A Prog Odyssey? I’d say it is. “Aquarius” is a 70 minute album by Haken, a band with links to To-mera and Linear Sphere. I can’t claim to know so much about these bands although I would say that this is smoother than what I’ve heard of their works without ever melting away. I do detect similarities to the style of Symphony X, and the riffs and harmonies of Opeth circa “Deliverance” and maybe a little bit of Cynic and Pain of Salvation.
Above all, in spite of a multitude of constituent parts, “Aquarius” comes out as a coherent whole. This is not Prog of the unfathomable kind. As its title suggests, it ebbs and flows like the sea, but not in a violent way. It’s more like the China Sea lapping up against the shore. It’s not pretentious and to its credit, it’s the music which creates the atmosphere to build on. As a result it doesn’t get bogged down in an attempt to cram all the words in. Then there’s the variety. Over the piece it’s soft, mellow, powerful, delicate, light, heavy and dark. “The Point of No Return” is typical. Drama arises from the gentle classical Prog with its twists and turns and in amongst it, there’s the sound of vaudeville and a short jazz section. It’s lush and full of feeling, but still has a dark vein running right through it. On “Streams”, the thunderclouds roll in and it’s unspeakably bleak. Vocally the emphasis is mainly on harmonies. The quality of singing is excellent and moreover matches the mood. Whilst it’s largely delicate, there are growls too. The album has seven tracks but it doesn’t really work like that. I saw it more as a progression. Of course there are highlights. By the fifth track “Drowning in the Flood” we’re in dreamland. It’s mellow and captivating. I found myself living and breathing the soft, hypnotic tones of this evolving track. The final track “Celestial Elixir” is 16 minutes 56 seconds long so there’s plenty of space for the band to express themselves, and they do. This track captures the spirit of the album. Orchestral Prog mixes with the unusual and the dramatic. It’s grooving and largely light-hearted but it becomes majestic and even has a moment of Power Metal. The vaudeville returns, but it’s like a ray of hope in what is a very sad track. Above all “Celestial Elixir” is characterized by its gentle sway. The calming vocals are the perfect match for the evocative music and lyrics. It makes for a powerful end to a very impressive album.
There are many things that I like about “Aquarius”. It’s never contrived, it’s intriguing, thoughtful and has depth. Quality pours out of it from all angles. This is not an album that I will put away after this review. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend this rich and tantalizing work.
http://www.myspace.com/hakenmusic
http://www.lasersedgegroup.com
