India (Xandria album)

India is the third studio album by German symphonic metal band Xandria. It was released on August 22, 2005 via Drakkar Entertainment label.[1] The album also released one single, "In Love with the Darkness".

India
Studio album by Xandria
Released	August 22, 2005
Recorded	Pleasurepark Studios, Belgium December 2004 - June 2005
Genre	Power metal
Length	51:58
Label	Drakkar Entertainment
Producer	José Alvarez-Brill
Xandria chronology
Ravenheart (2004) India (2005) Salomé – The Seventh Veil (2007)
Singles from India
"In Love with the Darkness" Released: 2005

In comparison with its predecessor Ravenheart, the album presents a larger variety of musical ideas and a more powerful and dynamic sound, a clear progression for the band.[2] The album features the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg and several guest musicians: the Irish folk band Sceal Eile, musicians and the female singer of the band Lyriel and the Australian Grant Stevens.

The producer José Alvarez-Brill is the same of Ravenheart. The recordings took place with some interruptions used for further song writing and arranging from December 2004 to June 2005.[3] The album was released on August 22, 2005 and reached #30 in the German album charts.[4]

Concept

Christopher Columbus wanted to reach the goal of finding a new sea route to India. He never discovered it, but something just as important—America. Just like he sailed westwards filled with his goal, we are striving for our goals in life, maybe even for our one and only goal. And often we find, like Columbus, something completely different on our way, something that is new, that becomes important to us. India stands for this one goal, as a symbol for what we are looking for and maybe do not find at all—but something completely different instead.[5]

Writing the songs, we noticed that many of the words describe points on this journey, on this quest. Be it disappointments, love, struggles, decisions we have to take. And thus it was logical to frame the songs by both title tracks "India" and "Return to India", because by doing this we take a musical trip through them as well.

Marco Heubaum statement on the Xandria Official Site[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"India"	Marco Heubaum	Heubaum	5:17
2.	"Now & Forever"	Heubaum	Heubaum	3:20
3.	"In Love with the Darkness"	Lisa Middelhauve, Nils Middelhauve	L. Middelhauve, Heubaum, N. Middelhauve	3:49
4.	"Fight Me"	Heubaum	Heubaum	3:37
5.	"Black and Silver"	L. Middelhauve, N. Middelhauve	L. Middelhauve, Heubaum	3:56
6.	"Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"	L. Middelhauve	L. Middelhauve	4:25
7.	"Widescreen"	N. Middelhauve	Heubaum	4:15
8.	"The End of Every Story"	Heubaum	Heubaum, Philip Restemeier	4:54
9.	"Who We Are (And Who We Want to Be)"	L. Middelhauve	L. Middelhauve	4:17
10.	"Dancer"	Heubaum	Heubaum	3:50
11.	"Winterhearted"	L. Middelhauve, N. Middelhauve	L. Middelhauve, Heubaum, Restemeier	4:18
12.	"Return to India"	N. Middelhauve	N. Middelhauve	6:00
13.	"Lullaby" (bonus track)			2:43
Total length:				54:41

Personnel

Xandria

• Lisa Middelhauve – vocals
• Marco Heubaum – guitar, keyboards
• Philip Restemeier – guitar
• Nils Middelhauve – bass
• Gerit Lamm – drums

Additional musicians

• Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg – conducted by Bernd Wefelmeyer
• Jessica Thierjung (Lyriel) – vocals on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"
• Grant Stevens – spoken words and additional vocals on "India"
• Linda Laukamp (Lyriel) – solo cello on "The End of Every Story" and "Winterhearted"
• Gert Neumann (Sceal Eile) – guitar and mandolin on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"
• Jens Barabasch (Sceal Eile) – whistles and gaita on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"
• Johannes Schiefner (Sceal Eile) – uilleann pipes and keyboards on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"
• Stefan Lammert (Sceal Eile) – percussion on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"
• Volker Kamp (Sceal Eile) – kontrabass on "Like a Rose on the Grave of Love"

Production

• José Alvarez-Brill – producer, engineer, mixing, keyboards
• Tomas Gwosdz – assistant engineer
• Michael Schubert – engineer
• Nicolas Nohn – orchestral arrangements and direction
• Eroc – mastering

Texte

„India“ bezieht sich offenkundig auf die Zeit der Entdeckungsfahrten, als die Seefahrer ins Unbekannte segelten und auf große Schätze hofften. „Return to India“ lässt dann den alt gewordenen Entdecker noch einmal zurückblicken. Nun empfindet er den einstigen Traum als Sackgasse. „In love with the darkness“ erklärt die Vorliebe für die Dunkelheit damit, dass sie die Sorgen des Tages auf sanfte Weise wegnimmt. „Who we are and who we want to be“ denkt über das Leben und die Beziehungen nach und äußert den Wunsch, noch einmal von vorne anzufangen. Zugleich wird aber bezweifelt, dass der Mut dazu vorhanden ist. „Fight me“ spricht von einer namenlosen Kraft, die das Gesicht stehlen will. In „Black and silver“ bezeichnet sie sich als Traum, als Märchen, als endlose Suche und heiligen Gral. „Lullaby“ drückt die Liebe zum Geliebten und den Wunsch nach einer verlässlichen und dauerhaften Partnerschaft aus, und auch danach, dass die Dämonen aus der Vergangenheit verschwinden. „Winterhearted“ erklärt das Scheitern einer Beziehung damit, dass der Partner kalt wie Eis gewesen sei.

References

1. "Xandria – India". discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
2. "XANDRIA - India" (in Italian). Rock Impressions.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
3. "Xandria - India". Metal-Archives.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
4. "India chart" (in German). Musicline.de. Archived from the original on 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
5. "Xandria discography" (in German). Xandria Official Site. Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2010-04-24.

External links

• Album reviews on metal-archives.com
• Official discography on xandria.de