Mermaids on The Nile: Xandria Kills The Sun
By Christopher Paul Snyder
November 16, 2024
_________________________
OTHERWORLDLY THEMES (EAST & WEST)
Kill The Sun is highly unique. At a time when bands like Nightwish and Epica were embarking on worldwide tours, a band named Xandria was releasing their debut. For seven years Marco Heubaum had been pursuing a career in music to no avail. When he started the band in 1997, the group disbanded after recording their first demo. In 1999, Heubaum reclaimed his spark and found members to form a new version of his band Xandria. It took 4 years, but in 2003 the band released their debut album, Kill The Sun.
Never then nor now have I ever heard another album encompassed by the kinds of themes that this one does. The opening track immediately envisions a girl grabbing my hand transporting me with her to another time and place. A world of magic and wonder; of ancient Arabian architecture, and history and people. Travelling the sandy dunes and the palaces adrift in them.
The musical style is distinctly western. An early 2000’s symphonic metal group filled with electronic sounds, pianos and gently driving guitars. The lyrics, song titles and album cover are distinctly eastern; filled with themes from India and the Middle East. It’s the latter elements that make Xandria’s early years uniuqe. Never anywhere else have I heard these kinds of sounds merged with these lyrical ideas and that’s largely what makes this album so interesting.
Filled with mermaids, children from the depths beyond and seducteress woman drawing me into a trap. The ancient city of Casablanca, and the movie of the same name. The powerful middle eastern gods of Isis and Osiris, beautiful within the desert sands. Just as soon as they they come on stage, so they too dissapear into the sandstorm beyond.
GALLERY
The album cover for Xandria’s debut album from 2003. In total it took the band less then 3 months to write, record and release.
