Haken (ENGLAND)

[Horex]

Haken - The Mountain (Limited Edition Digipak) (2013)













Year : 2013
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 174 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

The Mountain is the third studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 2 September 2013 through Inside Out Music.It is the last album to feature bassist Thomas MacLean.Band members Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths said of the album:"To us, 'The Mountain' is symbolic of our journey as a band, but also reflects the wider trials and tribulations of life. Lyrically, we've done a lot of soul searching which has given the album an emotional depth that we're sure listeners will really relate to, whatever personal mountain they are climbing.Musically, the new songs feel rawer and more emotional than anything we've created in the past. All the essential elements of our sound are still there but have been delivered in a more gritty and focused style. We've really pushed ourselves in all areas and truly believe that this album is a step up from any of our previous work..."Unlike Aquarius and Visions, for which vocalist Ross Jennings wrote all the lyrics, The Mountain features contributions by every band member. On a 2016 interview, Jennings said:"I'm still not sure if the rest of the band fully understood what I was trying to achieve lyrically with Aquarius and Visions, which I think left them quite cold and therefore they couldn't relate to those albums so well. If you ask them today, I still don't think they could explain the stories or the themes. So when it came to writing the Mountain, everyone wanted to get involved with that part of the process.According to keyboardist Diego Tejeida, the band "didn't set any boundaries for how we wanted the album to sound".He added that "The Mountain was tangibly influenced by 70's music, at the same time we threw in some prog-unrelated influences like: ambient, soul, jazz, 80's synthpop, minimalism or even those Glitch Hop Drums on 'Because It's There'."Drummer Raymond "Ray" Hearne added that "The Mountain set out on a few different lyrical paths before realising its final form. We initially had a couple of quasi-concept ideas but soon began to realise this was a bit too constrictive so we pretty much chose a song or two each.Each of us chose the song(s) that spoke most personally to us. We then tried to reflect that music with our words and vice versa. It soon became clear that this was a great collaborative decision as we all began to really dig what each one of us came up with and we were able to help one another with any musical/lyrical guidance they might have needed. It was a truly collaborative process."Guitarist and keyboardist Richard Henshall said the band wanted to sound more "elemental" than their previous work, Visions."We used this as a rough guideline and went with the natural flow of things.To me, what we end up with is most the honest expression of our emotions and feelings.According to Jennings, the epic "Falling Back to Earth" consists of two parts ("Rise" and "Fall").The first is based on the history of Icarus and covers the subject of "ambition, failure and perseverence [sic], using the metaphor of wings and flying too close to the sun to represent how we take on challenges in life and the desire to prove something to people."The second part is inspired by science fiction iconography, "looking at the who we are and the world around us when we have fallen, and the humility required to reach out to others for forgiveness & acceptance. The rise and fall of this song sits aptly as the centre-piece of this album."A shortened version of "Cockroach King" received a promotional video with The Muppets-like band members manufactured by Griffiths and controlled by Rinaldi and Ross. According to Tejeida, the idea was to make a video with comic touches for all ages, "far from the seriousness protocol demanded by a rock/metal video".

Line Up:

Ross Jennings - Vocals (2007-present)
Charles Griffiths - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall - Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Tom MacLean - Bass (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Ray Hearne - Drums (2007-present)
Diego Tejeida - Keyboards (2007-present)

Tracklist:

01. The Path 02:47
02. Atlas Stone 07:34
03. Cockroach King 08:15
04. In Memoriam 04:17
05. Because It's There 04:24
06. Falling Back to Earth 11:51
07. As Death Embraces 03:13
08. Pareidolia 10:51
09. Somebody 09:01
10. The Path Unbeaten 2:12 (Bonus Track)
11. Nobody 4:53 (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Affinity (2CD) (Limited Edition Media Book) (2016)













Year : 2016
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 299 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

