Aquarius by Haken

Aquarius by Haken, 2010

Haken is an English band formed in 2007 by friends Richard Henshall, Matthew Marshall, and Ross Jennings. After three years spent studying their instruments, they reunited in 2007 and recruited additional members, releasing their first demo in 2008. They then released their debut concept album, Aquarius, in 2010, the beginning of something great.

A debut album bordering on perfection, brimming with creativity and inventiveness, expressed across seven tracks (seven is also the length of the shortest track), the last of which, "Celestial Elixir," a seventeen-minute suite, is a true masterpiece.

This is due to several factors that are uncommon for a debut album. The songwriting is sophisticated, with great technical virtuosity and a fusion of various styles, extraordinary changes of tempo, epic atmospheres, instrumental passages, and more playful sections.

The concept tells the story of a mermaid found by a fisherman and sold to a circus, and each track contributes to the narrative through the emotions conveyed by intense or more melodic sections.

It contains songs of the highest quality: "The Point of No Return" features a superb performance, "Streams" has both tranquil and disturbing sections, and the epic, emotionally charged 17-minute closing track, Celestial Elixir.

Despite the perceptible influences of Genesis, Yes, IQ, but also Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation, this band has managed to create a personal and highly recognizable style, particularly due to its unpredictability: nothing is predictable or "scholastic," but entirely personal. A wonderful album and a great debut, one of the best debuts in the Heavy Prog scene in my opinion.

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

Tracklist

1. The Point of No Return (11:27)
2. Streams (10:14)
3. Aquarium (10:40)
4. Eternal Rain (6:43)
5. Drowning in the Flood (9:28)
6. Sun (7:19)
7. Celestial Elixir (16:56)
Duration 72:47