Haken v. new single Nightingale (April 26)

[jammindude]

... But I seem to be in the minority in thinking that the middle portion of the album is the sweet spot. That section of The Mind's Eye thru Deathless is nothing but pure fire.

Agreed, but I would add Insomnia to that portion. Also I think Premonition is really nice. Relatively speaking, NC and Visions are my less favorites from the album.
Canary Yellow is a really good song, it has that great atmosphere and some eletronics sounds like Earthlings and Red Giant.

Completely with you on all of this. 

[jammindude]

Another question for the "in the know crowd".    Without spoilers, would you say Virus answers questions about the CK story?  Or just stays ambiguous and creates more questions? 

[Revenge319]

Listening to Haken for the first time, I thought Visions was a great album. Now I've listened to Aquarius, and I'm surprised at how much better it is than Visions (although this may just be recency bias). Visions was great, but this album is amazing. Every single song is of such a high quality. It's possible I'll end up thinking The Mountain, Affinity, and/or Vector are better, but I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of my marathon, that I'd say Aquarius is the most consistent album of them all. Like with Visions, ranking all of these songs is going to be quite tough. In fact, everything but the bottom two could easily change with just another listen, because most of these songs are just about equally great.

1. Celestial Elixir
2. Eternal Rain
3. Aquarium
4. Drowning in the Flood
5. The Point of No Return
6. Sun
7. Streams

Funny thing is, after finishing The Point of No Return, I thought that it would easily be my #1... But look how that turned out! Like before, I'm curious if this ranking is particularly popular or unpopular or whatever. At this point, I'm very excited to see what's in store for me with these next three albums (and one EP). Next is The Mountain, which from what I can tell is the fan-favorite, so I hope I really enjoy it!

[IDontNotDoThings]

Streams at the bottom is an incredibly controversial choice, but fair enough.

My ranking would be:
#1. Celestial Elixir
#2. Streams
#3. Point Of No Return
#4. Aquarium
#5. Eternal Rain
#6. Sun
#7. Drowning In The Flood

[Fritzinger]

Another question for the "in the know crowd".    Without spoilers, would you say Virus answers questions about the CK story?  Or just stays ambiguous and creates more questions?

The promo copy doesn't include the lyrics, unfortunately. With English not being my first language, it's sometimes hard to understand everything. But I'd say it answers some things. Messiah Complex closes a lot of open circles.

[Elite]

Aquarius is the most consistent album of them all.

Even after 10 years I can still confidently say that Aquarius is my favourite Haken album. It might not be as 'polished' as Affinity or Vector, but it has this youthful experimentalism that none of the other albums have ever truly replicated for me. Plus it was my first experience with them, and I count myself to be very lucky to have seen them and followed them from Aquarius' release onwards.

[KevShmev]

Aquarius is the most consistent album of them all.

Even after 10 years I can still confidently say that Aquarius is my favourite Haken album. It might not be as 'polished' as Affinity or Vector, but it has this youthful experimentalism that none of the other albums have ever truly replicated for me. Plus it was my first experience with them, and I count myself to be very lucky to have seen them and followed them from Aquarius' release onwards.

I know what you mean, regarding Aquarius.  It sounds like a band just making music they want to and trying any and everything.

The last three albums (new one included) all had lead singles that sound a bit too contrived and generic, almost like they intentionally tried to write something short and catchy to expand their fanbase.  Fortunately, the rest of both Affinity and Veil were both mostly a lot better than those lead singles, and I suspect the same will apply to Virus, but it's a slight bummer knowing that this will be the 3rd album in a row for me that I will be skipping the first proper song, especially since this is the same band that once kicked our ass from the start with openers like Point of No Return and The Path/Atlas Stone. 

[jammindude]

I'm not seeing it with Initiate.   I will say that it is by far the weakest song on Affinity, but I don't see it as contrived.  I don't even see it as catchy.   If anything, it's kindof jarring, which is exactly what made it a strange choice as both a single and an album opener. 

