Haken v. new single Nightingale (April 26)

[KevShmev]

So at some point they have to announce who's replacing Diego, right?

Kevin Moore, the obvious replacement, will make the announcement himself.

[425]

I thought it was going to be Mike Mangini after a three-part documentary series?

[Elite]

Well, one of the venues in the Netherlands has a promotional photo of Haken that included all five band-members.




(yes, that means Diego is missing in the picture)

[Ben_Jamin]

That's how their photo is on the event pages on Facebook as well. Diego is missing in the picture.

[Buddyhunter1]

I've been indifferent about this whole situation but it's kinda fucked that at least some people will be buying tickets for these shows expecting Diego to be there. You'd think announcing his departure should come first before putting tickets on sale for a tour he won't be attending.

[Kram]

I've been indifferent about this whole situation but it's kinda fucked that at least some people will be buying tickets for these shows expecting Diego to be there. You'd think announcing his departure should come first before putting tickets on sale for a tour he won't be attending.

True.  I'm certainly no legal expert, but I don't understand what could be holding them up from announcing he left the band?  I mean, either he's leaving or he's not.  If there's royalty issues, or something along those lines that need to be worked out, I get it.  But why not announce he's left the band and then sort all that out behind the scenes?  Maybe I'm missing something here.

[Nick]

As has already been said here, I can say with 99.99% confidence that if the band felt they were in a position to announce the departure, they would. I am absolutely sure that no one wants this saga behind them more than them.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

[Buddyhunter1]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

If that's the case he'd be even dumber for thinking he'd have a stable position with Devin Townsend than Mike would with A7X.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

If that's the case he'd be even dumber for thinking he'd have a stable position with Devin Townsend than Mike would with A7X.

Yeah, that would definitely be a silly reason to leave. I only said that because I remember during that tour they did together he made a specific post gushing about playing with Devin and his band and it seemed like.. I don't know, it sounded like he discovered he was having more fun than he'd been having in a while. Either way, I think there's a decent chance Haken's original keyboard player could rejoin the band to replace him. They did a livestream chat with him last summer which seemed like an interesting choice given how that's around the time people started realizing something was going on with Diego. Either way, speculation is fun. I hope however this turns out ends up being what's best for all involved.

[TM172003]

 To be honest I still hope that Diego is in the band, I really love his playing. But with all the evidence so far I know it’s pretty much impossible that this is the case

[cramx3]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

I've wondered this as well, he's pretty awesome on the latest Devin Townsend live album.

What's interesting is that the Devin/Haken US leg of the tour that got postponed from the pandemic has not been rescheduled which they said would happen and so far it looks like Haken are likely doing a spring US tour with Symphony X.  I get the feeling the Devin tour, if it gets rescheduled at all, won't be with Haken again.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

I've wondered this as well, he's pretty awesome on the latest Devin Townsend live album.

What's interesting is that the Devin/Haken US leg of the tour that got postponed from the pandemic has not been rescheduled which they said would happen and so far it looks like Haken are likely doing a spring US tour with Symphony X.  I get the feeling the Devin tour, if it gets rescheduled at all, won't be with Haken again.

Yikes. 

[cramx3]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

I've wondered this as well, he's pretty awesome on the latest Devin Townsend live album.

What's interesting is that the Devin/Haken US leg of the tour that got postponed from the pandemic has not been rescheduled which they said would happen and so far it looks like Haken are likely doing a spring US tour with Symphony X.  I get the feeling the Devin tour, if it gets rescheduled at all, won't be with Haken again.

Yikes. 

I'm just speculating.  I've got no idea. I will definitely miss him in Haken if he is out.  I will also embrace him with DT if that becomes the case.  I just don't personally know if that is a good idea since Devin constantly changes band members.  He's not at all interested in keeping a steady band after disbanding the DTP IMO. 

[darkshade]

Could it be a case of one party owning the rights to the band name, or part of the rights, and not letting the others continue on under said name?

[IDontNotDoThings]

I wonder if the Devin Townsend thing had anything to do with Diego leaving. Like, a return of the MP/A7X/DT saga but with Diego/Devin/Haken.

If that's the case he'd be even dumber for thinking he'd have a stable position with Devin Townsend than Mike would with A7X.

Yeah, that would definitely be a silly reason to leave. I only said that because I remember during that tour they did together he made a specific post gushing about playing with Devin and his band and it seemed like.. I don't know, it sounded like he discovered he was having more fun than he'd been having in a while. Either way, I think there's a decent chance Haken's original keyboard player could rejoin the band to replace him. They did a livestream chat with him last summer which seemed like an interesting choice given how that's around the time people started realizing something was going on with Diego. Either way, speculation is fun. I hope however this turns out ends up being what's best for all involved.

More fuel to this theory is that Peter Jones (Haken's original keyboard player) collaborated with the band on Virus (namely on Only Stars).

[me7]

Peter Jones already collaborated on Vector. I don't interpret much into him having a guest spot.

