Haggard (band)
Encyclopedia
Haggard is a German
symphonic metal
musical group founded in 1991. The group combines classical music
and early music
with doom metal
.
. They changed their musical style after their first demo
tape, Introduction in 1992, becoming a band with symphonic melodies and classical instruments but folk themes. The album And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer
marked their breakthrough in 1997. After their second album Awaking the Centuries
(the life of the prophet Nostradamus), they toured through Mexico
twice. In 2004, they released their third album Eppur Si Muove
which is about the life of Italian
scholar, Galileo Galilei
, sentenced to house arrest for heresy
by the Catholic Church for supporting Copernicus'
claim that the Earth revolved around the sun.
Just before their album Awaking The Centuries was released, the group had its highest number of musicians at 21. All their songs are written by vocalist and guitarist
, Asis Nasseri
.
The fourth album, Tales of Ithiria
, was released in 2008 and is based on a fantasy story.
In 2010, the band had its first concert along with a symphonic orchestra. Haggard played together with the philharmonic orchestra of Plovdiv
in the Bulgaria
n city of Plovdiv
on April 19, 2010.
The next album will be about the tales of the brothers Grimm
.
In addition to the 16 band members, more than 10 guest artists and musicians were involved in the making of the album, Eppur Si Muove
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
musical group founded in 1991. The group combines classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
with doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
.
Background
Haggard was founded in 1991 and originally played death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
. They changed their musical style after their first demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape, Introduction in 1992, becoming a band with symphonic melodies and classical instruments but folk themes. The album And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer
And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer
And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer is the first full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on October 15, 1997 by Last Episode. The painting of the cover is Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer...
marked their breakthrough in 1997. After their second album Awaking the Centuries
Awaking the Centuries
Awaking the Centuries is the second full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on February 7, 2000 by Drakkar Entertainment. The album is based on Michel De Nostredame and his experience during The Black Plague in the Medieval Europe...
(the life of the prophet Nostradamus), they toured through Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
twice. In 2004, they released their third album Eppur Si Muove
Eppur Si Muove
Eppur si muove is the third full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on April 26, 2004 by Drakkar Entertainment....
which is about the life of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
scholar, Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
, sentenced to house arrest for heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
by the Catholic Church for supporting Copernicus'
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
claim that the Earth revolved around the sun.
Just before their album Awaking The Centuries was released, the group had its highest number of musicians at 21. All their songs are written by vocalist and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, Asis Nasseri
Asis Nasseri
Asis Nasseri is the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the German symphonic metal band Haggard. His mother is German and his father is Afghan. He has a son called Robin; most of Haggard's albums make reference to him. He has sung in several languages through the years with Haggard: German,...
.
The fourth album, Tales of Ithiria
Tales of Ithiria
- Reception :Tales of Ithiria received favourable reviews from the critics. The German issue of Metal Hammer noted a perfect arrangement of instruments and vocalists but criticised the short net playtime of music on the album, which consists of frequent narrations between the tracks...
, was released in 2008 and is based on a fantasy story.
In 2010, the band had its first concert along with a symphonic orchestra. Haggard played together with the philharmonic orchestra of Plovdiv
Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra
The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra is a Bulgarian orchestra whose origins date back to 1945. It is rooted in the hundred-year-old orchestral traditions of the largest cultural center of Thrace.-Recordings:...
in the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n city of Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
on April 19, 2010.
The next album will be about the tales of the brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
.
Demos
- Introduction (1992)
- Progressive (1994)
- Once... Upon A December's Dawn (1995)
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
|||
| 1997 | And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer And Thou Shalt Trust... the Seer is the first full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on October 15, 1997 by Last Episode. The painting of the cover is Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer... |
— | — | |
| 2000 | Awaking the Centuries Awaking the Centuries Awaking the Centuries is the second full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on February 7, 2000 by Drakkar Entertainment. The album is based on Michel De Nostredame and his experience during The Black Plague in the Medieval Europe... |
64 | — | |
| 2004 | Eppur Si Muove Eppur Si Muove Eppur si muove is the third full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on April 26, 2004 by Drakkar Entertainment.... |
47 | — | |
| 2008 | Tales of Ithiria Tales of Ithiria - Reception :Tales of Ithiria received favourable reviews from the critics. The German issue of Metal Hammer noted a perfect arrangement of instruments and vocalists but criticised the short net playtime of music on the album, which consists of frequent narrations between the tracks... |
37 | 89 | |
| 2012 | Grimm Grimm -Media:* Brothers Grimm , the third album by Australian hip hop singer Drapht-Fiction:* The Brothers Grimm, German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors... |
— | — | |
DVD's and videos
- In A Pale Moon's Shadow) (1998)
- Awaking the Gods: Live In Mexico (DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
/VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
) (2001)
Current members
- Asis NasseriAsis NasseriAsis Nasseri is the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the German symphonic metal band Haggard. His mother is German and his father is Afghan. He has a son called Robin; most of Haggard's albums make reference to him. He has sung in several languages through the years with Haggard: German,...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1991–present) - Susanne Ehlers – soprano vocals
- Veronika Kramheller – soprano vocals
- Manuela Kraller - soprano vocals
- Fiffi Fuhrmann – tenor vocals, bass
- Giacomo Astorri - bass
- Jonathan Whynot - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Michael Stapf - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Ivica Kramheller – double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Andreas Fuchs – French horn, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, percussion, drums - Linda Antonetti - fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca... - Steffi Hertz – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Johannes Schleiermacher – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Patrizia Krug - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Claudio Quarta – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Hans Wolf – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Ingrid Nietzer - pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Luz Marsen – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion (1991–present) - Michael Schumm - percussion
Former members
- Florian Bartl – oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, english horn - Judith Marschall – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Doro – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Mark Pendry – clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
- Sasema – vocals
- Robert Müller – clarinet
- Christoph Zastrow – flute
- Danny Klupp – guitar
- Kathrin Pechlof – harp
- Karin Bodemüller – vocals
- Florian Schnellinger – percussion
- Andi Nad – bass
- Gaby Koss – vocals
- Robin Fischer – bass
- Andi Hemberger – vocals
- Kathrin Hertz – cello
- Andreas Peschke – flute
In addition to the 16 band members, more than 10 guest artists and musicians were involved in the making of the album, Eppur Si Muove
Eppur Si Muove
Eppur si muove is the third full-length album by the German symphonic metal band Haggard. It was released on April 26, 2004 by Drakkar Entertainment....
.