[MinistroRaven]

BTW, at least the promo copy version has the last song as separated tracks.

[me7]

The last three albums (new one included) all had lead singles that sound a bit too contrived and generic, almost like they intentionally tried to write something short and catchy to expand their fanbase.  Fortunately, the rest of both Affinity and Veil were both mostly a lot better than those lead singles, and I suspect the same will apply to Virus, but it's a slight bummer knowing that this will be the 3rd album in a row for me that I will be skipping the first proper song, especially since this is the same band that once kicked our ass from the start with openers like Point of No Return and The Path/Atlas Stone.

I share these feelings 100%. When Initiate was released as a single, I was a bit worried about the upcoming album. But not only did Affinity deliver, Architect and Bound by Gravity gave additional depth to Initiate by expanding on it. The same can't be said for Good Doctor, though.

However, I like it when albums start with a catchy song and get deeper over their runtime. Helps me to get into the mood for an album. I just prefer singles to be more representative, Puzzle Box was a great choice IMO.

[ariich]

To be honest, I'm not sure any of the songs on Virus could be called particularly representative (other than being guitar-driven, like Vector was), which I guess does support the band's press release statement that the album is eclectic.

[Evermind]

I feel compelled to defend Initiate and to say that it's really catchy and inspired, in my opinion, and I would go as far as to say it's my favourite song on Affinity.

[Elite]

I feel compelled to defend Initiate and to say that it's really catchy and inspired, in my opinion, and I would go as far as to say it's my favourite song on Affinity.

Don't spill the beans all at once. When you want to defend it, start a little lower, like saying something along the lines of: 'it's better than affinity.exe, so therefore, it's definitely not the worst on the album'! Save the 'it's my favourite' as a last resort

[425]

Aquarius is the most consistent album of them all.

Even after 10 years I can still confidently say that Aquarius is my favourite Haken album. It might not be as 'polished' as Affinity or Vector, but it has this youthful experimentalism that none of the other albums have ever truly replicated for me. Plus it was my first experience with them, and I count myself to be very lucky to have seen them and followed them from Aquarius' release onwards.

I agree with this overall take on Aquarius, and come very close to saying it's my favorite Haken album (I think I would choose The Mountain with a gun put to my head, but it's very, very close).

[IDontNotDoThings]

BTW, at least the promo copy version has the last song as separated tracks.

Can you disclose whether the movements of Messiah Complex flow into each other seamlessly?

[MinistroRaven]

BTW, at least the promo copy version has the last song as separated tracks.

Can you disclose whether the movements of Messiah Complex flow into each other seamlessly?

TOTALLY!!! And they do it pretty well.

[IDontNotDoThings]

BTW, at least the promo copy version has the last song as separated tracks.

Can you disclose whether the movements of Messiah Complex flow into each other seamlessly?

TOTALLY!!! And they do it pretty well.

Awesome

[Train of Naught]

Initiate is definitely in my top 10 Haken songs, I never understood why it wasn’t more hyped when it came out and still isn’t really now. The melodies are so strong on that song!

[Fritzinger]

BTW, at least the promo copy version has the last song as separated tracks.

Can you disclose whether the movements of Messiah Complex flow into each other seamlessly?

TOTALLY!!! And they do it pretty well.

Awesome

Messiah Complex only works with all the parts. Playing one of the separate tracks would make no sense... I'm never a fan of splitting up songs into separate tracks, so I programmed a single track out of it

[IDontNotDoThings]

Hm, does it also connect into Only Stars?


If not, I'm curious to find out what Only Stars actually is when the album drops.

[ariich]

Hm, does it also connect into Only Stars?


If not, I'm curious to find out what Only Stars actually is when the album drops.

Only Stars is its own thing, and is a sort of epilogue in the same way Clear was a prologue (except that it has vocals).

As for Messiah Complex, the tracks do all merge from one to the next, but personally I think it's good broken up as apart from the last track reprising the first, each track is different musically. Hence my previous comparisons to Spock's Beard's Healing Colours of Sound.

