Haken v. new single Nightingale (April 26)

[Implode]

Also what do you guys think about the nuggetz?

Like the "bringing an empire to its knees" lyric in The Good Doctor and also 0:47 in Nil? There are probably a bunch more I haven't found yet.

[ariich]

Love the album, as expected. Not sure where I'd rank it but it certainly doesn't touch The Mountain for me.

I'm not sure anything Haken produces can touch The Mountain as that's just such a special wonderful album (IMO). On my first listen to Vector I wasn't entirely convinced, and thought maybe mid-ranked, but it's become my second favourite behind TM now.

I actually think it's a solid album. It's amazing that Haken has managed to write 5 solid and distinct sounding albums. This album will kick ass live.

Yeah, I love that they do something different each time. I expect the same thing next time so hopefully anyone not digging the direction on Vector will get more their sort of thing next time.

[ariich]

Also what do you guys think about the nuggetz?

Like the "bringing an empire to its knees" lyric in The Good Doctor and also 0:47 in Nil? There are probably a bunch more I haven't found yet.

There a whole bunch of Cockroach King nuggets (quite a few lyrical, and couple of musical ones). Also some possible references to other songs but mostly CK.

Plus story similarities to CK.

[Heretic]

Love the album, as expected. Not sure where I'd rank it but it certainly doesn't touch The Mountain for me.

I'm not sure anything Haken produces can touch The Mountain as that's just such a special wonderful album (IMO). On my first listen to Vector I wasn't entirely convinced, and thought maybe mid-ranked, but it's become my second favourite behind TM now.

Yeah, certainly a magical album that few albums have topped for me, honestly. But yeah, I appreciate that they can provide unique experiences on each album.

Also after a few more listens, Host is becoming a favorite.

[cramx3]

It's possible this album does end up being my least favorite, but that it's still an awesome album.  Their catalog is just that strong, it's not meant to be a diss on the album, just that something needs to be last in the list.  I'm not ready to commit to that based on one listen, but I think it is possible that it will be my least favorite while still being really awesome.

[goo-goo]

I feel like Diego's keyboard solos are very low on the mix. The mastering is a bit hot though. But the mix itself is very crisp and clear.

Oh that drum sound 

[ariich]

Also after a few more listens, Host is becoming a favorite.

Host was one of my favourites right from the first listen. It's absolutely superb, one of my favourite Haken songs.

[El Barto]

So is the conventional wisdom that they're going to play the thin in its entirety this tour? That's what I've been assuming, but I don't know if they've hinted at anything one way or the other.

[mike099]

I feel like Diego's keyboard solos are very low on the mix. The mastering is a bit hot though. But the mix itself is very crisp and clear.

Oh that drum sound 

The drums are awesome on this album and Veil is special after one listen.

[Fritzinger]

So is the conventional wisdom that they're going to play the thin in its entirety this tour? That's what I've been assuming, but I don't know if they've hinted at anything one way or the other.

Haven't read this anywhere, but I would love to hear every song of the album live. If so, the question is if they play it from start to finish without disruption or just play all the songs, but not in the same order and with some other songs in between.

IF they play the whole thing in one sitting, one of the following two scenarios would be the case:
- they open with Clear (as they have been doing it with affinity.exe and The Path) and play the whole album. But then, the first 45 minutes would be dedicated to the new album and the rest of the concert would have nothing to do with Vector.
or
- they open with some other song (maybe a "classic", however you want to define this for Haken) and after 4 songs Ross says something like "alright everyone we have a new album out called Vector and we're gonna play the whole thing for yer now are you guyz ready"

I think both things are a little weird because Haken have never done anything like this before and all of their albums would have deserved to be played in their entirety.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

While I think the short run time would allow for the entire album to be played live, I don't think they'll do that. I think they'll do half or more.... they've got to reherse this stuff right? They're humans like the rest of us, aren't they?

[gzarruk]

This album has a lot to digest, need more listens to have a "Clear" opinion, but it's definitely leaning towards the bottom of their discography, not that I think it's bad, but it doesn't touch TM, Visions and Affinity.

So far most of the instrumental sections and riffs blur into sounding too samey, though

[Mosh]

I'm actually really impressed with this on first listen. Better first impression than Affinity.

[Estiui]

After five spins:

The Good Doctor > A Cell Divides > Puzzle Box > Host > Veil > Clear > Nil By Mouth

The Mountain > Affinity > Visions > Aquarius > Vector

In general, the album disappointed me, although I kinda expected it when I read all these "this is the heaviest record to date" reviews. It sounds AMAZING, Diego's work is awesome and the guitars sound crisp, but I just don't like the overall songs as much as in the past albums.

[Evermind]

Here's my attempt at the setlist I'm hoping for—while keeping it realistic—for the upcoming tour. No Aquarius (although I'd love to hear some of it) and almost no Visions, heavy focus on the last three albums. I also never saw them live—this tour would be the first time, and even then I have to travel for it—so I don't know what their usual setlists look like.

