Xandria Album: “Ravenheart”

Finally! A band who is not too trendy with the muppet slurs and cookie monster growlings! In short, Xandria is a group with highly skilled musicians. The keyboards compliment the lead singer's vocals very well. The only letdown is the singer's voice which is too soft on some tracks and I had a heard time actually understanding what she was saying. Perhaps the vocal tracks on each song should be turned up in their recording studio.

She has an atmospheric, pleasant voice. However, the band needs to be careful not to make her vocals too soft. Don't let that stop you from buying an amazing album.

I rate this a 5 star cd!

I first got into this type of music through a friend of mine from work. She recommended me to check out Lacuna Coil (more alternative then Xandria and a great band too) and then the you-tube searches began. I then happened onto Ravenheart. It didn't take me long to like this song...in fact, I love how the bands puts this together and Lisa looks absolutely beautiful.

Now for the CD, of all the bands I've discovered, I find Xandria the most interesting and unique. This CD has a strong classical undertone (whether it be Euro classic or Arabic) and it mixes in well with the guitar clash. Very melodic, and mixed in with Lisa's vocals creates a very atmospheric mood. I agree with the reviews about Eversleeping is a song I'll remember for a long time and is easily one of my favorite ballads from any band. The experimentation with musical arrangements reminds me more of a throw back from the early 70s (and that is a compliment-when music rapidly expanded in style and form).

Bottom line..while all the "symphonic/gothic" metal bands suffer from similarities...this one is different enough musically to separate it from the majority of the stuff you hear. It is also one of the few CDs that I like top to bottom..and that's saying a lot. Highly recommended.

I got this CD after seeing the music video for Ravenheart on YouTube. I found the music and lyrics to be both different and enchanting. Some of the songs became immediate favorites on the first listen - Ravenheart, Eversleeping, Back to the River - while others took a couple more times before I realized I liked them - The Lioness, My Scarlet Name, Keep My Secret Well. In the end, I really liked almost every song on the album, which is very rare for me. The singer has a beautiful, rich voice, which is most evident in my favorite track, Eversleeping, a beautiful melodic ballad. I've gotten every Xandria CD I could get my hands on and this one has still remained my favorite of them all.

I found this artist through recommendations for Within Temptation fans. It is a rather different style of music than Within Temptation, but it does have the lovely female vocals and interesting lyrics, the two things I really like about Within Temptation. I can't say for sure if Within Temptation fans in general would like Xandria, but I love Within Temptation and I like Xandria, if that is any help :)

fantastic album, I really love it! Great for relaxing and enjoying a great drive with the top down. Great lyrics and instruments in every track.

then go to the German Amazon site which ends in '.de' instead of '.com' and search for Xandria. And there is of course You Tube. I haven't bought the album yet so I can't say much about it, but it sounds quite promising.

Sorry, if this is not a "real" review.