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German symphonic metal icon Xandria finally announced their upcoming new studio album, The Wonders Still Awaiting, out on the 3rd of February 2023 via Napalm Records. The legendary German band, founded by mastermind Marco Heubaum, introduces its new line-up after six years of silence. Their first European tour and previous singles proved once and for all that this new arrangement is more than just convincing. With a breath of fresh air and immense talent, Xandria re-ascend to the top of the genre, unveiling all wonders still awaiting.
The five-piece has finally released their new single, "Ghosts", together with a colourful music video that perfectly encompasses the mood of the multifaceted album. Vocalist Ambre Vourvahis showcases her creativity as a songwriter and her incredible vocal talent - ranging from angelic chants to haunting growls.
Xandria on "Ghosts" and the new album: "'Ghosts' actually started as a reminiscence to good old Swedish melodic death metal and with that archetypical guitar riff that you hear right in the beginning. And then we integrated it into our Xandria soundscape with lots of film score atmosphere and big choirs, because it was exciting to mix these elements and do our own thing with it (still we kept the working title "Swedish Fire" for a long time...). It is a good example for how diverse the new album will be and how many different influences we were putting into it. We had a lot of things - little musical dreams - in our minds and hearts that we wanted to realize, and along with what you already heard in the first two new songs this is just one of them. There will be quite some more surprises coming..."
The Wonders Still Awaiting marks the first record presenting new vocalist Ambre Vourvahis, Robert Klawonn (guitars), Tim Schwarz (bass) and Dimitrios Gatsios (drums). Presenting 13 songs in total, Xandria's sound emerges harder, darker and more epic than ever before, but holds an intimate setting and range of emotions at the same time. Rich in different styles and genres, the massive album resembles that of a blockbuster movie score at each and every turn - sending its listener on an exciting journey to experience a world of sound never heard before in the universe of Xandria. This is further brought to life by a 40-piece classical choir, authentic Celtic instruments performed by renowned musicians, and delicate violin and cello contributions from Subway To Sally's Ally Storch. The new record is topped by the Bulgarian National Radio Children's Choir, which marks the first collaboration of this kind in the band's history, while none other than Lukas Knöbl is responsible for the orchestrations on The Wonders Still Awaiting - known for working with Hollywood greats like Roland Emmerich, for example. Each song's colossal soundscapes and cinematic nature create a story that rapidly unfolds in the listener's imagination.
The impressive vocal wealth of Ambre Vourvahis - ranging from rock grit, operatic highs and even death metal growls - opens the unit's sound to a wider palette of colours. Songs like the opening epic "Two Worlds", "The Wonders Still Awaiting" and "Ghosts" manifest the thematic mood of the album while constructing incredible soundscapes of pure symphonic metal. Watch the beautiful new video for "Ghosts" below. Previously released "You Will Never Be Our God" and "Reborn" are over HERE and HERE. Link
The Wonders Still Awaiting tracklist:
01. Two Worlds
02. Reborn
03. You Will Never Be Our God (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
04. The Wonders Still Awaiting
05. Ghosts
06. Your Stories I'll Remember
07. My Curse Is My Redemption
08. Illusion Is Their Name
09. Paradise
10. Mirror Of Time
11. Scars
12. The Maiden And The Child
13. Astèria
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