Clear
The Good Doctor
Puzzle Box
Earthrise
Shapeshifter / Deathless
Veil
Atlas Stone / In Memoriam
Cockroach King (please no, but I'm sure it'll be in)
As Death Embraces
Host
Initiate
The Endless Knot
Falling Back to Earth
A Cell Divides

Encore:

Pareidolia
Celestial Elixir (optional)

[twosuitsluke]

I don't see the issue with Nil by Mouth, seems fine to me. I'm also in the camp that just feels my main frustration with the album is that it's too short.

[YtseJamittaja]

I feel like Diego's keyboard solos are very low on the mix.

You should listen to instrumental mix.

[YtseJamittaja]

Nil by Mouth is my favourite, that intro is damn good! Maybe last few mins are bit too comlicated but it's really cool song!

But damn when I listened the three singles before and then it was only three more songs today. So damn short album!

[Elite]

I think both things are a little weird because Haken have never done anything like this before and all of their albums would have deserved to be played in their entirety.

I've seen Visions in it entirety at least three times, so that certainly isn't true.





Also,haven't listened yet. Still waiting for my copy to arrive..

[RoeDent]

I quite honestly wonder if there is something extra in the pipeline in the not-too-distant future (like, within the next year-to-15 months). It's very unusual for such a short album in the prog-metal genre in modern times. You can't tell me that this is all the music they came up with.

Also, I've heard good things about this Nolly bloke who's mixing this album. Do you think he'd work with Dream Theater?

[Elite]

I quite honestly wonder if there is something extra in the pipeline in the not-too-distant future (like, within the next year-to-15 months). It's very unusual for such a short album in the prog-metal genre in modern times.

The majority of albums released this year that I've listened to were under 50 minutes. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if Vector II suddenly shows up in 2019.

[mikeyd23]

I feel like Diego's keyboard solos are very low on the mix. The mastering is a bit hot though. But the mix itself is very crisp and clear.

Oh that drum sound 

First couple listens in to this and I agree. Nolly's mix and his drum sounds are incredible.

The album as a whole, I'm kinda meh on... I'll try to give it a few more spins.

[El Barto]

While I think the short run time would allow for the entire album to be played live, I don't think they'll do that. I think they'll do half or more.... they've got to reherse this stuff right? They're humans like the rest of us, aren't they?

But this is the material they'd have to rehearse the least. It's fresh and they've no doubt heard the whole thing a gazillion times in the last 2 months.

I think both things are a little weird because Haken have never done anything like this before and all of their albums would have deserved to be played in their entirety.

This is a good point, all of their albums could be played in their entirety. But have they ever started a tour 4 days after the album comes out, though?

And I kind of envision 3 or 4 older songs, play the album, and then an epic encore.

[cramx3]

Nothing to go on, but I feel the entire album will get played... over the course of the tour.  I'm not sure they will come out playing the full thing every night.  I expect a healthy mix from their last three albums and maybe one or two songs between visions/aquarius.  I wouldn't be against the whole album though, it's short enough to fit into the entire set (assuming 90 minutes) while leaving ample time for other songs. 

[axeman90210]

I swear to god if they encore with Celestial Elixer again and not Crystallised I will burn the building down

[Fritzinger]

I think both things are a little weird because Haken have never done anything like this before and all of their albums would have deserved to be played in their entirety.

I've seen Visions in it entirety at least three times, so that certainly isn't true.

Sorry, didn't know that!

Well, I guess we'll know more in a couple of days
I could imagine them playing all of the songs of the album on the upcoming European tour when they're the only headliner. Not sure about the co-headlining tour though. They "only" have around 90 mins after all.

[KevShmev]

I knew that riff in the middle of Nil by Mouth sounded familiar...it is very much like the one in Opeth's The Grand Conjuration!

[El Barto]

I swear to god if they encore with Celestial Elixer again and not Crystallised I will burn the building down

Hey, piss off!

Since I'm seeing consecutive shows I'd be really happy if they alternated epics again. Sadly, it won't be either of those this time. Unlikely I'll see either until anniversaries start happening.

[Ninjabait]

I listened to the album this morning, and I have to say that this is probably my least favorite Haken album for sure. It's not a bad album per se--it is Haken after all--but it doesn't really live up to the quality established in previous albums. Still better than half the prog I hear now tho.

Ranking after first listen:
1. Clear
2. Host
3. The Good Doctor
4. Puzzle Box
5. A Cell Divides
6. Nil by Mouth
7. Veil

The album sounds kind of one-note to me at times, honestly. It feels like the metal dial was left at 8 for most of this album, which doesn't give a whole lot of contrast with timbre or dynamics. Songs kind of blended together sometimes because of this too.

I appreciated what they did with the reoccurring themes in the album, especially since they actually developed and varied those themes a bit instead of just being like "yo remember that theme from the beginning? Here it is completely unchanged out of nowhere". Haken's been pretty good about that on the last three albums. Kind of wish they kept some of that thematic development inside the actual songs themselves tho. It seems like they try to introduce too many new ideas for their own good at times, which creates a lot of overall song flow issues. Hearing the chopped up version of the riff from Puzzle Box in Nil by Mouth was one of the highlights of the album tho.

