Haggard

Originally a death metal band, Haggard would take a different tack upon the release of their second demo tape, Progressive, in 1994. The more aggressive stylings of 1992's Introduction were set aside so that the band could explore the more symphonic aspects of metal, and as the sound grew, so did the size of the band, which at its biggest would number over 20. Another demo surfaced in 1995, entitled Once... Upon a December's Dawn, and in 1997 the band released its first full-length, a song cycle that dealt with Michel de Notre Dame entitled And Thou Shall Trust... The Seer. Awaking the Centuries followed in 2000, and in 2004, Haggard -- led by songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Asis Nasseri -- released the Galileo Galilei-inspired work Eppur Si Muove. Since their introduction, Haggard have also released a couple of videos, 1998's In a Pale Moon's Shadow and 2001's Awaking the Gods: Live in Mexico, as well as a live CD of the latter. The band was due to release its fourth full-length, Tales of Ithiria, in 2007, but that album was pushed back to August of 2008. ~ Chris True, Rovi