A breath of oriental magic, a slight touch of disreputableness, and the promise of a secret about to be revealed – these associations are conjured up whenever the dance of the seven veils is mentioned, be it in the title of the new Xandria opus, “Salomé – The Seventh Veil”, in connection with Herodias’ daughter, or with her legendary predecessors. The Persian goddess Ishtar is said to have performed this fabled dance to bring her husband, Tammuz, back from the underworld. Seven veils had to fall before her wish was fulfilled. Isis is also associated with the sevenfold unveiling. And didn’t Xandria’s 2003 debut, “Kill The Sun”, include a track entitled “Isis/Osiris”? The band surrounding vocalist Lisa Middelhauve have obviously always had a penchant for myths with an exotic flair.

When the band from Bielefeld, Germany, made straight for the album charts, carried by a Celtic breeze on the black wings of “Ravenheart”, that mythical element accompanied them. “Ravenheart” stayed in the charts for a whole two months, climbing to no. 36 and entrancing an ever-growing fan community with a fantasy video clip to support the title track. Various tours and festival appearances followed, including a number of shows in South Korea. Xandria had made it into the top league of German gothic acts! But instead of resting on their laurels, relying on their tried and tested recipe for success, the quintet headed for new pastures with their third album release, “India”. Be it on the title track, an orchestral uptempo number in true Nightwish tradition, or, supported by oriental vocals, on their pop-oriented excursions to adjoining stylistic landscapes – the group presented themselves as confident, mature and determined to use their emotive alternatives to mundane everyday life to the full, without exercising any kind of stylistic self-censorship – be it through their collaboration with the Babelsberg film orchestra, which added a considerable measure of quasi-cineastic bombast, or through an increased focus on that rocky guitar sound that marks the quintet’s shows. “Salomé – The Seventh Veil”, produced under the direction of guitarist Marco Heubaum in collaboration with the other band members, sees Xandria reveal even more surprising facets, without losing sight of the central themes of their previous oeuvre. “Sisters Of The Light” with its Middle-Eastern pop leanings is strongly recommended to all oriental dance aficionados. “Vampire” or “Emotional Man”, on the other hand, come through the speakers just as vehemently and seductively, combining between driving guitars and haunting melodies all the strengths of the predecessor albums. The latter (as well as “Only For The Stars In Your Eyes”) is additionally supported by guest vocalist Mika Tauriainen’s (Entwine) vocals. Talking of vocals: Lisa displays an increasing tendency to use the lower register of her voice, which decidedly expands the expressive range of the new Xandria material. The powerful performance enhances tender moments such as the haunting piano ballad, “The Wind And The Ocean” even further through contrasting elements.