Haken

Hot on the heels of their L+1VE ,London’s progressive metal stalwarts Haken are back with a handful of slippery sliding cacophony! Imagine a super-heavy Gentle Giant, and you’ve got some idea of what you’re dealing with here. Haken are not only that progressive, they have the hutzpah and the talent to pull it off. An example that I will throw out there, and I’m not really sure how he does this, but Josh (vox) channels Mike Patton on first single The Good Doctor. There is some serious bass on that track as well – kudos to Conner! I would be amiss in my assessment if I didn’t mention Ray‘s triphammer drumming.

Also on board are Puzzle Box, a heavy riffing proggy number that features some incredible stop time jamming and a quirky mid section with the old bleep bloop of the keyboards. Veil is an exceptionally long number at twelve-and-a-half minutes, but it is justified in its length – don’t think Haken is being overly indulgent. Perhaps they are, but it’s worth every exquisite second to stay on board for the whole project. The production on these tunes is very high profile, with big finishes at the close and rarely just the typical old fade out like most groups tend to do. There is also plenty of instrumental jamming to enjoy.

Nil By Mouth is another seriously heavy track, replete with another quirky mid-section, pounding riffs, a bit of pastoral folk (and the kitchen sink, eh?) and lots of widdling later, we get another big finish as well. Host begins life with mellow things like trumpets and flutes, but never really takes off until towards the end of the tune. Still worth a listen.  The closer, A Cell Divides, is heavy as hell and full of solid riffs.  There are pretty chiming chromatics as well, but mostly pounding, in-your-face riffing. This number also serves as a sky vocal showcase for Josh.  There is also once again some very intricate stop-time jamming as well. Great stuff. Top marks!