Xandira Live at The Regent Theater in Los Angeles, CA 05/29/2017

Xandria are a symphonic metal band hailing from Germany. They initially formed twenty years ago in 1997 but really took off in 2004 with the release of "Ravenheart". I was fortunate to come across them at this time on a trip to Germany and since then, they have expanded to become a world renowned phenomena.

Marco Heubaum is the center point of the project and the primary song writer and composer. Over the years the roster of musicians surrounding him has fluctuated but as of 2013, they had coalesced into a solid machine and have excelled both on album and especially live with special focus on the talented Dianne van Giersbergen, their Dutch songstress extraordinaire.

Dianne's vocals offer an operatic flair but her attitude exudes metal to its core. Joining this dynamic duo on stage are Philip Restemeir on guitars, Gerit Lamm on drums, and guest bassist Brad Kennedy doing double duty on this tour as he is the bassist for supporting act Kobra And The Lotus.

At the beginning of this year Xandria released an amazing new album called "Theater of Dimensions". Part of Xandria's concept from their origin was to be an exploratory voice into the esoteric aspects of our universe and to shed an investigative look into life, death, and what comes after. Like many of their peers in this genre, they incorporate these gothic sensitivities along side a near Gnostic sensibility.

Combine this with truly epic song writing that incorporates massive orchestrations, choirs, synthesizers, at times spoken word, and of course heavy guitars and you have a musical project that elevates beyond a mere band but becomes an experience much like major operatic undertakings.

Xandria opened with the anthem "Where The Heart Is Home" from the latest release. It expounds about a love so strong, where ever it may be, that is the where the heart is home but does so in the most dramatic of fashions with a near hymnal reprise of "Bridges may burn - heavens might fall down. I will return - I will be homebound. I'll cross the land, the boundless sea - to sail towards thee. Shelter of bliss - Savior of my soul".

When Dianne sings that last part it literally makes my hair stand on end. Her beauty and class are only surpassed by her vocal dominance. A consummate professional, even her voice when speaking to the audience is controlled and measured.

Providing another new song they did "Call of Destiny" followed by "Euphoria" from the "Neverworld's End" album. On some of the chorus sections the guitarists and bassist would join in adding a male choir to Dianne's amazing voice lending even more power to the songs.

Returning to the latest album they did "Forsaken Love" which led into the amazing "Voyage of the Fallen" from the "Fire & Ashes" EP. Its hard to really describe how compelling Xandria is in a live setting, the energy from the stage is palatable

I was excited when I heard the opening instrumentation for "Ravenheart", as that is the song and album that got me into them so long ago. Hard to believe that I have listened to these guys for almost thirteen years! In all honesty I feel that their newest material is leaps and bounds beyond their older songs but it was still great to see live.

The opening guitar licks for "Stardust" are intricate and moving, building into symphonic splendor. Coming from 2014's "Sacrificium" album, this song embodies everything that is so special about this genre of music and shows Xandria are equal to all of their peers in this field.

Dianne often uses her hands to enhance the delivery and story telling, making sweeping gestures and looking up to the heavens. She mentioned that when they were eating pizza next door one of us fans bought her and their guitarist fresh baked cookies. She joked that Kobra from the supporting act always asked what she was thinking about when looking up and she said "Cookies... Now you know".

Up next was the forceful and dark "We Are Murderers (We All)" from the new release. This song stands out on the album as it has a harsher male vocal presence that underlies Dianne's beautiful melodic voice but firmly punctuates the heavy message this song brings.

Their set was so full of remarkable material it is really hard to pick a favorite but one that definitely is a contender is "The Undiscovered Land" from the "Sacrificium" album. I am not sure if this is based on Conan the Barbarian or not but has a lot of similarities in the story and could easily be the bard's tale of his origin and legacy.

One song that is definitely in the top of their repertoire is "Death To The Holy" from "Theater of Dimensions". It is a call to shed the shackles of the religions that have led the world to war and are influenced by greed and power seekers.

They closed out the main set with "Nightfall" from "Sacrificium" and "Cursed" from "Neverworld's End". After a short break and the intimate crowd putting out far higher decibel cheering than their numbers would imply, Dianne returned to the stage.

She said that it was left to her to give us the bad news that the show was nearly done but they did have two more songs for us. First up for the encore was definitely my favorite song of the night and resounded in my head long after the show ended. "Burn Me" is a stand out song from the new album and a great starting point if you are checking them out for the first time.

They concluded the spectacular set with "Valentine" from "Neverworld's End" before the band came forward to take a bow and then crouch down to get a picture with the audience behind them.

It was an amazing performance and I cannot recommend Xandria highly enough. If you like Epica, Nightwish, Sirenia, or any of the other symphonic metal bands of this nature then you will absolutely love Xandria.




