Visions Of Atlantis & Xandria live at The Underworld in London 2022

Once I enter the venue and make my way towards the stage, the first band of the evening has already started. It is the British symphonic metal band Serpentyne. Their music is a mix of folk, Celtic and metal, creating a diverse sound. The band combines symphonic elements with the female lead vocals of Meggiebeth Sand and their lyrics are centered around myths, legends, historical figures and folklore. Each song feels like an immersive listening experience with lyrics, music and talent coming together to perfection.

Their live performances are of a high level with a crisp and direct sound and a great capacity to engage with the audience. Meggiebeth has a unique of “enchanting” the audience by showcasing a dynamic range of vocals that match perfectly the intensity of the rest of the band.

Serpentyne is a metal band with a unique allure to their sound and their rising reputation speaks for itself. What a treat for your ears to have their opening and heating the crowd for the rest of the evening!

As we move on with the night, we now have a pirate band from Umea, Sweden, Ye Banished Privateers. Their songs are inspired by traditional Irish and Scandinavian folk music and their lyrics are mostly based on events that happened in the 17th and 18th centuries. They take you back about 300 years for an imaginary journey through the harsh life at sea and let me tell you I felt like I was on a pirate boat ready to sail towards some incredible adventures. All of this is topped up by them wearing historical pirate clothing and a little bit of acting to tell a story about how rough it was to live on the other side of the law and the fight against oppression and nationalism.

The mix of rude folk and punk music invites you to dance and sing along, while the gripping ballads will make your heart soft. It is impossible not to tap your feet on the ground while listening to them playing and it’s cool to see a lot of dedicated fans dressing up as pirates as well. This band is well-loved and most of the people in the room are singing along with them. What a unique experience!

The room is now really packed, with everyone standing in a little square of space and no time to move, but the night is still young and it’s now the time for the German symphonic metallers Xandria. The band has been active since the early 90s and has gone through various member changes till they found a new vocalist Ambre Vourvahis. Her dynamic range of vocal varies between angelic harmonies, powerful and classical chorus and harsh growls. The newly formed outfit, around band leader, main songwriter, composer and guitarist Marco Heubaum is ready to bring the band to the next level with renowned trademarks Xandria are loved for. Followed by modern and classic 80s-styled riffs, the band proves their musical versatility, showing that they do not follow any rules while incorporating death metal and operatic voices.

Xandria has an enormous presence on stage, even for a smaller venue like the Underworld, and fans are loving it. Ambre commands the stage from start to finish and keeps the audience captivated, which is not an easy thing to do.

The band returns today with more exciting facets than ever and their single, appropriately entitled “Reborn” is living proof that Xandria is stronger than ever and ready to keep taking you along a journey of exploring and inspiring the world of symphonic and heavy music. And now it is reborn!

The love that they are receiving tonight from new and old fans is so overwhelming that seeing a band speechless by it is rare and they show big signs of gratitude.

It is getting pretty late for a Tuesday evening, but everyone is super excited to see Austrian Symphonic Metal Masters and Visions Of Atlantis. The band was formed in 2000 and has had quite a handful of member changes throughout the years, with drummer Thomas Caser being the only original member. Now promoting their 8th full-length album, “Pirates”, which came out in May, they hit the stage with high energy that it’s instantly infectious and manage to capture every single person’s heart in the audience and not only the most dedicated fans.

The stunning vocal duets of Clementine Delauney’s powerful vocals and Michele Guaitoli (also part of the band Temperance), strong vocals thrilled the audience as they perform each song of the set. The whole band is extremely tight and their bond is noticeable during the whole performance. Visions Of Atlantis are renowned for their big swirling keyboards, big choruses and big lung capacities together with meaningful choruses and they do not fail to impress tonight. They are taking it to another level! The band invite us all to join them on a marvelous ride through intriguing soundscapes and hauntingly beautiful melodies along with smashing symphonic heaviness, that musically and lyrically embodies a form of transition and self-discovery.

Visions Of Atlantis are one of those band that you are probably not aware of, and I can tell you that you will be blown away by them the moment you witness their live “magic” I’m so happy I had the chance to be a part of all of it.

There are still a few dates remaining for this tour, so if they come near you, do yourself a favour and get a ticket!

Serpentyne Setlist: