Best of 2014: Sacrificium by Xandria

Xandria: Sacrificium

Up until this year, the name Xandria barely registered under my radar. That all changed until I heard their new album Sacrificium by the German metal band. I love gothic/symphonic metal but a lot of it can sound awfully generic and monotonous (i.e Lacuna Coil). If there is one band out there that can come close to sounding like Nightwish when Tarja was still in the band, Xandria would be that band.  As a first time listener, I really enjoy listening to Dianne van Giersbergen. She definitely has a voice that matches Tarja Turunen's timbre and to hear that in another singer other than Tarja is pretty astonishing (at least to me). I didn't think anyone could possess a voice that could come close to Tarja Turunen's.

The first time I listened to Sacrificium, the CD was a copy I borrowed from the library and it didn't take me very long to decided that I needed my own copy. The music has enough melodies and aggressive guitar riffs to satisfy this picky music listener. Every time I would listen to this album (at home or at work) I would try to find something wrong with the album but I just can't. To me, Sacrificium is flawless. All of the songs are fantastic. I especially love "Dreamkeeper" and "Come With Me" which both songs have a Nightwish quality to them.  I hope the band keeps Dianne around for a very long time. I love her vocals. This album is easily one of my top 5 favorite metal releases from 2014 hands down. I listen to this album a lot and I have yet to get sick of it.

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