Also worth nothing that The Strain transitions smoothly into Canary Yellow as well.

[Nachtmerrie]

Initiate is definitely in my top 10 Haken songs, I never understood why it wasn’t more hyped when it came out and still isn’t really now. The melodies are so strong on that song!

It's not a top 10 songs for me but I really don't get the 'hate' for this song. Strong melodies and at the very least a great album opener which it representative for the album as a whole.

[me7]

Initiate is definitely in my top 10 Haken songs, I never understood why it wasn’t more hyped when it came out and still isn’t really now. The melodies are so strong on that song!

It's not a top 10 songs for me but I really don't get the 'hate' for this song. Strong melodies and at the very least a great album opener which it representative for the album as a whole.

My issue with it as a lead single is how it "just ends" unresolved. Architect and Bound by Gravity round it up beautifully, but as a single without the context of the album it appears underdeveloped.

[NoFred]

The Initiate reprise in The Architect is one of my favorite things. What a payoff to end the near-perfect first 3 sections.

[IDontNotDoThings]

I think Initiate works fine for what it is. It doesn't have the epic scope of The Architect or Bound By Gravity, but I don't think it really needs to. It's a nice little song with a (relatively) simple structure. It has some beautiful moments (2nd verse, outro), some heavy moments (1st part of bridge), & some proggy moments (intro, chorus), & I think all of those elements get the listener excited for the album without making anything after it feel underwhelming. It's the perfect opener & lead single imo.

[GasparXR]

I think Initiate works fine for what it is. It doesn't have the epic scope of The Architect or Bound By Gravity, but I don't think it really needs to. It's a nice little song with a (relatively) simple structure. It has some beautiful moments (2nd verse, outro), some heavy moments (1st part of bridge), & some proggy moments (intro, chorus), & I think all of those elements get the listener excited for the album without making anything after it feel underwhelming. It's the perfect opener & lead single imo.

I feel the same way. It gets better in the context of the whole album too, with the two reprises in The Architect and Bound by Gravity.

[jammindude]

It works better as an "Overture" than as a standalone song.   But that's exactly why I thought it was weird as a lead off single.

[Nick]

At this point I can pretty assuredly say I won't be able to do a proper review anywhere, so I'll share some Virus thoughts here.

-My biggest overall takeaway is how much more accessible Vector is compared to Virus, despite their similarities. Prosthetic is easily the most "single" like song, and even that features some pretty odd vocal lines. Vector had Good Doctor, Puzzle Box, Nil By Mouth, A Cell Divides, and hell, even Veil, all of which had a pretty high immediate impact. It took a lot more listens for the Virus material to sink in.
-I like the balance they struck in references to Vector and Cockroach King. A few obvious ones and a decent number of more subtle ones, but the references don't beat you over the head or overstay their welcome.
-I'm still not sure if this will be my favorite or least favorite album vocally. Lots of new things tried on that front, it seems like they really tried some change ups on the vocal delivery.
-Overall I really enjoy the record, and for better or worse I end up finding it very consistent, but without much on the top end as a result. Carousel is my favorite track and yet I don't think it'll break into my top 5 Haken songs. I don't feel anyone was particularly poor or left out on this album and yet I don't know if I'd say this was anyone's best album.
-After the heaviness and guitar onslaught that was Vector I definitely loved that this was a bit more metered. It keeps the darker and heavier tone for the most part, but definitely showcases a more clear and organic diversity in its delivery.

On another note, for those unaware Haken have been doing a "Quiz Night" on twitch every Sunday at 1pm ET. This Friday (at the same time I believe) they are going a special stream for Canary Yellow. Probably would be cool to catch that, but you definitely want to catch this Sunday's quiz!

