Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com, where I count down the ten things at the top of the mountain (get it?)....
Today I'll be talking about the ten finest compositions by British prog-metal masters Haken! I discovered Haken only recently, after seeing in a Newbury Comics newsletter that their newest album
Vector was set to be released. I looked 'em up and read all about their brand of progressive rock, not to mention all the accolades their albums have gotten, and gave them a listen. I was hooked immediately, and have spent the last few months immersed in their catalog. Haken's music somehow grabs the listener instantly with stunningly crafted songs, but also rewards multiple spins with loads of ear candy, unusual influences, odd time signatures, and dense vocal harmonies. This six-piece is unquestionably the real deal, and one of the most exciting bands of any genre that I've encountered in years. Where I find many prog bands too eager to dazzle at the expense of good old-fashioned songwriting, Haken's songs are rock-solid first and technically marvelous second. Their music is instantly addictive but simultaneously reveals new layers with each listen. I can't recommend them enough. Click
HERE for my full review of
The Mountain....
Here are my ten Haken favorites....
10. Earthrise
One of Haken's most uplifting songs, "Earthrise" starts out with a sycopated verse and builds to a soaring, harmonized chorus (one of their most instantly hooky), eventually returning to a modulated version of said chorus toward the end of the tune. Like "Insomnia," my only gripe with this song is that it's too short. This is a chorus that could be repeated on a loop without getting old. This is one of the standouts from the
Affinity album.
9. Crystallised
The 19-minute epic from Haken's
Restoration EP, "Crystallised" kicks off with a bouncy 7/8 jazz fusion verse that opens up into a wondrous rock chorus. Right away the song sticks with you (as do so many of Haken's tracks), but the bridge takes it to another level with an a capella counterpoint piece that builds into full minstrel-inspired segment. It's unlike anything else in their catalog and immediately captures your attention. The song finds its way back to the chorus and then to a climactic, multi-layered outro about accepting change and moving on. This section reminds me of some of Dream Theater's long-form tunes and is yet another instantly memorable hook in a song full of them. This is one of Haken's great marathon tracks.
8. The Architect
The extravagant centerpiece of
Affinity is this near-sixteen-minute epic, featuring a guest death vocal by Einar Solberg of Leprous. The greatest strength of "The Architect" is its ever-changing Fear Factory-esque chorus hook over a jackhammering syncopated guitar riff. At the end of the song this chorus is brought back over a totally different riff and in a different time signature, but the melody is so strong you almost don't notice the change at first. "The Architect" is one of many Haken epics whose running time flies by.
