Haggard ‎"And Thou Shalt Trust... The Seer" CD

Ever get bored of the standard 4 or 5 piece line-ups? No? Then, this isn't your band.
Haggard is arguably the best band in the makeshift, broad and very vague "symphonic metal" genre. They know their craft well. This album, being their first official release, will introduce you to their blend of classical and metal that is extraordinary and doesn't suffer from any hinderances in trying to melt the two styles together. A word of warning: It is more likely for each song to NOT be centered around the guitar. Instead, the guitar is usually used as another instrument in the song creation process. Same goes for the raspy growls that are likely to be heard on most of the non-instrumental tracks.
Here are some specifics. The metal parts that are sporadically, yet very deliberately placed throughout the eight tracks make up about 40% of this album. Not being very well versed in classical music, I will try to drop some composer names that come to mind when listening to Haggard. Hopefully, I won't make an ass out of myself. Mozart. I definitely hear Mozart. The piano parts are very reminiscent of his Piano Sonatas. I also hear Brahms, Lizt and slight Vivaldi influences on the string musicians. The influences shouldn't be very surprising. I wish I knew more about classical music to give a better description. Maybe someone else will take that task upon himself. Overall, there is a romantic aura to this album. Calling it Gothic wouldn't stray too far from the truth. The soprano vocals are very lovely and are usually pretty standard for a Gothic metal outfit (Tristania, ToT, Sins of thy Beloved). The usual contrast between growls and angelic female vocals works very well. Think that's enough? How about a choir? A Russian choir? You'll have to check out Haggard's second album Awakening The Centuries for that treat.
Unlike Haggard's Swedish predecessors Therion, the German band uses the choir in a more sparing and appropriate manner. Also, they don't piss me off as Therion's choir does sometimes. No overwhelming male vocals and general feeling of discontinuity. Near perfection. This album contains seven tracks of pure brilliance (2 of them purely instrumental) and should be heard by everyone even considering checking out a "symphonic" or Gothic band. The outro track (track 8) is a folky tune straight from the Renaissance. The thing that is amazing about this band, is that they managed to match this debut with their second release: Awakening the Centuries. I won't bother to preview it here.
If you don't mind outside influences in your precious metals, then this album is a mandatory addition to your collection! 

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...