Review

Band: Haken

Album: Aquarius

Reviewer: Nick

    From the very beginning of “The Point of No Return” Haken proves to be a trip through the unexpected, while still maintaining elements of progressive rock and metal that will allow fans of the genre to love them. In one moment the band can show master craftsmanship in carving out very beautiful music, and in the next they can be doing something completely off the wall in a fashion Frank Zappa would be proud of. With that said let me say that if you criticize a band like Dream Theater for the occasional “circus music” then Haken may not be for you, but if you dig it, then you’ll probably love Haken.

    The primary musical mind behind the band, Richard Henshall manages to make a great use of symphonic keyboards to build suspense, as can be heard in the second track “Streams”, and keyboard player Diego Tejeida does a good job handling quick piano runs on “Eternal Rain”. That track also features what guitarist Charles Griffiths is capable of as it features guitar solos that fits the song perfectly.

    It’s around this point that I should point out one of my few complaints about the disc, which is the way singer Ross Jennings is included in the sound of the album. I’m not sure whether it’s his voice or the production of the album but at times he sounds a bit synthetic and pulled into the music, making it hard for him to have his own punch really be heard. It’s not necessarily a bad thing throughout, as the voice is a musical instrument and many times he adds fantastically to the album when blending so thoroughly with the music, but there are certainly moments where I wished he stood out a bit more. Also, the blending often makes it a bit hard to hear his enunciation. Despite those complaints I’d say Ross does a very good job throughout the record, especially on longer held notes in which he maintains power in a very nice way.

    The final track, “Celestial Elixir” showcases both Haken’s ability to write longer, diverse, and ever changing songs and their ability to simply create musical excellence. Although the entire seventeen minutes of the track is amazing the chorus stands out to me as the highlight of the album. It’s also amazing how well the final lines of the verses merge themselves perfectly into the chorus. After all the beauty that is the first eight or so minutes of the song it’s amazing how well the band can transition into crazy and then later back into something softer and soothing. And although this song may be the best example of it there is evidence of it all around the album.

    Musically this album is a complete gem, and come the end of the year I doubt I’ll find a new act with a debut album as promising as this one. From a production standpoint, aside from the vocal aspect mentioned earlier I’d say the album sounds great. If you live in the UK and have a chance to see these guys, you should, and if you live anywhere in the world you should buy this album.

Nick's Rating: 94%