Jumping in here to give some random Haken musings (can't think of a site that would appreciate it more).
I had a random urge to listen to Haken after largely being off them lately (also Spock's, I feel a general prog phase coming on). Anyway, I ended up listening to Vector and Affinity back-to-back, which was an interesting experience. On one hand, I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by Affinity when it came out, but I had it on constant rotation for at least a year. On the other hand, Vector came out right as I was starting college and as a result I didn't have time for more than a couple listens (although I did see them on the tour and it was awesome). Regardless, Vector left a great first impression, and while I didn't listen to it many times I found it immediately had a lot going for it. Also keeping in mind that both of these albums are living in the shadow of The Mountain, which may very well be my album of the decade.
With that context in mind, listening to the two albums back to back was really ear-opening in that Vector really gets right where Affinity kinda misses the mark for me. The back half of Affinity kinda falls apart, the only song that sticks with me is Endless Knot and while Earthrise is OK, I find Red Giant and Bound By Gravity extremely tedious.
I saw a lot of complaints online about Vector being too short, but it feels the perfect length. Each song packs a punch and they leave you satisfied. I also somehow feel that there's a lot more musical content and variety in the shorter amount of time than the entire Affinity. The band also feels more energized. I'm not sure where it sits in the discography, but I could see it coming close to my second favorite. It's really hard to compare their current work to the pre-Mountain era though.
Affinity would've benefited as a 45ish minute album as well I think. Replace Initiate with Endless Knot and then lose everything after The Architect and you have a pretty excellent album. 1985 is the one song that I think will stick in the upper echelon of their catalog. The album kinda has that sophomore slump vibe, where they just put out an instant classic masterpiece and now are under pressure to follow up. With that being said though, I could easily see this turning into an Images & Words vs Awake situation where there are some fans who feel really favorable toward one or the other. I also thought maybe the underwhelmed feeling I got from Affinity was due to The Mountain being too amazing to followup, but I think after having some time since both albums and also Vector since then, I can safely say that it's just not for me.
Anyway, really excited to go back further and listen to The Mountain again. It's been a long while. I'm also excited for the Devin Townsend tour!