Affinity is the fourth studio album by British progressive metal band Haken. It is scheduled for release on 29 April 2016 through Inside Out Music. It is the group's first full-length album to feature bassist Conner Green following the departure of Thomas MacLean.I got into Haken right after “Visions” was released. I had no idea who they were at the time but they kept being recommended so I gave it a shot. I got “Aquarius” immediately following that. Both albums showed that Haken could walk that fine line between prog rock and prog metal.That great ability continued on “The Mountain” which became a big success for the band. While I do like that album quite a bit, I always felt like Haken were capable of even more. The subsequent EP “Restoration” proved that to be true, as the band revamped some of their very old tracks, giving them an updated sound.“Affinity” is a hugely anticipated album by many, including myself. The band have done an excellent job hyping the release, teasing everyone with an old school software upgrade premise. The artwork is part of it all and I LOVE THE ARTWORK! Let me just say that THE HYPE IS REAL. “Affinity” is exactly what I wanted from Haken and I think they have released their best album to date.One thing that I love about “Affinity” is that the band merge their current heavier sound with a mix of 80s prog. Yes really. The song “1985” is my favorite track on the album because it is that perfect mix. Imagine the Alan Parsons Project circa “Stereotomy” (the album, not just the song) mixed with TesseracT djent-ish riffs. The band do such an incredible job transitioning back and forth. 80s drums and synths yield to thick modern prog metal riffs.The band also harken back to their own history on the epic track “The Architect” where not only is the riffing just fucking insane but the death growls, which have been missing since their debut album, are back toward the end of the track (just this track and just this section). It works perfectly too. The track also has a slowed down 80s King Crimson section in the middle. Imagine Belew and Fripp on Quaaludes and you have an idea. It’s a beautiful oasis amongst the insanity of this track.“Red Giant” is another favorite because of its rather odd stripped down arrangement. The drums are really interesting sound wise, somewhere between electronic and acoustic. It’s hard to tell. The song itself is just odd and I love it for that. The vocals skip and stutter which is actually pretty cool. I tend to not like that but since it only happens occasionally, it really works here.The sequencing of tracks on “Affinity” is another reason to love the album. The short intro is key to introducing the old school 80s vibe. The band space out the 3 longer tracks in good places. The shorter tracks are all VERY punchy and both “Initiate” and “The Endless Knot” could be good singles. “Initiate” has an exceptional, jagged riff and “The Endless Knot” is pounding and relentless. The latter being how I wish Muse would sound.The third epic track is the closer “Bound by Gravity” which is a 9 minute plus BALLAD – lush, sweeping and flat out beautiful! This is how you do a prog ballad, kids so take some notes. Jennings’ vocal performance on this track could be his best to date. It’s the perfect closing number, so elegant and stately.I was blown away from the first listen of “Affinity” and it actually gets better with each listen. Musically, this is Haken’s best batch of songs and the best mixture of their influences too. Many times I’ve found their influences to be too obvious and here, this sounds more like Haken being Haken which is great. I thought I could avoid giving “Affinity” a perfect score but Haken earned it by knocking this one out of the park. “Affinity” is a clear contender for album of the year.

Line Up:

Ross Jennings - Vocals (2007-present)
Charles Griffiths - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall - Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Conner Green - Bass (2014-present)
Ray Hearne - Drums (2007-present)
Diego Tejeida - Keyboards (2007-present)

Production:

Jens Bogren - Mixing, Mastering

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Affinity.exe (1:24)
02. Initiate (4:16)
03. 1985 (9:09)
04. Lapse (4:44)
05. The Architect (15:40)
06. Earthrise (4:48)
07. Red Giant (6:06)
08. The Endless Knot (5:50)
09. Bound By Gravity (9:29)

CD2:

01. affinity.exe (Instrumental Version) (1:24)
02. Initiate (Instrumental Version) (4:16)
03. 1985 (Instrumental Version) (9:09)
04. Lapse (Instrumental Version) (4:44)
05. The Architect (Instrumental Version) (15:40)
06. Earthrise (Instrumental Version) (4:48)
07. Red Giant (Instrumental Version) (6:06)
08. The Endless Knot (Instrumental Version) (5:50)
09. Bound by Gravity (Instrumental Version) (9:29)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - L-1VE (2018)













Year : 2018
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans + Video
Size : 159 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

Haken are set to release their first ever live album, titled "L-1VE". Following the release of the band's much-acclaimed fourth studio album "Affinity", they embarked upon their 10th anniversary tour across Europe & North America. Recorded and filmed on 13th April 2017 at the legendary Melkweg venue on the Amsterdam stop of that tour, this represents the band’s first ever live document with tracks from across the band's discography.The band comments: "The release of official live material is a project that is long overdue and we know our existing fans have been crying out for this for some time now. It is largely due to the will of the people that the idea of this project became a reality. Both the band and the label were inundated with e-mails requesting a live release in some shape or form and it was actually rather flattering, so giving the people what they wanted, just felt like the right thing to do."The setlist focussed heavily on their two most recent critically acclaimed albums "Affinity" (2016) and "The Mountain" (2013) with a 22-minute encore of the title track from "Visions" (2011). However, the centre piece for the album has to be the beast that is "Aquamedley", which sees the band celebrating and performing exerpts from their debut album "Aquarius" (2010), a story of a mermaid born into a corrupt human world and who's sacrifice is the saviour of humanity from a great flood. Drawing from 6 out of 7 of the tracks, this 25-minute medley strings the compositions together seamlessly."L-1VE" will be released as a 2CD/2DVD digipak package & as digital download. The DVD will include 4 bonus tracks filmed at ProgPower USA 2016 that also includes Mike Portnoy's cameo appearance on gong, as well as all of the official videos from the "Affinity" album. The live audio was mixed by Jerry Guidroz, known for his work with Neal Morse and Winery Dogs.

