Given the ultra Prog nature of their previous album “Aquarius”, “Visions” as a title was perhaps to be expected for Haken’s latest work. In fact it seems to carry on where the other one left off with those long dreamy passages and unusual keyboard insertions, but not as quirky this time.
The start of what I was hoping would be another epic roller coaster Prog adventure was in fact a rather bland re-cap of where we were up to in Haken’s recorded world. “Premonitions” is orchestral, then heavy and a somewhat conservative build-up of expectation in anticipation of something bigger to follow. It was only by the time we were 14 minutes into the second track “Nocturnal Conspiracy” that I woke up momentarily and realised that I was gripped by every note. It starts in a quiet and reflective manner, close to the ambiance of Opeth’s “Damnation” album. Light flutterings come from the keyboard in the background. The singer however seems to be straining. His soft voice is great but I’m less convinced when he steps up the ante. With the orchestral sound, the track starts to get fuller and we’re soon into complete Prog with delightful electronic playfulness. But still more delightful are the long mellow passages in this sumptuous track. Sadly “Insomnia” which followed seemed aimless and frankly I found it disappointingly ordinary. I didn’t get the idea of it. The lyrics of “Insomnia” gave me no clues as to what I missed other than the obvious. It was only by the middle of the fifth track “Portals” which my ears pricked up again. Once again I found myself deeply imbibing the rushing torrents of guitar- and keyboard-driven Prog. “Portals” runs into “Shapeshifter”. The reaching-for-the-sky chorus is familiar and in spite of it being only their second album a Haken trademark, but the band’s strength for me lies in their ability to produce magical moments of delicate subtlety. On “Shapeshifter” we hear just this as the band ease out their soft and teasing rhythms. “Deathless” again finds the right spot. After the earlier excitement of “Portals”, “Deathless” is a soft and well-balanced track. We hear soft drumming in the background. This sort of track suits the singer’s voice best. A wonderful delicate and dreamy passage develops with subtle sounds coming through and subtly enhancing the atmosphere in the background. We then hear that “Haken sound” again. The final track “Visions” starts off in ballsy fashion. There’s a bit of distorted vocals and the singer whines on. There’s nothing new here. But then the Prog keyboards come and liven up the party. Suddenly it’s bouncy and unique. The guitars superimpose the fun, adding a colourful rhythm. I don’t know where it came from but the music has the faint taste and aroma of being in a Moroccan bazaar. More, please. There’s a bit of fairground fun. We’re only 13 minutes into a 22 minute track and in the true style of a Haken track, twists and turns are to be expected. The air turns to night and the sound of sophistication. Another magical guitar solo intervenes, but to divert our thinking an unusual and entertaining deep vocal line cuts in. This is Haken at their best. We then go back to the majestic and melancholic line we heard at the start. This is like the central theme. The ending is a long one. It’s also dark and orchestral. The mix with the sound of a choir and flowing keyboards gives a dash of colour but like a grey suit it’s so sombre that it leaves an unsatisfying sense of emptiness, admittedly in line with the theme of the track.
“Visions” has many similarities with its predecessor “Aquarius” but I found it was a lot more conservative. Fun has given way to seriousness and it was the ending of the album which brought this home to me. There are few surprises, and I sensed that the aim was to produce a more rounded and coherent work. This is a shame because I like it when Haken are adventurous. Long tracks give them more time to indulge their creativity and I saw that here on “Nocturnal Conspiracy” and “Visions”. Criticisms apart, this is a very accomplished work and I very much appreciated in particular the sophisticated mellow passages which seem to be a Haken speciality. I’ve listened to “Visions” a few times now and in conclusion, I’d say that listening to it is like a roller coaster ride. I was disappointed with it to some degree because my interest level went up and down. There were too many dead moments here where the band were going over old ground and not exploiting their creativity. Yet there are large parts of the album which are just delightful and work smoothly between ideas, creating in doing so a magical listening experience.
http://www.myspace.com/hakenmusic
http://www.haken.fr
Andrew Doherty
MTUK HOME
