German Progressive Rock band from Hamburg, formed in late-1971 and active through to the mid-1980’s.
Novalis took their name from the nom-de-plume of the 18th Century poet Karl Friedrich Von Hardenberg. In their early days, Novalis started with a repertoire of King Crimson and Pink Floyd numbers, and moved-on from there, debuting with Banished Bridge a majestic prog-rock album featuring Mellotron and English vocals. After a rethink, and a minor hiatus in activity, and now with production from Achim Reichel’s Gorilla Musik, Novalis reinvented themselves with a new patent and influential style all of their own, featuring German vocals, and vast instrumentals featuring guitars, synthesizers and flute.
Novalis were quite successful and carried on pioneering and developing their own sound through the early 1980’s. Later albums mellowed somewhat with a more mainstream song-based style, but they never lost their unique character.
Novalis also reformed at least twice, and quite a few of the band members have released solos or moved on to other projects.