[Max Kuehnau]

Here are two quote from the album press release which some of us here might find interesting: Number one: "Longtime Haken collaborators, Blacklake, have designed the visuals and artwork with a stark black viral bacteriophage against an arresting yellow background; the mustard to Vector’s ketchup. Guitarist Charlie Griffiths says, “working with Mark at Blacklake is always so rewarding and creative. As a band, we have a lot of ideas on how we can put the album’s message across visually, but he always comes back with something beyond what we had imagined. When I told him the initial concept was based around a catatonic, institutionalised patient in the 1950s, he revealed that he actually studied psychology at university, so he was able to use that knowledge to make the artwork and booklet reflect in a more interesting and compelling way than I could have imagined. With ‘Virus’, the timeline jumps 20 years ahead, so the artwork portrays an infected, decayed time capsule of the events which have happened since we last visited Mountview Institution”." And number two is: "The first five songs on the album are shorter in structure and each draw on a different aesthetic from the Haken sonic palette and the closing track conclusively bookends the overall arc. The crown jewel of the album is perhaps the 17-minute ‘Messiah Complex’, presented as a five part suite which explicitly and unapologetically references ‘The Mountain’ era’s source material; with a familiar, yet twisted reprise of a Gentle Giant-style a cappella vocal counterpoint, as well as plenty more Easter eggs to discover. Bassist Conner Green explains, “I think this is the most ambitious and challenging Haken song to date, but it came together seamlessly once we were all together on the Devin tour. After we played our support slot each night, we were eager to congregate in the bus lounge (which we had fashioned into a makeshift recording studio). We spent almost every night perfecting the song arrangements, vocal lines and lyrics. It was an exciting and inspiring process, which I think made for an especially cohesive album”."

Please mind the bolded sections.

[Elite]

Cool.

[Northern Lion]

With every bit of into you guys keep posting, the more excited I get.  Keep it coming!

[Ben_Jamin]

Can't wait till June.

[Elite]

Well, you have to

[Revenge319]

I listened to The Mountain just now. I don't even know how to describe this one, but it's yet another great album. I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not it's better than Aquarius, but I suppose time will tell. Well, onto the rankings (which, much like Aquarius, could end up quite different upon a second listen):

1. Falling Back to Earth
2. Somebody
3. Pareidolia
4. Cockroach King
5. Atlas Stone
6. In Memoriam
7. As Death Embraces
8. The Path
9. Because It's There

As usual, I'm curious on how popular or unpopular my rankings might be. From what I can tell, Cockroach King and Falling Back to Earth seem to be the fan-favorites for this album, and I think they deserve it. Anyway, I'm quite impressed; three whole albums and there's not a single song I dislike so far! Although if I'm being honest, Because It's There may end up as my least favorite Haken song out of them all... but that aside, these guys are really good, and I'm glad I finally decided to start checking them out. Next up is Restoration, which from what I've heard has what's considered by a lot of people to be the best Haken song of them all.

On a side note, I also decided to check out the Virus single "Prosthetic", and I really like that song!

[Elite]

Cockroach King is this divisive song which a lot of folks enjoy, but some can't stand.

Falling Back to Earth is usually the #1 track, often followed by Pareidolia and Atlas Stone.

Somebody at #2 is probably the most controversial thing about your rankings.


For comparison's sake, here's the results from the Haken Survivor in 2013/2014/2015/2016

2013:
1. Falling Back to Earth
2. Atlas Stone
3. Pareidolia
4. Because It's There
5. In Memoriam
6. Cockroach King
7. Somebody
8. As Death Embraces
9. The Path

2014:
1. Falling Back to Earth
2. Pareidolia
3. Atlas Stone
4. Cockroach King
5. In Memoriam
6. Because It's There
7. The Path
8. Somebody
9. As Death Embraces

2015:
1. Falling Back to Earth
2. Pareidolia
3. Cockroach King
4. Atlas Stone
5. In Memoriam
6. Because It's There
    Somebody
8. The Path
9. As Death Embraces

2016:
1. Falling Back to Earth
    Pareidolia
3. Atlas Stone
4. Cockroach King
5. In Memoriam
6. Because It's There
7. As Death Embraces
8. Somebody
9. The Path