In symphonic subgenre, there's obvious case of Nightwish whose male members have notoriously treated their first 2 singers like crap. They didn't respect Tarja's basic requirements on tour and then fired her via slanderous open letter when she planned to leave herself. Anette also had similar problems and found her own manager to deal with them and also got suddenly fired.

There's obvious contrast with Epica and Within Temptation which for 22 and 28 years respectively, never changed the singer. Simone, for one is respected by her bandmates and aren't too cheap to cater to her tour needs.

But then there's also Xandria which alienated many singers and Delain, whose founder arguably disrespected most of their members when he wanted to turn the band into solo project.

What other are known to treat their singer poorly?

I listened to Alga and Queen Dies this year for the first time and loved it. I wish to be in their live event someday. :)

Check out r3dplague, a solo project from Turkey blending Deathcore with symphonic, black, progressive, and folk vibes. The themes dive into philosophy and eco-anarchism, giving it a unique edge.

Definitely worth a listen if you like stuff that pushes boundaries.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7B8vz8D4onxyG3yDORpn5p?si=l5_muj0aROG89GHnMg8Egw

https://youtu.be/X5r3Iq8XC9g Quite a Therion-like with heavy metal elements.

They are normally categorized as Epic Music, but playing Live, they definitely accellerate into the Symphonic Metal realm with this professionally shot concert @ one of the world's biggest rock festivals. Classical meets Metal.

https://youtu.be/E4r0KjvIBEk?si=Qe8E0Uxl8mR7EbiR

Could just be because they’re the last two albums I added to my queue, but I noticed that both albums release by Delain and Xandria this month basically have a few new songs, then a bunch of live/arranged versions. Universal Tales has four new songs, Dance With The Devil basically has 2.

Not meant as a complaint, I’ll take any new music! Just an observation, or if it’s just me.

I saw Xandria with Sirenia tonight in Berlin, and it was a very nice evening. Both bands delivered an awesome show, but I was extremely surprised by how much Xandria has improved since I last saw them with Delain in 2023. The new line up is full of energy and joy on stage now, and especially Ambre has improved her singing and stage presence, she is one with the music now! The show was full of energy and they played most of their best songs! (And I catched a pic for the first time^^)

If you're thinking on buying a ticket for one of the remaining shows of the current Xandria + Sirenia Co-headline tour, DO IT!

I grew up a fundamentalist Christian, and have listened to a shit-ton of Christian Rock bands, including those not explicitly stated as such. I escaped (deconverted) a free years ago and have been enjoying lots of different symphonic metal and power metal bands lately. I came across Edge Of Paradise and at first liked it, but as someone who pays attention to the lyrics of nearly everything I listen to, I started to notice an awful lot of similarities between the lyrical messages of their songs and the kind of stuff I used to hear in stealthly Christian bands.

So let's hear it: for those who have heard this band, do you think they're Christian?

Symphonic death metal legends Septicflesh return to Brick by Brick next year in support of their forthcoming EP 🤘💞 Grab your Valentine for this super stacked Feb. 14, 2025 show with support from Vltimas + Ex Deo - tix on sale now! https://www.ticketweb.com/event/septicflesh-with-special-guests-at-brick-by-brick-tickets/13998003?pl=brickbybrick&REFID=clientsitewp