Xandria

History

Xandria was started as a project band in 1997 in Bielefeld, Germany by Marco Heubaum, the band's main composer and at the time vocalist, and a friend to play drums, but quickly disbanded after recording one demo.

The band was restarted with a different line-up in 1999. Marco stepped down from the role of vocalist and was joined by local musician Roland Krueger on bass. In 2000, they recorded one demo that was released on the internet and after its release current drummer Gerit Lamm joined the band. The female vocalist that recorded the demo left the band to follow other plans and was replaced by Lisa Schaphaus. At the same time, writing of the debut album started.

In 2002, the band signed to Drakkar Records and was joined by current lead guitarist Philip Restemeier. As work on the debut album progressed, the band started playing shows in and around Bielefeld. In the winter of 2002, the band entered the studio to record their debut album Kill the Sun. They released Kill the Sun in May 2003, and it reached No. 98 on the German music charts. To promote the album, the band played a few shows with Schandmaul and Subway to Sally. Then they went on a three-week tour of Germany with Tanzwut.

After playing some festivals in support of Kill the Sun, the band started writing their sophomore album. Recording of the album began in December 2003 at Pleasure Park Studios, with producer José Alvarez-Brill. Production on the album was finished in February 2004. Shortly after the recordings were completed, bassist Roland Krueger left the band and was replaced by Nils Middelhauve. Ravenheart was released on May 24, 2004, and it stayed on the charts for seven weeks, reaching No. 36.

In 2005 they released their third album, India, which reached No. 30 on the German charts. Xandria began recording their fourth album, Salomé – The Seventh Veil, on December 14, 2006. It was released on May 25, 2007 and reached No. 41 on the German charts.

Lisa Middelhauve (neé Schaphaus) resigned on April 30, 2008 citing personal reasons and discomfort in being the band's frontwoman. The band found a new singer in February 2009, Kerstin Bischof a.k.a. Lakonia, best known for her collaborations with the band Axxis. However, after just one year Kerstin Bischof decided to leave the band to concentrate on a different career, and Middelhauve replaced her for a series of concerts in Summer 2010. On December 19, 2010, Xandria announced the addition of 29-year-old female singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks. Manuela Kraller made her live debut at the "Classic Meets Pop" event on January 7, 2011 at the Seidensticker Halle in Bielefeld, Germany.

On February 24, 2012, Neverworld's End was released. It was the only album Manuela Kraller had made with the band.

On February 5, 2013, the band announced on their website and Facebook page their new bass player Steven Wussow, along with the message that they would have entered the studio again for their next studio album the same year.

As of October 25, 2013, the band announced on their website that Kraller had left the band to pursue a different career and announced Dutch Ex Libris singer Dianne van Giersbergen as their new vocalist. Sacrificium was released in the following year. The year after, the band released their first EP titled Fire & Ashes on July 31, 2015.

Their new album, Theater of Dimensions was released on January 27, 2017. Xandria are set to begin their first headlining tour in North America with Kobra and the Lotus and Once Human on May 2017.

Singles

¹ Limited edition

Promo singles

¹ As Xandria vs. Jesus on Extasy

Current members

Former members