Ex Libris (Latin for from the books) is a Dutch

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band founded in 2004 by

Dianne van Giersbergen Dianne van Giersbergen (born 3 June 1985) is a Dutch spinto soprano singer. She is the founder and frontwoman of the progressive metal band Ex Libris,Erwin Van Dijk, Sept. 2012, Ex LibrisInterview : Dianne van Giersbergen – Ex Libris (2010) ...

and Joost van de Pas.

History

Formation (2003)

Ex Libris formed in 2003 in the Netherlands. Operatic soprano

leads the band. In 2004, with the addition of guitarist Paul van den Broek and keyboardist Koen Stam, the band's name changed from Erinyen to Ex Libris.

''Drawn'' demo and debut album ''Amygdala'' (2005–2008)

In 2005, they released a 4-song demo ''Drawn''. They started playing more shows and bassist Peter den Bakker joined the band while recording their debut album. ''Amygdala'' was released in 2008, featuring demo tracks from ''Drawn'', "Dawn of Sugars" and "Breath with Me". The album was well received. Ex Libris supported shows with other Dutch symphonic metal bands such as

Epica Epica or EPICA may refer to: * Epica (band) Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica ha ...

Stream of Passion Stream of Passion is a Dutch progressive metal band with symphonic and gothic influences founded by guitarist and composer Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Mexican singer, violinist, and lyricist Marcela Bovio. They have released four studio albums. In ...

and

ReVamp Revamp may refer to: Changes *Revamp, informal term for maintenance, repair, and operations *Revamp, informal term for editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic m ...

. They played abroad, in Germany, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom (with

Delain Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band formed in 2002 by former Within Temptation keyboardist Martijn Westerholt, intending for the band to be solely a project. Singer Charlotte Wessels was invited to join in 2005. The name of the band comes ...

Line-up changes and ''Medea'' (2011–2014)

In 2011, Ex Libris returned to the studio and recorded a three-track demo "Medea" for their upcoming album. In 2013 drummer Joost van de Pas was replaced by Eelco van der Meer, who toured with

in 2012. Around the same time, Dianne became the new front-woman for German symphonic metal band

Xandria Xandria is a German symphonic metal band founded by Marco Heubaum in 1994. Originally a project, Heubaum later restarted the project as a band in 1999, and has gone through various lineup changes. The German vocalist Lisa Middelhauve joined fo ...

, right after the departure of

Manuela Kraller Manuela Kraller (born 1 August 1981) is a German soprano singer. She is best known as the former lead singer of symphonic metal band Xandria from late 2010 until late 2013. She was formerly one of the soprano vocalists in the symphonic metal ba ...

, without leaving Ex Libris. The new album ''Medea'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. So ...

about the Greek tragedy of

Medea In Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the ...

and her lover

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

. The album was funded via an IndieGogo campaign with the goal of €2,000 which was successful and passed the goal with €3,549. The album was released independently in January 2014. In June 2014, drummer Eelco van der Meer departed.

''Ann'' (2017–present)

Ex Libris began work on their third studio album, a metal trilogy called ''Ann''. It was divided into three chapters, each one about a different Ann that lived in different times and places, sharing the same fate – death. The first chapter, called ''Anne Boleyn'' was released on 1 August 2018. The second one, called ''Anastasia Romanova'' was released on 15 March 2019. The third and final chapter, called ''Anne Frank'' was released on 15 November 2019 along with the complete edition with all three EPs.

Discography

;Demos *''Drawn'' (2005) *''

'' (2011) Studio albums *''Amygdala'' (2008) *''

'' (2014) * ''Ann (2019)'' ** ''Chapter 1: Anne Boleyn'' (2018) ** ''Chapter 2: Anastasia Romanova'' (2019) ** ''Chapter 3: Anne Frank'' (2019)

Members

Current members *

( Karmaflow (live),

Pathfinder Pathfinder may refer to: Businesses * Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International * Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature Computing and information science * Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser * Pathfinder ( ...

(live), ex-

) – vocals (2003–present) *Bob Wijtsma (ex-Xystus, Karmaflow, Blaze of Darkness) – guitars (2015–present) *Luuk van Gerven (Cardamon, ex-

After Forever After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls. In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded. Singer Floor Ja ...

, Karmaflow, Robby Valentine, ex-Xystus) – bass guitar (2015–present) *Harmen Kieboom (Penny's Twisted Flavour, SMP Amsterdam) – drums (2015–present) *Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) – keyboards (2019-present) Former members *Bram van Breugel – bass (2004–2006) *Eva Albers – guitars (2004–2009) *Joost van de Pas – drums (2003–2012) *Paul van den Broek – lead guitars (2003–2014) *Eelco van der Meer (Last Breath Denied, ex-Ethereal, ex-Cirrha Niva (live), ex-Mythlorian, ex-

The Saturnine The Saturnine is a melodic melancholic rock band, originally formed in the Netherlands, but currently featuring musicians from the Netherlands, Germany and New York City. History The Saturnine was formed in 2003 by drummer Dennis Leeflang ( ...

) – drums (2013–2014) *Peter den Bakker (Beyond God, Sin7sinS) – bass (2007–2014) *Koen Stam (ex-Schraapstaal, ex-Evershadow) – keyboards (2003–2019)

References

External links

Official websiteEx Libris
at

Encyclopaedia Metallum Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres. E ...

Ex Libris
at Last.fm
Ex Libris
at ReverbNation * {{Authority control Dutch symphonic metal musical groups Dutch progressive metal musical groups Dutch gothic metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2003