XANDRIA · Neverworld's End | CD

CD in jewel case.

Background information about 'Neverworld's End'

Neverworld's End is where Xandria finally let the whole symphonic metal machine roar at full tilt. Originally released in 2012, this is the record that introduced Manuela Kraller behind the microphone, and you can hear the band grabbing the moment with both hands. The guitars churn and gallop, the orchestrations swell like a storm front rolling over a cathedral, and the choruses land with that gloriously over-the-top, fist-in-the-air payoff that makes this corner of metal so addictive. It is dramatic, yes, but it is dramatic on purpose, and it never once feels like a costume.

What keeps it working is the balance. There are the galloping, power-metal-tinged sprint numbers, the mid-tempo crushers built around thick riffs and layered choirs, and the quieter passages where a piano or a lone voice carries the weight before everything crashes back in. Kraller's voice is the real story here, soaring and operatic one minute, venomous and biting the next, and she gives these songs a personality that sticks long after the last note fades. The production is big and cinematic without turning into a wall of mud, which is no small feat when you are stacking symphonics on top of a metal band.

For anyone who grew up on the golden era of this sound, Neverworld's End is a reminder of why it hit so hard in the first place.

For fans of:
Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica, Delain, After Forever

Track listing

1. A Prophecy Of Worlds To Fall
2. Valentine
3. Forevermore
4. Euphoria
5. Blood On My Hands
6. Soulcrusher
7. The Dream Is Still Alive
8. The Lost Elysion
9. Call Of The Wind
10. A Thousand Letters
11. Cursed
12. The Nomad's Crown

Manufacturer: Napalm Records Handels GmbH, Hammerplatz 2, 8790 Eisenerz, Austria , Contact: napalmrecords.com