Fauna by Haken

Fauna, by Hakenn, a 2023 album, features the return of keyboardist Peter Jones after 14 years, having replaced Diego Tejeida in 2022.

The album offers beautiful compositions and arrangements, with complex riffs and polyrhythms, a sort of return to the sound of The Mountain era, influenced by the return of Peter Jones. It runs for over 62 minutes and features 9 tracks, some ranging from 7 to 11 minutes in length.

- Taurus opens the album with a heavy metal sound and a very engaging chorus, a beautiful opening.

- Nightingale, a progressive metal song with a complex composition, alternating between delicate moments and heavy riffs, a very powerful chorus, and a jazz-influenced keyboard introduction.
- The Alphabet of Me is a short piece performed with great technical skill, featuring beautiful vocals and a good level of complexity.
- Sempiternal Beings, very complex and perhaps a little wordy.
- "Beneath the White Rainbow" is a very atmospheric song, with complex rhythms and melodies, and both heavy and melodic moments.
- "Island in the Clouds" is one of the top tracks, with a beautiful bassline, great keyboard melodies by Pete Jones, and a rhythmic foundation that harks back to their previous work.
- "Lovebite" is a short but very powerful song that begins with a frenetic and heavy atmosphere before moving into a more melodic and jazzy style.
- "Elephants Never Forget" is an epic song, with both heavy and melodic moments and a beautiful dialogue between piano and guitar.
- "Eyes of Ebony" closes the album, a dark and atmospheric song with clean guitars, light percussion, and math rock influences.

Jones' return has added elements of electronic and experimental music, fusion, '80s pop, and math rock to the band's signature progressive metal.

I'm very pleased with this album's mix. Unlike its predecessors, it's not a concept album, despite the nine tracks being connected by aspects of the animal world (hence the title, Fauna).

A complex work in which progressive metal persists through the harshness of the rhythms, which, however, are very well-mixed. Despite their supporting structure, they don't make it a purely progressive metal album, but rather a modern one, with unusual sounds for this genre.

A beautiful album, as is the live version released in 2025,  Liveforms: Fauna Live In London.

A band that knows how to renew and amaze without losing its originality. The artwork? Exceptional.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.

LineUp

- Charlie Griffiths - guitar
- Ray Hearne - drums
- Richard Henshall - guitar, keyboards
- Ross Jennings - vocals
- Peter Jones - keyboards
- Conner Green - bass