### Xandria: Neverworld's end

#### 25/01/13 || BamaHammer

I usually fucken despise shit like this. Often, I find it incredibly cheesy and lacking in heart and soul, and if I have my druthers, I usually opt for something else. See, this formula, “opera metal” as I like to call it, has always been very hit or miss with me ever since I first got into ze metals. Therion has released several fantastic albums, and I’m not afraid to admit to liking the occasional Epica track, but this German band Xandria really caught me by surprise last year with how interesting their take on the style is with this “Neverworld’s end” album.

Xandria has been around for well over a decade now, and I’m sure I’ve seen their moniker before, but I had never given them a chance until we got this album in an Audio Autopsy batch last year. They have everything one would expect from the chick-fronted opera metal style. They have the marginally attractive gothic-looking female singer, they write slightly dark yet groovy mid-paced riffs, and they utilize dynamics in their music extremely well. What sets “Neverworld’s end” apart from a lot of the other albums like this that are out there, to me, is how simply enjoyable it is from the very first listen. You can basically shut off all your critiquing tendencies and just embrace this shit. It’s surprisingly easy.

Honestly, if you like bombastic opera-infused metal, you don’t even have to try to enjoy this album. Every song is solidly arranged and composed and the execution is pretty fucken good too. Oh, and this Manuela Kraller chick can absolutely slay with her vocals. They are pretty stunning, and you can really tell that she’s done a lot of work to achieve her level of vocal control. Considering this is the first album to which she’s contributed for Xandria, I can safely say the band found a star here, and I probably won’t bother checking out the rest of the band’s catalog since she’s not there. Pretty sure it sucks.

The songs themselves are each really good opuses (opi?) in their own right, maintaining a flair for the dramatic without being overly long and drawn out or melodramatic, which can fatally hinder a lot of bands who play this kind of shit, at least with me. I seriously doubt this is an album that’ll sustain any longevity with me whatsoever, but it is a fun, quick way to satisfy your chick-fronted metal desires (if you ever have any).

Overall, I would probably recommend this album to anyone who enjoys bands like Therion or Epica or even Nightwish but also finds enjoyment in the straightforward simplicity of a band like Lacuna Coil. This album was quite a pleasant surprise for 2012, and if you dig this stuff, it’s worth your hour and three minutes.

- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Napalm
- Website: www.xandria.de
- Band
- Marco Heubaum: guitars, vocals, keyboards
- Manuela Kraller: vocals
- Nils Middelhauve: bass
- Philip Restermeier: guitars
- Gerit Lamm: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. A Prophecy of Worlds to Fall
- 02. Valentine
- 03. Forevermore
- 04. Euphoria
- 05. Blood on my Hands
- 06. Soulcrusher
- 07. The Dream is still Alive
- 08. The Lost Elysion
- 09. Call of the Wind
- 10. A Thousand letters
- 11. Cursed
- 12. The Nomad’s Crown