Veil is just a hot mess. Nothing about this song works. It feels like they just glued two or three different songs together without regards to whether they flowed together or not. The switch from the heavy as frick first half to the atmospheric middle section is literally the most jarring thing I've heard in a Haken song. And it's not the good early/middle Opeth kind of jarring either. I thought it was another song that started. The song just drags on for the last 5 minutes, and I literally found myself checking to see if it was still going half the time. Easily their worst song. Easily.

Nil by Mouth is...okay. It has its moments (like that riff reprise I mentioned earlier), but man it's just got too much going on. Definitely didn't need those solos. Also kind of felt like an instrumental of a song with vocals half the time. I don't think it's necessarily tuneful enough on its own to work as a stand-alone instrumental. Basically, it's Haken's Enigma Machine. The whole album feels like their DT12 honest.

Clear is definitely the best song on the album, hand's down. It's short, sweet, and to the point. Doesn't meander, has a good tune, and maintains enough interest in spite of (or maybe because of) its short length. Hearing that nice classical functional harmony was SUCH a welcome surprise for me too. This is definitely near Top 10 Haken for me.

The Good Doctor and Puzzle Box are good. They may just have the advantage of being near the beginning of the album so you hear them while the sound is fresh. tGD is definitely the better of the two. Definitely the right choices for singles imo.

I'd comment on A Cell Divides, but honestly it's not that memorable. I've heard it 3 times now and I can't tell you anything about it besides it being vaguely heavyish and 7 minutesish. It's not bad, but it's just not great. It's like that SCP thing that you forget about when you're not looking at it.

Host is great. A nice breath of fresh air and one of the few breaks from non-stop metal in the album. Has some internal contrast too, which makes it even more interesting. Definitely one of my favorites.

Overall: it's okay. Doesn't live up to their last couple of albums. Sits at the bottom of Haken album rankings for me (along with Aquarius and Restoration), and would be middle of the road for my prog album rankings.

While I think the short run time would allow for the entire album to be played live, I don't think they'll do that. I think they'll do half or more.... they've got to reherse this stuff right? They're humans like the rest of us, aren't they?

But this is the material they'd have to rehearse the least. It's fresh and they've no doubt heard the whole thing a gazillion times in the last 2 months.

Maybe, but playing something live is super different from playing something in a studio setting. Everything's usually broken up in the studio, so they'd have to make sure that all the different sections are connected and probably review or relearn a lot of sections that they haven't touched for months or weeks.

[rumborak]

So, I was listening to the album twice today. Musically I enjoy it, but I don't think I will ever particularly enjoy the singer. So, given that it was the deluxe version I was listening to, I must confess I liked the instrumental versions of the songs a lot more 

That said, I'm looking forward to seeing them in November!

[goo-goo]

That 1st minute of Nil by Mouth is a musical bliss to my ears. That might be Haken's dirtiest riff!

[NoseofNicko]

After my second listen, I think I like this more than all of their albums except The Mountain. Excellent album. Controversial opinion, I know.

[Cedar redaC]

I listened to it a few times today. I think it's a good representative of Haken's "riff-ier" elements. Part of me feels like it Vector could very well serve as the heavier half of an album duology, with some future album being its less heavy, more melodic counterpart.

That said, I did enjoy a lot of the songs. The intro to Veil was a lot of fun, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of that. A Cell Divides was excellently Leprous-esque. Host was the big surprise to me. I really liked it. Nil By Mouth is one I'll have to spend more time looking at, because I don't quite "get it" yet.

After one day and a couple of listens, I'll give it a 6/10. Above average, but not earth-shaking. I'll certainly give it another go before making further judgement.

[ToT-147]

I mean, yeah, everyone has their own opinion, this is obvious, and is more than understandable that you like to know what other people think of a certain album that's recently been released, and to share your first thoughts about it... But maybe it'd be a bit more reasonable not to through a whole intent of review and start ranking the albums and the songs within the album after the mere first listen!..

Personally, I have listened to it throughout a whole week now and gave it like 5 or 6 spins, and it's growing with every listen.. The first time I didn't like it too much, but didn't pay the least attention to that feeling, AT ALL.. Because the same happened to me with several prog band albums that I ended up enjoying a lot with more listens.. Moreover, this Vector album seems to be especially tricky in that aspect.. Judging by its lenght, it doesn't look like there's much to digest, but there is.. A lot.. Every song is its own world, and you can't honestly feel it and start feeling what it represents for you not even after a few listens..

tl/dr: give the album more time, don't trust in your first listen!..

[lucasembarbosa]

Did anyone listen to the instrumental mixes? There's an easter egg in the end of A Cell Divides that I'm not sure if hides any kind of message... Probably indicating a sequel?