[jcmoorehead]

Out of interest has there ever been a situation like this before with a band, where it seems like a member has left and seems to be fairly common knowledge for what has been, over a year? Most of the time whenever I've heard of a departure it's been a fair instant affair, the fans get to know when the band announce it.

[RoeDent]

The Flower Kings have never publicly acknowledged Tomas Bodin's departure. It was just, he was there and then he wasn't. And they've made two albums since then.

[Zydar]

New single from Ross, this is 'Grounded'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOaFSrX3Ub8&feature=youtu.be

[krands85]

New single from Ross, this is 'Grounded'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOaFSrX3Ub8&feature=youtu.be

That was really nice, I prefer it to the previous song.

[GasparXR]

I really liked the first single, but Grounded is on another level.

Did anyone else catch the Acoustic Shadows stream? It was actually phenomenal. The songs are so different from Haken, but they're easily just as good. Ross is truly a great songwriter. His voice was also probably the best I've ever heard it. Seeing him play, just him and a guitar was such a cool experience. The encore songs with Henshall and they other guy from Novena whose name I can't remember right now was cool too! I'm gonna have to check out Novena now since the song they played was really good.

[ariich]

I'm on holiday so can't watch yet, but I bought a ticket so I can watch on Monday night once I'm home. Great to read such a positive review!

The guy from Novena is Harrison White. If you're checking them out then definitely start with their full length, Eleventh Hour.

[Nel]

The song Ross sang on for the new Scale the Summit album was easily my favorite track on it, and he was the reason. I'll totally check out a solo album.

[Ben_Jamin]

Ross' solo album is starting to sound like a great mix between Prog and some pop qualities.

So far, I really enjoy Grounded from the music, atmosphere and the way he delivers those lyrics. That chorus has me singing along due to the meaning behind it.

[me7]

The Mountain has aged like fine wine

[jammindude]

The Mountain has aged like fine wine

Literally in my top 5 all time albums. Maybe 3.

[Mebert78]

The Mountain has aged like fine wine

Literally in my top 5 all time albums. Maybe 3.

It's in my top dozen. It's a prog metal classic. Perfection.

[KevShmev]

I need to circle back to Haken here at some point.  I've barely listened to to them at all since last summer.  That stupid Virus (the album, not COVID) was so disappointing that I put the band on the back shelf.  The cycle will come around, though, and I'll be cranking those first four albums again sooner rather than later. 

[nobloodyname]

Anyone hear the new Ross Jennings tune? Intriguing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PCqsu7mMyE

Edit: not only intriguing, I think it's really rather special!

[TheCountOfNYC]

The Mountain has aged like fine wine

I remember the first time I heard it was after Aquarius, Visions, Affinity, and Vector, and I wasn’t a fan at first since it was so vastly different than those albums. Now it’s far and away my favorite Haken record precisely BECAUSE of how different it is. It sounds much more optimistic than the rest of their discography without losing its edge. Atlas Stone, Falling Back to Earth, and Pareidolia are all in my top 15 Haken songs, while no other album has more than two.

[Metro]

Revisiting Virus a little over a year later, and I'm still very unimpressed with it. Here's hoping they dial back the metal aspect of their sound to something more like Affinity or The Mountain on the next one, whenever that comes out.

With all this talk of Diego being out of the band, I feel really lucky getting to see them twice in March last year before the pandemic. Seeing them play Affinity all the way through for the first time ever in Richmond, and seeing the live debut of Bound by Gravity was truly special.

2 days later I saw them with Devin Townsend in Atlanta and I did the VIP package thing. I was the first person in line for the meet and greet and I could hear Haken's soundcheck from the lobby area of the venue. At one point I heard someone (I guess Charlie) play the opening riff to Prosthetic, though at the time Virus hadn't been announced yet and I didn't realize what the riff was till a few weeks later when it was announced. I guess in a way I'm kinda-sorta one of the few people to hear a Virus song "live(ish)" with Diego 

[cramx3]

That's pretty cool, but I think I'm in the minority on this board who really loves Virus.  It was my album of the year last year and I haven't been listening to Haken much lately, but yesterday decided to put Virus on.  Mostly because I've been LOVING Unleash the Archer's latest album and was starting to think, after time, that maybe that should have been my album of the year... nope. VIrus still kicks ass! I love it all the way through.  And I also may be in the minority in thinking there's lots of catchy melodies in this.  I've got no issue with the more metal version of Haken, but I'm also more of a metal head than prog nerd so there's that.  I guess it suits my tastes better.

[jammindude]

I thought the Virus was a huge improvement over Vector. it actually elevated Vector by complementing it so well. Now I view them as a double album and I really enjoy them both. But I didn’t like Vector for a long time.

EDIT - even though I didn’t enjoy them quite as much as the previous two albums, I still think this is probably the greatest opening six albums of any band I’ve ever known.

[cramx3]

Ya know, I've never gone back and listened to both back to back.  I probably should.  I thought Vector was a bit of a let down, but it may be more enjoyable as a double album given how much I love Virus.