HAKEN – Fauna (2023)
”Fauna” is the seventh studio album by British progressive metal band HAKEN, scheduled to be released in March 2023. The album is the first to feature keyboardist Peter Jones as a core band member.
Without a doubt, HAKEN is one of the most relevant progressive rock acts from the last two decades, adventurous but their genre’s most loyal, simultaneously. And ”Fauna” is conceptually their most fascinating album to date.
Musically, ”Fauna” represents Haken at their most diverse. ‘Taurus’ commences the album with its scraping heavy metal chords, as polyrhythmic as they are jagged. However, Ross Jennings’ melodic croon and the triumphant chorus are true Haken. ‘Eyes Of Ebony’ is pure prog, delicate in its start-stop clean guitar picking and chiming cymbals, while ‘Island In The Clouds’ flaunts its bouncing bassline.
Eighteen years deep, they’re still evolving and keeping their fans on their toes. Is there any truer definition of what making progressive rock means than that?
The CD opens with three tracks that perfectly represent the diversity of the album. The heavy “Taurus,” “Nightingale,” and “The Alphabet of Me”. The rusty metal jagged djent from “Taurus” connects well with other rhythmically complex pieces like drummer Ray Hearne’s stand-out performance on “Sempiternal Beings” and the stuttering riffs and vocal textures of “Beneath the White Rainbow.”
“The Alphabet of Me” pays respects to catchy melodic 80s prog while bringing it to the future with its dystopian edge, addictive chorus, and cautionary lyrics. It pairs nicely with another 80s homage “Lovebite”, a metaphor about failed relationships personified as a black widow devouring her mate.
“Nightingale” feels like early, quintessential Haken with its unique poly-rhythms and dynamics. It finds a home here in “Fauna” amongst several like-minded compositions, one being “Island in the Clouds” which ebbs and flows with a gorgeous bass-line by Conner Green and soaring vocals.
Arguably, the star of the record may be “Elephants Never Forget,” an 11-minute juggernaut that delivers a sound as big as the titular pachyderm itself. Guitarists Henshall and Charlie Griffiths set the scene in a majestic and awe-inspiring opening section before dropping away for a playful keyboard and vocal melody from Jones and Jennings. The epic effortlessly shifts tones several more times taking the listener on an unexpected journey of twists and turns through passages evocative of Nine Inch Nails and Queen.
The perfect example of animal-kingdom-meets-humanity comes from the album closer “Eyes of Ebony.” The clean guitar melancholy piece is both about the global extinction of the white rhino and the recent passing of Henshall’s father, who was a huge supporter of the band and actively worked to promote them in their formative years. Thematically, it serves as a fitting end for the album but leaves you wanting more. Perhaps that was the goal all along.
Musically, throughout “Fauna,” the band continues to explore disorienting yet engaging rhythms. Solos have largely been replaced with complex syncopated sections. While I love a face-melting guitar solo and wish there were a few more sprinkled around, at least Haken hasn’t fallen into the generic prog-metal cliché of trading back and forth between guitar and keyboard wankery for five minutes in the middle of every song like more predictable prog-metal acts.
In whole, the album is successful in its goals. It pays tribute to musical inspirations while being unmistakably Haken, past, present, and future. The lyrics are thought-provoking and bring the album together as a cohesive unit.
Parts of “Fauna” are sure to grab you immediately upon your first listen, while others may feel disorienting at first due to the rhythmic complexity and require several spins to fully appreciate. Listening to this record, as is true for most great progressive music, is like making soup. If you have the patience to let it simmer, you’re rewarded with a much deeper, robust flavor.
Highly Recommended
01 – Taurus
02 – Nightingale
03 – The Alphabet of Me
04 – Sempiternal Beings
05 – Beneath the White Rainbow
06 – Island in the Clouds
07 – Lovebite
08 – Elephants Never Forget
09 – Eyes Of Ebony
Ross Jennings – vocals
Richard Henshall – guitars
Charlie Griffiths – guitars
Peter Jones – keyboards
Conner Green – bass
Raymond Hearne – drums
Pre order:
www.target.com/p/haken-fauna-cd/-/A-88235072
