Xandria, Serenity, Jaded Star – Hamburg 2016

It was a grey February day in Hamburg. Tour start of the Symphonic Metal Nights in Hamburg. Two great symphonic metal bands were together on Double Headliner Tour, Xandria and Serenity. As support was Jaded Star on board. At half past six in the evening I stood in front of the Logo in Hamburg and waited for the VIP entrance. After some time the doors were opened. It started a meet and greet with a difference. Each of the three bands played two songs in an acoustic version. For these performances, the fans already applauded a lot. Then souvenir photos were shot with the respective band. For me it was a reunion with excellent and very sympathetic musicians. More images of this evening can be seen on Flickr.
The regular part of the evening was opened by Jaded Star of Greece, founded in 2013 by singer Maxi Nil (ex Elysion, ex Visions of Atlantis) and drummer Raphael Saini (ex Iced Earth).  I could see Jaded Star already live at the Metal Female Voices Fest 2014. In April 2015, the debut album “Memories From The Future” from which seven songs were presented that evening, was released. The atmosphere in the well-stocked but not sold-out Logo was huge from the start. Unfortunately Raphael Saini couldn’t join the tour for personal reasons and therefore Kostas Matis stepped in.

Setlist Jaded Star

• Intro + The Mask
• Stars
• You’ll See
• Into The End Of Time
• Healing The Inner Child
• Keep On Fighting
• Wake Up

After a short break Serenity from Tyrol, Germany and Italy entered the stage. A few weeks ago, they released their terrific fifth album “Codex Atlanticus” and they played seven songs from that album. Guest singer Natascha Koch (Tasha) pressed the songs with her slightly bluesy voice on a special note. They harmonized perfectly with singer Georg Neuhauser. Due to the low ceiling height in the Logo, Georg had to stand stooped on the stage risers. But that did not spoil his good mood. And the fans were totally into it. Of course, the band wasn’t let go without encore.

Setlist Serenity

• Intro + Codex Atlanticus
• Follow Me
• Sprouts Of Terror
• Royal Pain
• Iniquity
• My Final Chapter
• The Perfect Woman
• Heavenly Mission
• Spirit In The Flesh
• Legacy Of Tudors
• Serenade Of Flames
• Encore
• Caught In A Myth
• Velatum

On the FemME II in Eindhoven they had cancel their gig short dated due to health reasons. Now they were alive and kicking on the stage of the logo. Xandria from Bielefeld was founded in 1994, after a three year break, they continued in 2000. Since then, the band released six studio albums. Especially at the micro, there were several line-up changes. Since 2013 Dianne van Giersbergen (no relation to Anneke van Giersbergen) is the singer of the band. With her clear soprano voice the Dutchwoman is one of the best in their profession for me. The majority of the songs came from the 2014-released album “Sacrificium” and the EP “Fire & Ashes”. One of the highlights for me was the new version of “Ravenheart”, one of the biggest hits of the band’s history. As an encore Xandria presented then “Valentine”. What a magnificent end of the evening.

Setlist Xandria

• Little Red Relish
• Unembraced
• Nightfall
• Blood On My Hands
• Forevermore
• Call Of The Wind
• Dreamkeeper
• The Undiscovered Land
• Stardust
• Ravenheart 2.0
• Voyage Of The Fallen
• Cursed
• Encore
• Valentine

What a fantastic evening. That was symphonic metal of the highest class. Four outstanding singers, great musicians. And the logo was very well attended. The fans celebrated all bands excessively and thanked with much applause. Unfortunately I had to leave immediately after the end of the show, in order to catch the last city train. I’m already looking forward to the next shows.
Thanks to my son for his help with the translation.