Line Up:

Ray Hearne Drums (2007-present) - See also: Novena (live)
Charles Griffiths Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera, Nova Collective
Diego Tejeida Keyboards (2007-present)
Ross Jennings Vocals (2007-present) - See also: Novena
Conner Green Bass (2014-present)

Tracklist:

01. affinity.exe/Initiate
02. In Memoriam
03. 1985
04. Red Giant
05. Aquamedley
06. As Death Embraces
07. Atlas Stone
08. Cockroach King
09. The Architect
10. The Endless Knot
11. Visions

+ Video 'The Endless Knot" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Vector (2CD) (Limited Edition Media Book) (2018)













Year : 2018 (Limited Edition Mediabook)
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 198 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

Haken, one of progressive music's most exciting bands, has announced details of its much-anticipated fifth studio album, titled "Vector". The album was produced by the band members themselves and recorded & mixed by Adam Getgood (Periphery, Devin Townsend Project), with the artwork once again being handled by Blacklake. The band comments: "On the back of celebrating the 10 year anniversary of our conception, all of us here in the Haken camp are extremely excited to begin this new chapter of our career and share 'Vector' with the world."Since their inception in 2007, Haken has shown over four previous studio albums, one EP and a live release that they never stand still, merely satisfied to rely on past triumphs. Rather, Haken always looks for ways to challenge themselves as musicians and artists, and also to keep the listeners on their collective toes. "We don't like to make simple music", laughs vocalist Ross Jennings. "We always aim to defy expectations and I believe we've surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album."Their fifth studio record sees the band going in a heavier direction with the music. "We've always had a heavy influence", explains guitarist Charlie Griffiths, "but it was obvious from the riffs that were naturally coming out of us early in the writing process that this would be a more metal album. These are some of the most riff driven songs we've ever written." As usual, Haken produced the album themselves, but for the first time they have enlisted Adam Getgood during the recording and mixing stages. Formerly bassist with Periphery, in the last couple of years he has built a reputation as a fine producer. "We produced the album ourselves, as we always do", insists Jennings, "but we're fans of what Adam has done with Periphery, Sikth and Devin Townsend. He has a great reputation for the heavier end of our genre."But if this album is musically heavy, then there's an underlying theme running through the seven songs which is certainly esoteric and fascinating. "The scene is set with the track 'The Good Doctor', which was a really fun song. Musically it feels like a logical step from 'Affinity', but lyrically it's a bit more theatrical and about as 'rock opera' as Haken has ever got", explains Griffiths. "It's about a doctor with an intriguing, perhaps sinister interest in a particular patient. From there the story enters the point of view of the patient who appears to be catatonic, but his mind is sparking with what could be memories or delusions brought on by the treatment he's receiving - we leave this up to the listeners to decide. Although we don't want to give too much away, people who are familiar with our back catalogue will have fun discovering further clues we've planted throughout the album. And that's the challenge for the fans: to find out for themselves their own meaning for 'Vector' as an album."

Line Up:

Ray Hearne Drums (2007-present) - See also: Novena (live)
Charles Griffiths Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera, Nova Collective
Diego Tejeida Keyboards (2007-present)
Ross Jennings Vocals (2007-present) - See also: Novena
Conner Green Bass (2014-present)

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Clear
02. The Good Doctor
03. Puzzle Box
04. Veil
05. Nil By Mouth
06. Host
07. A Cell Divides

CD2:

01. Clear (Instrumental)
02. The Good Doctor (Instrumental)
03. Puzzle Box (Instrumental)
04. Veil (Instrumental)
05. Nil By Mouth (Instrumental)
06. Host (Instrumental)
07. A Cell Divides (Instrumental)

+ Video 'A Cell Divides" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Virus (2020)













Year : 2020
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 119 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

