Nick, I think I'll have to disappoint you with the next pick, judging by your own top 50, but I'll go with it anyway. I must say, the next one probably was the most difficult out of my entire list and the write-up I did for it kind of shows a bit why. Also, I'm sorry you don't like One Hour or Awake, you're missing out on two great albums!
Anyway, number 8;
8. Haken – Visions (2011)This might be the part where I lose all my credibility (unless that was somewhere before when I didn't really notice). If you’ve been following this, you might not have thought this album would be included after the praise I gave to ‘Aquarius’. To include an album only released a couple of months ago above a Dream Theater album I just praised so much and have known for so long might come off as kind of weird. Also putting it above Haken's debut album 'Aquarius', which is still getting much praise might be shocking to those Haken fans out there. Let me put it this way; Haken could not have hoped for a better second album. Visions does all that Aquarius did well (including the order and types of songs, which they got away with), made it better, matured it and ridded it of its minor annoying anomalies. Simply put; this album is good, very good, and this band really is going to get somewhere, I can definitely feel that. The music has matured, though the lyrics are still somewhat weird and the band is getting into more actual progressive songwriting. Though the 'fun'-bits have lost out a bit on this album (we still get an awesome 8-bit thing in the wonderful
Insomnia though), I think this only goes to improve the music. On Aquarius, nice as they were, some of the 'circus' or 'fun' metal parts distracted your attention and hindered the flow of the music. Though the band hasn't recaptured the magic of the song
Celestial Elixir, the total product is more consistent in flow and quality. Even with two instrumentals on the album, the flow is fantastic. Although it consists of 8 separate tracks, repeatedly have I made the notion that in fact it can be viewed as 5.
Premotion flows flawlessly into
Nocturnal Conspiracy and
Portals is seamlessly connected to
The Mind’s Eye before it and
Shapeshifter after it, acting as some sort of instrumental bridge between the songs.
Shapeshifter even reprises one of the more important theme from
The Mind’s Eye. Oh, and
Deathless is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and doubtlessly my favourite of 2011. The album closer and title-track
Visions wraps up the whole album in a fantastic reprise of some important themes and the finale is absolutely beautiful, those bells get me every time. This is top-notch stuff. Listen to it, you will not be disappointed. Haken is a band to look out for in the future and this album, as well as ‘Aquarius’, are the reasons why. Do yourself a favour and listen to this awesome stuff.
Favourite song: Deathless
Other songs worth checking out: Visions, Nocturnal Conspiracy, Insomnia