"Awaking the centuries" CD by Haggard

by Uli Geisler (03/02) Full of tension, I put this new c.d. of the German band into the player and notice with relief that Haggard managed to put 12 songs into the 38 minutes of running time. The concept of the band didn't change much, the band present their unique mix of heavy Death Metal and Medieval classical music. Instruments like violin, cello or piano have been used and the red thread that runs through the album is the biography of Nostradamus. The concept pick up where the predecessor left off, but the songs are more matured and many of the ideas are just stronger. For the new album, the band hired the new Moscow broadcast choir which enriches the classical side of the band a lot. The songs have become a little harder in comparison to the predecessor and are just ingenious. Special attention deserves the title-track, in which Haggard prove all their abilities. Somehow misplaced, however, are the tracks #2 & #7 in my eyes, where the band tries to set the Medieval picture to music. Result: my expectations could be outlived, but the c.d. is much too short!