HAKEN – The Mountain [Limited Edition Digipack] (2013)

*

British progsters HAKEN were featured here two years ago with their very good second album, where aside their technical approach the band experimented a little with some haunting psychedelia.
This is one of the most interesting acts from the present progressive scene, confirmed on their fresh album “The Mountain” finding the group exploring new fascinating sounds avoiding repeating themselves in an very adventurous and original delivery.

In Haken’s musical world, the songs often centre on the vocals but the instrumental passages are as lively and creative as ever. “The Mountain” still offers the band’s acrobatic riffing, the amazing and appropriate drumming and the delicious bass that bounces all over the place, but the focus is completely different this time around.
One thing that has noticeably changed is the keyboard style, very ethereal, airy, and atmospheric. Yes, you can almost feel the cloudy cliffs all around you. Sometimes, there is almost a neo-prog style to the keys that takes an incredible track and lifts it to new heights.
Along the way, “The Mountain” gives us even more creativity with elaborated jazzy-prog portions, choir arrangements that make you feel like you are on a mountaintop and horn instruments wrapping the guys inspired arrangements.

I think that one of Haken’s original influences has been definitively put on the table here: Gentle Giant. This is exactly one thing that sets “The Mountain” apart from the previous Haken album and most of the prog bands today: a Shulman brothers style of vocal harmonization that Haken’s vocalist/lyricist, Ross Jennings, pulls off by himself.
Thus, prog metal fans might be surprised to hear a cappella passages, vocal portions that seem to answer and supplement each other, beautiful vocal-sustain portions, and other surprising uses of Jennings’ voice.
Is this a turn-off? Not in the least. Haken has always been notorious for their quirk, and now they are becoming not notorious, but endearing and impressive. Jennings has one of the best voices in music, and shines here.

This album does not fall into the structure of the previous album or traditional prog / prog metal, and with good reason. “The Mountain” doesn’t need an epic track because it is highly personal, candid, warmly progressive in the best definition of the genre.
It does, however, feature nine amazing tracks that range from quiet and pensive (“The Path”, “In Memoriam”, “As Death Embraces”) to heavy and technical with jazzy-rock and quiet interludes (“Falling Back to Earth”, “Pareidolia”, “Atlas Stone”).
A couple tracks in between (“Because It’s There”, “Somebody”) balance the wonderful journey including horns and a touch of melodic rock, but always around Jennings’ voice and with a very, very personal and original delivery.

So, as you view the solitary peak on the front of “The Mountain”, know that you are in for a journey lyrically, musically, emotionally, and even spiritually. The music is a bit heavier than before, but the album also features a few tracks that might be the softest that Haken has crafted yet.
In other words, “The Mountain” has a stunning balance to it. There is something for every progster here, but also for every music fan no matter the genre. Haken could have gone in many different directions here, but centring the focus around beautiful melodies and lush soundscapes while still experimenting with new ideas and exploring new territory truly seems like the right decision.

It would have been easy to create an album with the same structure and dynamic as the previous or the present trends ; however, Haken took the road less traveled and forged new ground. It stands that Haken have refined their songwriting ability, improved in almost every capacity, and shown the progressive realm that despite being relatively new to the scene that they are a force to be reckoned with.
To me, only after a couple of listens, “The Mountain” is ‘the’ prog album of the year, perhaps even the decade. This is an undeniable proof that whilst the progressive metal genre appears to be in its twilight years, it is still capable of producing an album of such stellar quality that everything else seems moot.
Highly Recommended.

01. The Path
02. Atlas Stone
03. Cockroach King
04. In Memoriam
05. Because It’s There
06. Falling Back To Earth
07. As Death Embraces
08. Pareidolia
09. Somebody
10. The Path Unbeaten (bonus track)
11. Nobody (bonus track)

Ross Jennings – Vocals
Richard Henshall – Guitar, Keyboards
Diego Tejeida – Keyboards
Charles Griffiths – Guitar
Thomas MacLean – Bass
Raymond Hearne – Drums

BUY IT !
www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/Haken-The-Mountain-Ltd-CD-Digipak/hnum/2554685
.