Progressive rockers Haken are excited to reveal their new studio album, "Virus", the follow-up to 2018's acclaimed album "Vector". By way of introduction, the band has recorded a special video message to give some background to the record.Since releasing "Vector" in October 2018, Haken has completed headline tours the world over, played sold-out shows across Europe and North America as support for Devin Townsend and picked up a prog award too! All the while, the band members have been quietly, secretly working on the follow-up album, entitled "Virus".Drummer Ray Hearne reveals: "Since releasing The Mountain in 2013, one question has been asked of us time and time again: who is the Cockroach King? This is something we were interested in exploring more deeply too, so we essentially did that through our music, elaborating and expanding upon the intervallic, harmonic, rhythmic and lyrical themes of that song. The end result is in an arc which spans across two albums: Vector and Virus."Once again, Adam 'Nolly' Getgood has mixed what is perhaps the most eclectic Haken album to date, with the 7 tracks revealing hints of influences from multiple genres, all intertwined with Haken's own recognizable sound. Guitarist Richard Henshall had this to say about the production: "Using Nolly again was a no-brainer, as we wanted the two albums to be sonically connected. But having just spent a day mixing with him in his studio, it's obvious that this album will be an evolution of the Vector sound. These songs seem to allow a lot more freedom of creativity with the production, so we're excited to see where it leads.""Virus" is the culmination of a musical thought experiment which started with the "Vector" writing sessions in 2017 and holds intriguing potential for the band's future, as vocalist Ross Jennings explains: "Whilst Virus can absolutely be enjoyed as a stand-alone work, it is thematically and conceptually linked with Vector, so our intention is to perform both albums back to back for a special performance someday."

Line Up:

Ross Jennings - Vocals (2007-present) - See also: Novena
Ray Hearne - Drums (2007-present) - See also: Novena (live)
Charles Griffiths - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall - Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera, Nova Collective
Diego Tejeida - Keyboards (2007-present)
Conner Green - Bass (2014-present)

Tracklist:

01. Prosthetic 5:58
02. Invasion 6:42
03. Carousel 10:30
04. The Strain 5:23
05. Canary Yellow 4:14
06. Messiah Complex
0: Ivory Tower 3:57
II: A Glutton For Punishment 3:38
III: Marigold 2:25
IV: The Sect 2:02
V: Ectobius Rex 4:57
07. Only Stars 2:10




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Fauna (2CD) (Limited Edition Mediabook) (2023)













Year : 2023
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 296 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

”Fauna” is the seventh studio album by British progressive metal band HAKEN, scheduled to be released in March 2023. The album is the first to feature keyboardist Peter Jones as a core band member.Without a doubt, HAKEN is one of the most relevant progressive rock acts from the last two decades, adventurous but their genre’s most loyal, simultaneously. And ”Fauna” is conceptually their most fascinating album to date.Musically, ”Fauna” represents Haken at their most diverse. ‘Taurus’ commences the album with its scraping heavy metal chords, as polyrhythmic as they are jagged. However, Ross Jennings’ melodic croon and the triumphant chorus are true Haken. ‘Eyes Of Ebony’ is pure prog, delicate in its start-stop clean guitar picking and chiming cymbals, while ‘Island In The Clouds’ flaunts its bouncing bassline.Eighteen years deep, they’re still evolving and keeping their fans on their toes. Is there any truer definition of what making progressive rock means than that?The CD opens with three tracks that perfectly represent the diversity of the album. The heavy “Taurus,” “Nightingale,” and “The Alphabet of Me”. The rusty metal jagged djent from “Taurus” connects well with other rhythmically complex pieces like drummer Ray Hearne’s stand-out performance on “Sempiternal Beings” and the stuttering riffs and vocal textures of “Beneath the White Rainbow.”“The Alphabet of Me” pays respects to catchy melodic 80s prog while bringing it to the future with its dystopian edge, addictive chorus, and cautionary lyrics. It pairs nicely with another 80s homage “Lovebite”, a metaphor about failed relationships personified as a black widow devouring her mate.“Nightingale” feels like early, quintessential Haken with its unique poly-rhythms and dynamics. It finds a home here in “Fauna” amongst several like-minded compositions, one being “Island in the Clouds” which ebbs and flows with a gorgeous bass-line by Conner Green and soaring vocals.Arguably, the star of the record may be “Elephants Never Forget,” an 11-minute juggernaut that delivers a sound as big as the titular pachyderm itself. Guitarists Henshall and Charlie Griffiths set the scene in a majestic and awe-inspiring opening section before dropping away for a playful keyboard and vocal melody from Jones and Jennings. The epic effortlessly shifts tones several more times taking the listener on an unexpected journey of twists and turns through passages evocative of Nine Inch Nails and Queen.The perfect example of animal-kingdom-meets-humanity comes from the album closer “Eyes of Ebony.” The clean guitar melancholy piece is both about the global extinction of the white rhino and the recent passing of Henshall’s father, who was a huge supporter of the band and actively worked to promote them in their formative years. Thematically, it serves as a fitting end for the album but leaves you wanting more. Perhaps that was the goal all along.Musically, throughout “Fauna,” the band continues to explore disorienting yet engaging rhythms. Solos have largely been replaced with complex syncopated sections. While I love a face-melting guitar solo and wish there were a few more sprinkled around, at least Haken hasn’t fallen into the generic prog-metal cliché of trading back and forth between guitar and keyboard wankery for five minutes in the middle of every song like more predictable prog-metal acts.In whole, the album is successful in its goals. It pays tribute to musical inspirations while being unmistakably Haken, past, present, and future. The lyrics are thought-provoking and bring the album together as a cohesive unit.Parts of “Fauna” are sure to grab you immediately upon your first listen, while others may feel disorienting at first due to the rhythmic complexity and require several spins to fully appreciate. Listening to this record, as is true for most great progressive music, is like making soup. If you have the patience to let it simmer, you’re rewarded with a much deeper, robust flavor.

