Xandria is a German symphonic metal band, founded by Marco Heubaum in 1994.
The band's music combines elements of symphonic metal with light electronic
elements. After various demos and great success on
different MP3 portals, they released their first album in 2003, entitled Kill
the Sun, which reached No. 98 on the German music charts. The follow-up
album, Ravenheart, stayed on the charts for seven weeks, reaching No. 36. In
2005 they released their third album, India, which reached No. 30 on the
German charts. Xandria began recording their fourth album, Salomé – The Seventh
Veil, on December 14, 2006. It was released on May 25, 2007 and reached No.
41 on the German charts. Lisa Middelhauve resigned on April 30,
2008 citing personal reasons and discomfort in being the band's
frontwoman. The band found a new singer in February 2009, Kerstin Bischof a.k.a.
Lakonia, best known for her collaborations with the band Axxis.
However, after just one year Kerstin Bischof decided to leave the band to
concentrate on a different career, and Middelhauve replaced her for a series of
concerts in Summer 2010. On December 19, 2010, Xandria announced the addition of
29-year-old female singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks. Manuela
Kraller made her live debut at the "Classic Meets Pop" event on January 7,
2011 at the Seidensticker Halle in Bielefeld, Germany.
On 5 February the band announced on their website and Facebook page their
new bass player Steven Wussow, along with the message that they will enter
the studio again for their next studio album the same year. Neverworld's End
was released on February 24, 2012. As of 25 October 2013, the band
announced on their website that Manuela Kraller had left the band to pursue a
different career and announced Dutch Ex Libris singer Dianne van Giersbergen as
their new vocalist. History
= Early Years and Kill the Sun= Xandria was started as a project band in
1994 by Marco Heubaum, the bands main composer and at the time vocalist, and a
friend to play drums, but quickly disbanded after recording one demo.
The band was restarted with a different line-up in 1999. Marco stepped down from
the role of vocals and was joined by local musician Roland Krueger on bass.
In 2000, the band recorded one demo that was released to the internet, then was
joined by current drummer Gerit Lamm. The female vocalist that recorded the
demo left the band to follow other plans, and the band was joined by
vocalist Lisa Schaphaus, and writing of the debut album started.
In 2002, the band signed to Drakkar Records and was joined by current lead
guitarist Philip Restemeier. As work on the debut album progressed, shows in and
around Bielefeld began. In the winter of 2002, the band entered the studio to
record their debut album Kill the Sun. In early 2003, the title track of the
debut album was released as a single. Kill the Sun was released on May 5, 2003
through Drakkar Records and charted on the German Album Top 100. To promote the
album the band played a few shows with Schandmaul and Subway to Sally. They
then went on a three week tour of Germany with Tanzwut
= Ravenheart and Bassist Change= After playing some festivals in support
of Kill the Sun, the band went into writing their sophomore album. Recording
of the album began in December 2003 at PLeasurepark Studios, with producer José
Alvarez-Brill. Production on the album was finished in February 2004. Shortly
after the recordings were completed, bassist Roland Krueger left the band and
was replaced by Nils Middelhauve. In the spring of 2004, the title track
of the band’s sophomore album was released as the album’s lead single.
Ravenheart was released on May 24, 2004, only a year after the release of Kill
the Sun. Discography
= Albums= = Compilation albums=
= EPs= = Demos=
= Singles= 1 Limited edition
Promo singles 1 As Xandria vs. Jesus on Extasy
Members = Current members=
Marco Heubaum – guitar, keyboards Gerit Lamm – drums
Philip Restemeier – guitar Steven Wussow – bass
Dianne van Giersbergen – vocals = Former members=
Niki Weltz – drums Manuel Vinke – guitar
Andreas Litschel – keyboards Nicole Tobien – vocals
Holger Vester – bass Jens Becker – guitar
Andreas Maske – guitar Roland Krueger – bass
Kerstin Bischof – vocals Lisa Middelhauve – vocals, piano
Nils Middelhauve – bass Manuela Kraller – vocals
= Timeline= References
External links Official website
Xandria on Facebook Xandria at Encyclopaedia Metallum
Now And Forever - Russian Fan Site