ALBUM REVIEW: Eclipse – Xandria
“Empathy was called a crime, but not in our name,” goes Colours, one of the lead tracks off XANDRIA’s ninth full-length, Eclipse. It’s one of many full-chested rebukes at the crumbling state of the world across the record. There ain’t any pulled punches here – the title track takes aim at ‘red caps’ – and from the get-go XANDRIA sound more confident than they have in a minute.
After recruiting Ambre Vourvahis for 2023’s The Wonders Still Awaiting and taking their latest iteration (of which there have been many) out on the road, the band have found some swagger. Almost without exception, Eclipse finds the band more sure of themselves than ever. The title track is the stuff of symphonic metal dreams, every second more dramatic than the last, and it sounds like a million dollars. The band have enlisted Hollywood composers to help them bring their vision to life, so when Eclipse rocks, it rocks, and when it soars, it’s outta here.
Following on from Eclipse, Colours is comparatively dialled back, but good luck getting its chorus out your head. On the surface, it’s a by-the-numbers rally cry, the type of track found on the cheesier side of symphonic metal. But nestled among a bunch of other songs all dreaming of a better tomorrow, it fits. Band leader Marco Heubaum has spent the last few years watching civilised society turn down a dark path, and whether it’s The Grand Delusion’s bile or the knowing cynicism of Masquerade, he’s seen enough. Here, he’s calling out nonsense and imagining something better, often with rousing results.
The Shannon’s Home has drawn comparisons to the Anette Olzon era of NIGHTWISH – hardly a bad thing – and those longing for the tuneful, folkier side of the genre will find much to be happy about here. Rearranged, Northstar’s refrain could be a lullaby. For longtime fans of the band, and the genre generally, these songs tap into comforting nostalgia. They sound like they have always been here. There’s something familiar about The Grand Delusion’s hook too, but it could be the swashbuckling strings or the SABATON-esque sense of urgency. Either way, the songs here hit with immediacy and elevate XANDRIA back to the top of the scene.
The impressive variety across the record inherently involves risk. Wave Of Tanis is the only tonal misstep, a song so extremely 80s it should come with shoulder pads. It’s not bad, but the rest of the album feels more of a piece. Given there are ballads, epics, ragers, and everything in between, it’s no mean feat to make them all feel part of the same whole.
Standout The Poetry Of The Real World is a life-affirming ode to the wonders of existence and all the lucky coincidences that led to us being here today. While there are public figures fixated on anger and division, Heubaum is desperate to remind us life is a miracle and we ought to cherish our brief time together. On eight-minute closer Lore, the band draw inspiration from Star Wars and its band of rebels fighting for no less than truth and the good of humanity. The whole thing is a roaring triumph and an utter delight.
Rating: 8/10
Eclipse is out now via Napalm Records.
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