Tales of Ithiria

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Tales of Ithiria
Haggard's studio album

Publication
(s)

August 29, 2008

Label (s) Drakkar Entertainment

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

Classical music, medieval metal

Title (number)

11

running time

43 min 03 s

Studio (s)

Roth Recording Studio

chronology
Eppur Si Muove
(2004) 		Tales of Ithiria -

Tales of Ithiria is the fourth studio album by the Munich classic - medieval metal band Haggard . It was released after several postponements of the release date on August 29, 2008, over four years after the last album.

All songs and narrative interludes with the exception of the musical interlude by Hans Wolf and the traditional Spanish legend Hijo de la luna were written by Asis Nasseri. The total length of the CD is just over 43 minutes. It is the first album in which Haggard does not write about the historical background, but about the self-created fantasy world Ithiria.

History of origin

Back in December 2005, the Drakkar label announced that a new Haggard album was in the works and the band would soon be in the studio. The first recordings took place in the Roth Recording Studio in Burghaslach from mid-2006 . Hints made previously that a concept album with a story written especially for the album was planned were confirmed. The cooperation of the then still at Rage active drummer Mike Terrana was announced. The label indicated that the new album might still be released in 2006 and already announced dates for a tour in 2007 to promote the new album. At the beginning of 2007, the planned tour was postponed without naming alternative dates. Summer 2007 was named as the album's release date, but was postponed to next year in July. Asis Nasseri published a letter on the band's homepage in which he stated that he had misjudged the time required to draft the concept. Nevertheless, there was a first taste at the Wacken Open Air in 2007 . At the end of May 2008 the album was finally ready for the mastering process, three weeks later the completion was announced and on August 29th a specific date for the release was given for the first time. In the following weeks more details about the album such as cover artwork, track list and planned tour became known.

Finally, Tales of Ithiria was released on August 29, 2008 and entered the charts in both Germany and Switzerland in the first week after its release. With number 37 in the German charts, it was the highest chart success for an album by the band to date.

Ithiria

Ithiria is a fantasy kingdom, which basically involves the fight between good and evil. Occurring fairy tale characters are people, pixies, dwarfs, unicorns, trolls, witches, magicians and a few more. Various characters have flowed into the stories, such as the farmer's son Edris, the huntress Sveldja, the military leader Grimmbart, King Gildeon and Queen Hildreth, the upright blacksmith Giswald, the witch Myrgjoll and the mighty warrior Hunvald. The figures try to save Ithiria from final subjugation. The story was developed entirely by Asis Nasseri, who also wrote a book about it.

Music genre

As with its predecessors, this album features Death Metal, Classical and Medieval Metal elements , but it is more versatile. As for example the melancholy legend “Hijo de la Luna” proves, which is just as typical for Haggard as for example “ Mr. Mannelig ”, whereby it was designed both classical and metal typical . Besides the female alto and mezzo-soprano voices , all others are represented, namely bass , baritone , tenor and soprano . This vocal variety is expanded by Mike Terrana, who lent his voice as narrator in the short text interludes of Ithiria's epics. The change between English, German, Latin and Spanish passages is just as typical for Haggard as the different voices of the singers.

reception

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Tales Of Ithiria
  DE 37 09/15/2008 (3 weeks)
  CH 89 09/14/2008 (1 week)

Most of the reviews were rather ambiguous. Critics complained that, despite a waiting period of four years, the music offered nothing new and was too similar to the previous albums. The album was also relatively short due to its playing time of 36 minutes (without narrative passages and the purely classically orchestrated interlude "In des Königs Hallen") and the shortcomings in terms of metal sound already known from previous albums were not addressed. The classical arrangements and chants, however, are of Haggard's usual good quality. The music could compete with any fantasy film soundtrack .

Track list

  1. The Origin - 1:57 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  2. Chapter I - Tales Of Ithiria - 8:08 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  3. From Deep Within - 0:25 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  4. Chapter II - Upon Fallen Autumn Leaves - 6:37 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  5. In the King's Halls (Allegretto Siciliano) - 2:03 (Music: Hans Wolf)
  6. Chapter III - La Terra Santa - 4:55 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  7. Before the storm - 0:35 (text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  8. Chapter IV - The Sleeping Child - 6:10 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)
  9. Hijo de la luna - 4:20 (text and music: José María Cano)
  10. On These Endless Fields - 1:03 (Text and Music: Asis Nasseri)
  11. Chapter V - The Hidden Sign - 6:25 (Text and music: Asis Nasseri)

Musician

occupation

Guests

  • Mike Terrana (Narrator)
  • Dieter Roth (guitar)
  • Lulyta Garza (vocals in "Hijo de la Luna")
  • Michael Gründel (tenor)
  • Sylvia Lindauer (soprano)
  • Konrad Nägeli (guitar)
  • Julia Schweigger (flute)
  • Mathias Kirchgeßner (guitar)
  • Rebecca Faviola ( harp )
  • Pre-Thiria Orchestra

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ drakkar.de: Haggard-News 2005
  2. ↑ drakkar.de: Haggard News 2006
  3. ↑ drakkar.de: Haggard-News 2007
  4. ↑ a b powermetal.de: Review of Tales Of Ithiria
  5. ↑ a b drakkar.de: Haggard News 2008
  6. ↑ drakkar.de: Tales Of Ithiria - Cover ( Memento of the original from June 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.drakkar.de
  7. ↑ a b musicline.de: Tales Of Ithiria in the German album charts ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.musicline.de
  8. ↑ a b hitparade.ch: Tales Of Ithiria in the Swiss hit parade
  9. ↑ metalnews.de: Review by Tales Of Ithiria
  10. ↑ a b c vampster.de: Review of Tales Of Ithiria
  11. ↑ metal1.de: Review of Tales Of Ithiria ( Memento of the original from October 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.metal1.info
  12. ↑ babyblaue-seiten.de: Review of Tales Of Ithiria
  13. ↑ media-mania.de: Review of Tales Of Ithiria