LIVE REVIEW: Xandria @ The Asylum, Birmingham
XANDRIA have been ticking away in the background of the symphonic metal scene for over 20 years. With the release of their eighth studio album The Wonders Still Awaiting, Distorted Sound headed to a chilling night in Birmingham at The Asylum to check them out and see if we have been missing out on a hidden gem in the symphonic metal genre.
First up for the night is PHANTOM ELITE. Hailing from the Netherlands. It’s their first time on our shores and God we have been missing out. A great genre bending mix of modern, symphonic and progressive metal, they take the stage like a storm and really warming us up in this English chill. Marina La Torraca, is the voice of the band, and she really flexes her chops from low growls to hitting the high notes, all in one fell swoop. She dominates the stage and makes sure we, the crowd, have things to do, from nodding our heads to pumping our fists in the air. The band as a whole take their opening slot seriously and make sure we are not frosting over waiting for the headliner.
Even guitarist Max Van Esch takes centre stage for a few solos and gets the crowd cheering them on. Overall this was what an opener should be: fun, energetic and eager to leave a mark on their audience. This might be their first time here but people are going to remember them.
Rating: 9/10
SKARLETT RIOT are up next and they crank it up and bring a little bit of a punky edge to the night. Their brand of hard rock is infectious, with lots of energy on stage which pumps right through you. Chloe Drinkwater might have a hasher vocal range to PHANTOM ELITE but it’s a nice change and adds a nice variety to the evening. The crowd are loving it and Chloe Drinkwater even points out “its nice to see so many band shirts and so many of you come out so soon after our headline tour”. It is great to hear a band acknowledge this while playing the show and shows they have some dedicated fans out there.
Although calls for some moshing didn’t go down too well with no-one moving to start a pit, the crowd love banging their head but not their bodies. Even with this little hiccup, the crowd still join in with the classic “hey heys” when called upon. This was a great main support set, different enough from the other two bands that they stand out, but also similar enough that it all fits nicely in with them. With a brand new album on the horizon, we need to keep an eye on SKARLETT RIOT because soon they might be coming back and headlining the very same venue.
Rating: 8/10
XANDRIA don’t hold back. Doing the classic slow intro and walking on, they drop into You Will Never Be Our God to start their set off in a spectacular way. Ambre Vourvahis‘ vocals are angelic with a surprise touch of growls in there. It really is a feat to see a vocal range go from more operatic stylings into the unclean growls. This really shows off the range in a spectacular fashion bringing something different to the more classic vocal style of similar sounding bands.
Playing mostly songs from their new album, it really translates well to a live setting and brings arena level songs to a comparatively small venue for the sound and style, with tracks Death To The Holy and Reborn. Taking a dip in the set for an acoustic version of 2004’s Ravenheart. It’s a nice break from the dramatics of the rest of the show and great to hear how the band have changed over the years.
The crowd are enjoying it, nodding along and joining in with the “heys” whenever called to and with this style of band ,there are many moments for these parts to shine through. Ending the night off with My Curse Is My Redemption and fan favourite Valentine as mentioned by Ambre herself before heading in to the closing song.
The quintet hailing from Germany are criminally underrated and its actually surprising they aren’t playing larger venues, even as a support to bigger names like WITHIN TEMPTATION or NIGHTWISH. It’s genuinely a shame that the venue itself isn’t sold out because so many people would of walked away with happiness from seeing not just one great band but an all female-lead lineup. Fifteen years ago this would of been a rarity, but it’s great to see things changing for the better and seeing more women being involved with heavy music and standing tall at the head on a band and commanding the stage.
XANDRIA really are a hidden gem in the symphonic metal genre and tonight proved it. It will be great to see them again on UK shores, hopefully bringing a bigger show and even more great supports to give our English ears something new to listen too.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Birmingham from Serena Hill Photography here:
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