Line Up:

Ross Jennings – vocals
Richard Henshall – guitars
Charlie Griffiths – guitars
Conner Green – bass
Peter Jones – keyboards
Ray Hearne – drums

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Taurus
02. Nightingale
03. The Alphabet of Me
04. Sempiternal Beings
05. Beneath the White Rainbow
06. Island in the Clouds
07. Lovebite
08. Elephants Never Forget
09. Eyes Of Ebony

CD2:

01. Taurus (Instrumental)
02. Nightingale (Instrumental)
03. The Alphabet of Me (Instrumental)
04. Sempiternal Beings (Instrumental)
05. Beneath the White Rainbow (Instrumental)
06. Island in the Clouds (Instrumental)
07. Lovebite (Instrumental)
08. Elephants Never Forget (Instrumental)
09. Eyes Of Ebony (Instrumental)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Aquarius (2010) (2CD) (InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition 2017)













Year : 2010 (InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition 2017)
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 340 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition on 2CD.Haken is the most criminally underrated band I have ever listened to. When I first listened to this album, it just blew me away. I was amazed by the band's talent, originality, and songwriting. This really is a must-have for any progressive metal fan.The songs here are quite long, as is typical for a progressive metal album. The shortest song is 6:43; the longest clocks in at 16:57. This allows the band to really develop their musical ideas to their full potential. If you're looking for a typical verse-bridge-chorus structure, I would suggest you look elsewhere. These pieces of music are epic in scope, encompassing many styles of music while still managing to retain order. There are many mood changes here, ranging from soft to heavy, fast to slow. There's elements of prog rock, power metal, death metal, jazz, and just about everything you could want.The band doesn't use just the orthodox instruments. They make use of lots of keyboards with different effects, and some unusual instrumentation and percussion, so you'll never get bored with the song. Each song uses many types of instruments. The band members are all very skillful at their instruments and the synergy is in incredible. Despite the high-level of technical skill, they keep the meaningless wankery to a minimum, instead using this skill to develop musical ideas and create unique sounds. This is one of the things that really sets Haken apart from other prog metal outfits. Keep in mind there are still some great virtuosic solos, such as the one in the song "Eternal Rain". There are long instrumental passages encompassing many musical styles, interspersed between verses with vocals. The vocalist here has a powerful voice and expert vocal control.My favorite song on this album is the second song, "Streams". The piano intro is one of my favorite musical moments of all time. The song ranges from jazzy to almost poppy to death metal, complete with expertly growled vocals. One of the motifs in this song is later repeated in the closing piece "Celestial Elixir", giving the whole album a sense of closure. This album is nearly perfect, but I still get the feeling it could have been better. Some of the parts don't flow perfectly and the transitions between moods can be a little sharp at times. This is still a masterpiece of progressive metal and is truly an incredible album.I would highly recommend it.

Line Up:

Ross Jennings - Vocals (2007-present)
Charles Griffiths - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall - Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Tom MacLean - Bass (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Ray Hearne - Drums (2007-present)
Diego Tejeida - Keyboards (2007-present)

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. The Point of No Return 11:26
02. Streams 10:14
03. Aquarium 10:39
04. Eternal Rain 06:42
05. Drowning in the Flood 09:28
06. Sun 07:19
07. Celestial 16:56

CD2:

01. The Point of No Return 11:26 instrumental
02. Streams 10:14 instrumental
03. Aquarium 10:39 instrumental
04. Eternal Rain 06:42 instrumental
05. Drowning in the Flood 09:28 instrumental
06. Sun 07:19 instrumental
07. Celestial 16:56 instrumental




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Visions (2011) (2CD) (InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition 2017)













Year : 2011 (InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition 2017)
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 335 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

