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Haggard are just a weird band. Here we have a group of 18 musicians (plus assorted guests) playing everything from the Oboe to the Crumhorn to electric guitar, and they range in style from Death Metal grunting to soprano vocals and violins. I class this as 'Symphonic', bust really nobody sounds like Haggard. They are their own genre, which I would call 'Metal Chamber Music.'

Unlike most classically-influenced bands, Haggard don't draw largely on movie soundtracks for their inspiration, and they don't rely on keys for all the non-metal instruments. In fact, as far as I can tell there are no keyboards here at all. Every classical instrument is real and so are the classical music roots. This stuff sounds like metal written by Beethoven or something, complete with operatic vocals, string quartet harmonies, and Italian lyrics. Whatever you want to say about this band, they are one of the most original acts you will ever hear.

Where they fail is in the integration of the metal in with the classical. The guitars blend in well with the strings and woodwinds, but the grunting vocals have to go, as they just don't fit. Therion have proved you can mix genuine classical music with metal and get a cool sound, but you have to ditch the deathgrowls – they just don't go. Also the songwriting is just not quite there. The individual parts are good, but the songs as a whole don't really come together. So in the final analysis, "Eppur Si Muove" is a diverting but not arresting album that will certainly get your attention, but won't really stick in your memory.