Review: Xandria - Theater of Dimensions | |||||||
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Theater of Dimensions | |||||||
Label: Napalm Records Year released: 2017 Duration: 1:14:25 Tracks: 13 Genre: Symphonic Metal Rating: Review online: March 6, 2017 Reviewed by: MetalMike |
Readers' Rating How do you rate this release? Rated 3.57/5 (71.43%) (7 Votes)
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Review | |||||||
Xandria has been one of my favorite female-fronted Symphonic Metal bands for a while, especially in the wake of their superlative 2014 release Sacrificium. That said, I was eagerly awaiting their latest release, the expansive Theater of Dimensions. Let's get the basics out of the way. Vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen is the preeminent female singer right now and if anything is even more impressive on Theater of Dimensions as she stretches her already amazing voice further into the operatic realm. Tarja who? The rest of the band delivers equally impressive performances across the album's 70+ minutes of music. And that's where the album starts to lose me. It's too long. I know that sounds like a weird complaint but do we really need 2-3 songs with uilleann pipes that sound like "The Islander"? Another 14+ minute track with spoken word breaks and goofy carnival music like something from Nightwish's Imaginaerum? Speaking of that album, Theater of Dimensions reminds me an awful lot of Dark Passion Play, both in length and songwriting. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but do we really need it again? Theater of Dimensions is a fine album, all my complaints aside. Xandria is still one of the top Symphonic Metal bands of the day and if you love Nightwish, Edenbridge, After Forever and the like, you will certainly like it. I'm just disappointed they chose to cover ground that's been covered before and produce an album I feel like I've already heard. |
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More about Xandria... | |||||||
Review: Fire & Ashes (reviewed by MetalMike) Review: Neverworld's End (reviewed by MetalMike) Review: Sacrificium (reviewed by MetalMike) | |||||||
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