InsideOut Music Records Limited Edition on 2CD.When I first heard "Aquarius," I was not impressed. After the millionth listen, I was in love. You could call me a fanboy, or one of those annoying dudes mindlessly infiltrating message boards all over the internet, telling you, your friends, and even your dog to listen to Haken; that is a crime in which I am guilty. Lock me up and throw away the key. I waited and waited and waited for a follow-up to "Aquarius," and it didn't disappoint. Hell, "Visions" might even surpass the record with its magical essence, but that's not a worthwhile deliberation. However, "Visions" progresses the transcendental songwriting and instrumental mastery of Haken's debut into a new frontier of brilliance, and it only goes to show that Haken is no one-trick pony. Instead, they've maintained the consistency of their debut and added a handful of new tints to their agenda which shine beyond what the human eye can see."Visions" generally sounds like a continuation of "Aquarius," but it again goes beyond the spectrum of sight, if you will. For one, the focus on keyboard melodies and situations seems to have been reduced, instead utilizing a guitar-driven approach that focuses more so on sturdy riffs and guitar work. Even the basic craziness of "Aquarius" seems to have been cut a bit, perhaps traded for a song-driven album that isn't loaded with unpredictable themes or such a deep touch of insanity. “Visions” overall has less to do with the wacky instruments and keyboard postulates featured throughout “Aquarius” anthems like “Celestial Elixir,” but it is undeniably the same group of musicians subpoenaing superb music.And why does it work so well? Well, the dudes of Haken are incredibly cohesive and flexible as songwriters. They manage to add fantastic guitar work and hooking choruses into perplexing anthems like the versatile "Shapeshifter" with so much power that I'm sure Mike Portnoy would piss himself. Haken can basically compose these deep, multi-layered tunes that weave through so many levels and ideas that there's really nothing the listener can do but gawk at the sheer dominance they display on the musical end. Granted, the monolithic title track is certainly the most "progressive" song on the album, and there are masterful sections popping up on such a dazzling scale that it may be the finest thing these Brits have ever created. Overall, the bass work rules, the keys are magical, the guitar work jaw-dropping, and Ross Jennings sounds just as excellent as he did on "Aquarius," thankfully.As I said, the toned-down songwriting pays off, with huge hits like the record’s three-hit combo of "The Mind's Eye," the instrumental "Portals," and the breathtaking “Shapeshifter," just a sample of what makes "Visions" a total smash of an album. And again, there so many exemplary factors that shape Haken’s soul that no review or reviewer could plausibly describe the band in a few paragraphs. And as you see, I have no quarrel with “Visions” on any level, and much like its older brother, I’ve come to truly treasure the sheer ability and prose that flows like blood within the veins of Haken. “Visions” is something more than an album, like a journey through tales of dark premonitions and the understanding of fate, instrumentally provoked and matched into an hour of unbelievable power. There is nothing about Haken that isn’t absolutely fascinating, and you are totally missing out on progressive metal’s next legend if you aren’t meeting eye-to-eye with the magical “Visions.”

Line Up:

Ross Jennings - Vocals (2007-present)
Charles Griffiths - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: ex-Linear Sphere
Richard "Hen" Henshall - Guitars, Keyboards (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Tom MacLean - Bass (2007-present) - See also: To-Mera
Ray Hearne - Drums (2007-present)
Diego Tejeida - Keyboards (2007-present)

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. Premonition 04:10 instrumental
02. Nocturnal Conspiracy 13:08
03. Insomnia 06:06
04. The Mind's Eye 04:05
05. Portals 05:27 instrumental
06. Shapeshifter 08:08
07. Deathless 08:04
08. Visions 22:25

CD2:

01. Premonition 04:10 instrumental
02. Nocturnal Conspiracy 13:08 instrumental
03. Insomnia 06:06 instrumental
04. The Mind's Eye 04:05 instrumental
05. Portals 05:27 instrumental
06. Shapeshifter 08:08 instrumental
07. Deathless 08:04 instrumental
08. Visions 22:25 instrumental




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Haken - Liveforms: An Evening With Haken (Live In London 2024) (3CD) (2025)













Year : 2025
Style : Progressive Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 384 mb

Bio:

