there so I don't understand why this band had a following. It's not that they're BAD; they do everything technically right. It's just so damn boring.

Don't they have a new singer with each album? I've tried getting into them a few times and my eyes glaze over after a few songs, prompting me to then listen actual good metal. They're 100% a genre band to the point of their own destruction; it's textbook symphonic metal with no soul or purpose. Seriously: do people not realize that there is great symphonic metal being made and they don't have to sit through this?

Written by Susan on 13.12.2014 at 06:24

...

What do you think of their first four albums? I do agree with you on the basics of your opinion on this latest release (that it's textbook and boring), but this was a quite consistent band up until 2007 with Lisa on vocals. Their following was well established quite awhile back. I'm not suggesting they were part of my favorites with each release, but they had a nicely developed and unique sound .

I've listened to a few songs here and there, never a full album before this one. I remember hearing Lisa on vocals and just couldn't stand her over-darkening of her voice and manufactured sound. Perhaps I just heard a few bad songs.

I found this album mind-numbingly boring, not the band in general. I mean, they seem quite boring in general but since this is the only album I've endured in its entirety it would be an unfair assessment of the whole discography.

More Nightwish sound, new singer is good as always! "8.7"

Seems to go back and forth between Nightwish and Epica sounds.

"If you're going to copy a band, make a good one, baby". Once "Reloaded Version" feelings here. Curiously, "their" best.

Sweet Atonement is beautiful, I thought Simone Simone was singing it.