				Xandria Live at The Regent Theater Los Angeles, CA May 29th, 2017 Review and photos by Travis Baumann Xandria are a symphonic metal band hailing from Germany. They initially formed twenty years ago in 1997 but really took off in 2004 with the release of "Ravenheart". I was fortunate to come across them at this time on a trip to Germany and since then, they have expanded to become a world renowned phenomena. Marco Heubaum is the center point of the project and the primary song writer and composer. Over the years the roster of musicians surrounding him has fluctuated but as of 2013, they had coalesced into a solid machine and have excelled both on album and especially live with special focus on the talented Dianne van Giersbergen, their Dutch songstress extraordinaire. Dianne's vocals offer an operatic flair but her attitude exudes metal to its core. Joining this dynamic duo on stage are Philip Restemeir on guitars, Gerit Lamm on drums, and guest bassist Brad Kennedy doing double duty on this tour as he is the bassist for supporting act Kobra And The Lotus. At the beginning of this year Xandria released an amazing new album called "Theater of Dimensions". Part of Xandria's concept from their origin was to be an exploratory voice into the esoteric aspects of our universe and to shed an investigative look into life, death, and what comes after. Like many of their peers in this genre, they incorporate these gothic sensitivities along side a near Gnostic sensibility. Combine this with truly epic song writing that incorporates massive orchestrations, choirs, synthesizers, at times spoken word, and of course heavy guitars and you have a musical project that elevates beyond a mere band but becomes an experience much like major operatic undertakings. Xandria opened with the anthem "Where The Heart Is Home" from the latest release. It expounds about a love so strong, where ever it may be, that is the where the heart is home but does so in the most dramatic of fashions with a near hymnal reprise of "Bridges may burn - heavens might fall down. I will return - I will be homebound. I'll cross the land, the boundless sea - to sail towards thee. Shelter of bliss - Savior of my soul". When Dianne sings that last part it literally makes my hair stand on end. Her beauty and class are only surpassed by her vocal dominance. A consummate professional, even her voice when speaking to the audience is controlled and measured. Providing another new song they did "Call of Destiny" followed by "Euphoria" from the "Neverworld's End" album. On some of the chorus sections the guitarists and bassist would join in adding a male choir to Dianne's amazing voice lending even more power to the songs. Returning to the latest album they did "Forsaken Love" which led into the amazing "Voyage of the Fallen" from the "Fire & Ashes" EP. Its hard to really describe how compelling Xandria is in a live setting, the energy from the stage is palatable I was excited when I heard the opening instrumentation for "Ravenheart", as that is the song and album that got me into them so long ago. Hard to believe that I have listened to these guys for almost thirteen years! In all honesty I feel that their newest material is leaps and bounds beyond their older songs but it was still great to see live. The opening guitar licks for "Stardust" are intricate and moving, building into symphonic splendor. Coming from 2014's "Sacrificium" album, this song embodies everything that is so special about this genre of music and shows Xandria are equal to all of their peers in this field. Dianne often uses her hands to enhance the delivery and story telling, making sweeping gestures and looking up to the heavens. She mentioned that when they were eating pizza next door one of us fans bought her and their guitarist fresh baked cookies. She joked that Kobra from the supporting act always asked what she was thinking about when looking up and she said "Cookies... Now you know". Up next was the forceful and dark "We Are Murderers (We All)" from the new release. This song stands out on the album as it has a harsher male vocal presence that underlies Dianne's beautiful melodic voice but firmly punctuates the heavy message this song brings. Their set was so full of remarkable material it is really hard to pick a favorite but one that definitely is a contender is "The Undiscovered Land" from the "Sacrificium" album. I am not sure if this is based on Conan the Barbarian or not but has a lot of similarities in the story and could easily be the bard's tale of his origin and legacy. One song that is definitely in the top of their repertoire is "Death To The Holy" from "Theater of Dimensions". It is a call to shed the shackles of the religions that have led the world to war and are influenced by greed and power seekers. They closed out the main set with "Nightfall" from "Sacrificium" and "Cursed" from "Neverworld's End". After a short break and the intimate crowd putting out far higher decibel cheering than their numbers would imply, Dianne returned to the stage. She said that it was left to her to give us the bad news that the show was nearly done but they did have two more songs for us. First up for the encore was definitely my favorite song of the night and resounded in my head long after the show ended. "Burn Me" is a stand out song from the new album and a great starting point if you are checking them out for the first time. They concluded the spectacular set with "Valentine" from "Neverworld's End" before the band came forward to take a bow and then crouch down to get a picture with the audience behind them. It was an amazing performance and I cannot recommend Xandria highly enough. If you like Epica, Nightwish, Sirenia, or any of the other symphonic metal bands of this nature then you will absolutely love Xandria.








































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