Haken (pronounced /heɪˈkən/ is a London-based progressive metal band formed in 2007. As of 2014, Haken has released a total of three full-length studio albums and one EP."Say hello to your newest musical masturbation fantasy." This is how Outburn Magazine (USA) chooses to introduce Haken. The UK's PROG Magazine describes them as "one of the brightest young bands in the progressive sphere right now." Well then, why not read for yourself whether these bright young masturbating fantasists are all they're talked up to be...Boasting two members of To-Mera, an ex-member of Linear Sphere and graduates from some of the world’s finest music conservatoires, this London-born sextet are the "prodigiously talented youths that will benefit prog." - PROG. Within months of their first show in July 2007, Haken were billed in support of Riverside and, in the following months, performed headlining sets to packed houses around London, including several sold-out shows at "the best live music venue in south-west London", The Peel. On the strength of these performances Haken were selected to open for King’s X in Wolverhampton and London in January 2009 only to join forces with Bigelf a few months later on their first UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show in London. Even before the release of their debut album, Haken had fast become well respected within the British metal community, and their unique and imaginative genre-bending approach has since earned praise from all corners of the globe. In March 2010, Haken's debut album Aquarius enjoyed international release under Sensory Records. Mixed at Spacelab Studios (Germany) by Christian Moos (Delain, Wolverine, Everon) with artwork created by Dennis Sibeijn (Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed) Aquarius has fast become a progressive metal favourite worldwide, receiving journalistic praise such as "progressive release of the year" (Fireworks Magazine - UK) and "so assured, you'd swear these guys had been around for a decade. Aquarius is extraordinary" (Decibel Magazine - USA). Topping the 2010 album chart on progarchives.com, the release of Aquarius led to shows with the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Freak Kitchen and soon earned Haken a slot on the bill of ProgPower Festival Europe 2010, their first show abroad, and indeed their debut festival performance.With their live show now well established and a debut album under their belt, Haken began to spread their music across Europe claiming "band of the weekend" at Summer's End Festival 2010 (UK) which also featured bands such as Agent's of Mercy and Karmakanic. They performed on the same stage as Threshold and Vanden Plas at the new Fused Festival 2011 (UK), shared the bill with Guthrie Govan at Monkeyfest 2011 (UK), and also played alongside Exivious and Andromeda at Generation Prog 2011 (Germany). Receiving an invitation to play at both Night of the Prog Festival (Germany) and ProgPower USA in the same year (2011) marked the pinnacle of Haken's live achievements to date. Having now played shows with Dream Theater, Anathema, IQ, Arena, Therion and Evergrey, the band surprised the prog world by releasing their second studio album a mere eighteen months after their debut.Visions saw worldwide release in October 2011 and has sparked off even more praise and excitement from the fast-growing Haken fan base. "Haken throw themselves headfirst into some of the most complex, intriguing and beguiling progressive music that's been made this side of Close To The Edge. They really are that good!" - PROG, and it wasn't long before Visions joined Close To The Edge on Progarchives' top 100 Prog albums of all time.In April 2012, Haken embarked on their first mini-tour of Europe playing alongside Arena and Sun Caged at ROCK ITtervoort (NL) as well as headlining shows to dedicated fans in Germany and Switzerland. Haken cannot wait to continue touring the globe and sharing their music and have already begun writing album number three. In the summer of 2012, Haken made a return to Night of the Prog alongside Katatonia, Spock’s Beard and The Flower Kings and have recently played festivals in France, Lithuania and the UK. In September 2012, Haken will embark on their most extensive tour to date and share a co-headlining bill with Damian Wilson’s new band Headspace,

Album:

