Xandria Stretch Symphonic Metal to Its Limits on 'Eclipse'

German symphonic metal band Xandria released their 11-track album 'Eclipse' through Napalm Records, with the single "Colours" showcasing vocalist Ambre Vourvahis moving between operatic soprano and extreme-metal growls within a single song.

"Colours" opens with a classical choir and thunderous guitars behind Vourvahis, whose rapid shifts between vocal styles give the track a constantly changing emotional character. A large classical choir supplies the foundation while modern riffs and orchestral flourishes unfold, giving the composition the feel of a film told entirely through music.

Guitarist and principal songwriter Marco Heubaum frames "Colours" as an introduction to the range running through the whole record. "Different voices, different perspectives, different emotions," he said, describing the variety that makes the album exciting to him.

What does the album actually contain?

Across 'Eclipse', Xandria combine classic 1980s-inspired metal riffs with contemporary low-tuned guitars, Celtic folk instrumentation, electronic textures and orchestral arrangements on the scale of a major fantasy film. One guitar solo draws on Pink Floyd rather than conventional metal vocabulary.

The cinematic instincts come naturally to Heubaum, whose musical imagination was shaped by film composers Hans Zimmer and John Williams. For 'Eclipse', the band worked with Hollywood film composers Lukas Geppert and Ishaan Tyagi on the orchestration, and the Sofia Session Orchestra & Choir contributed the sweeping textures associated with major film and television productions.

The guest list adds further cross-genre combinations:

• Ally Storch, violinist with Subway to Sally, appears on "Lore".
• Celtic musician McAlbi plays tin whistle and low whistle on "The Shannon's Home," "Northstar," "Masquerade" and "Lore."
• "The Last Generation" features a children's choir and piano by Richard Z. Wang, a Hollywood musician who has worked at Hans Zimmer's studio.

Who is in the band, and why does the chart position matter?

The current lineup consists of Heubaum on guitar and keyboards, Vourvahis on vocals, Robert Klawonn on guitar and Dimitrios on drums. Their previous album, 'The Wonders Still Awaiting', reached No. 9 on the German album chart, and the band has spent 30 years exploring the possibilities of symphonic metal.

What does this change for the listener? 'Eclipse' argues that symphonic metal can absorb Hollywood orchestration, Celtic folk and electronic textures without losing coherence, and the band states that the record also reflects their belief in empathy, understanding and the importance of different perspectives — ideas that give the album an emotional foundation beneath its large-scale arrangements.

"Colours" condenses that ambition. Every vocal shift, guitar passage and choral entrance adds another dimension, producing a song that is ambitious, melodic and theatrical at once.

'Eclipse' tracklist

1. "Syzygy"
2. "Eclipse"
3. "Colours"
4. "The Shannon's Home"
5. "The Grand Delusion"
6. "Wave of Tanis"
7. "Northstar"
8. "Masquerade"
9. "The Last Generation"
10. "The Poetry of the Real World"
11. "Lore"

'Eclipse' is available now through Napalm Records, and it finds Xandria, three decades into their career, pushing their genre's boundaries with what the band clearly regards as unfinished ambition.