Liveforms: An Evening with Haken is the second video album by English progressive metal band Haken. It is due to release on 9 May 2025.Most of the concert was filmed on 21 September 2024, at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London.While it includes live performances of songs from all their albums, the most are from the album Fauna, as the first set consisted of a playthrough of it in its entirety.The track listing consists of three CDs and one Blu-ray.Only the Blu-ray and the digital download versions feature the concert in its actual order (due to the technical limitations of the CD format).All songs and arrangements written by Haken (Conner Green, Charlie Griffiths, Raymond Hearne, Richard Henshall, Ross Jennings and Peter Jones), except where noted.Haken now take a further step towards cementing their “legendary” credentials with their second official live album, “Liveforms”. Recorded at London’s O2 Forum on 21 September 2024, the concert was part of the tour promoting Haken’s seventh album, 2023’s “Fauna”. With an almost three hour run-time, all seven studio albums (and the Restoration EP) are represented, with the set skewed towards newer material. Presented as two different sets, as on the night, “Fauna” is played in full in the first set of the night and Set Two showcases some of the band’s greatest older songs.The CD version of “Liveforms”, presented on three discs, messes with the running order slightly, extracting set-closers “Crystallised” and “Visions” onto disc three. In the actual concert, “Crystallised” closed Set One. The Blu-Ray version features the full concert and is accompanied by a 28 minute interview. Set One (Fauna) is available as a double vinyl album.It’s undoubtedly a stellar tracklist albeit light on Haken’s (arguably) most revered album, “The Mountain”, with just one song (the wonderful “Cockroach King”). I guess this is fair enough, as “The Mountain” was heavily featured on Haken’s previous live album, 2017’s essential “L-1VE”.The performances are faithful to the studio originals, which is a major plus in my view. It always intensely irritates me to see a favourite song at a gig and for a much-loved drum fill or guitar lick not be played, rendering the air-drumming or air-guitaring superfan look silly. Worse is when the arrangement is messed about with – and don’t get me started on medleys! Haken wisely avoid these pitfalls and power through with precision, passion and panache.Haken are brilliant musicians and the whole band is on imperious form. Ross Jennings is surely one of the best singers in modern music and his performance is versatile, note perfect and triumphant. His song introductions are brief and sparingly used, which is all the better to pack more magnificent music into the show. Returning keyboardist Peter Jones provides sonic depth and flair, complementing Richard Henshall’s tasteful synth contributions. Drummer Ray Hearne (getting the biggest cheer of the night) is a master of percussive onslaught and invention, but also supplies many moments of elegance and subtlety. Bassist Conner Green is a formidable rhythm section partner with a playing style replete with groove, grace and texture. Guitarists Henshall and Charlie Griffiths frequently blow the listeners’ minds with crushing riffage and truly awesome solos, which although flamboyant are always musical without being over-extravagant.Listening to “Liveforms”, one is left to wonder at the talent on display. To compose this music is astounding in itself, but to have the musical chops to play it is incredible and to have the mental capacity and stamina to memorize and play it live so flawlessly is frankly outrageous. Aspiring musicians hearing this album are likely to react in one of two ways: to be inspired to practice harder to achieve similar levels of greatness, or to give up in a “we’re not worthy” tantrum of frustration!Amongst so many highlights, in Set One, Fauna’s “Elephants Never Forget” and, especially, “Sempiternal Beings” deliver stratospheric levels of excitement – both songs are surely destined to become all time greats in the Haken discography. Eighteen minute epic “Crystallized” closes the set, with some thrilling pieces of music. Previously not a personal favourite of mine, the live version is so good it made me reappraise the song and enjoy it much more, especially the truly stunning finale – but where was the gong at the end?Set Two is quite simply, one banger after another. Hearne’s machine gun snare rolls astonish in “Puzzle Box”, the aforementioned “Cockroach King” is sublime with Jennings on top form and THOSE bass/guitar riffs in “1985” providing the heaviest moments of the entire concert. However, the best is saved to last with eighteen-minute encore “Visions”, a phenomenal epic with contrasting moods and a soaraway chorus, with its superbly played emotional guitar solo providing chills and goosebumps in extremis.The only slight dip in excitement levels is “Strainwreck”, a skippable four minute drums/synth workout in Set Two which bridges “The Strain” and “Canary Yellow” (two of the strongest songs from the “Virus” album). The reviewer’s prerogative is to nitpick and I will also say that swapping out “Drowning in the Flood”, from Haken’s debut album “Aquarius”, for the same album’s “Celestial Elixir” would have made a fabulous setlist absolutely perfect – although would have added to the band’s already massive workload!The enthusiastic crowd is ever-present to give a genuine concert feel to the album, but never intrusive or detrimental to the clarity of the band’s performances. In fact, during songs like “Visions” in particular, the audience participation adds to the sense of joy and makes the listener feel involved. It’s fair to say that the sound quality and mix (by Jens Bogren) is amongst the best of any live album I’ve heard.Taken as a whole, “Liveforms” gives a sense of complete musical fulfilment chiefly because of Haken’s mastery of melody. You can’t beat a memorable tune and this album is packed with songs absolutely rammed with them! Together with faultless, sublime performances, a tremendous sound quality and a band clearly having as good a time as their audience, the overall experience is profoundly moving. Put simply: Haken’s music makes you “feel”.I think there are three main reasons for a band to release a live album. Providing a terrific record of a life-affirming show for those who were there, now shared for everyone to enjoy – and to envy the lucky audience! Documenting an important period in the band’s career, showcasing the best of their recent music, enabling a new chapter to begin. And introducing a band to a curious newcomer, cherry-picking some of the most celebrated songs in their recorded career, brought to life so much more vibrantly than an anodyne ‘greatest hits’ release.“Liveforms” absolutely and convincingly delivers on all three fronts. It’s a truly great concert album which leaves this reviewer musing enviously: “Oh, to have been there!”

Line Up:

Ross Jennings – vocals
Richard Henshall – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
Charlie Griffiths – guitars, backing vocals
Conner Green – bass guitar, backing vocals
Raymond Hearne – drums, backing vocals
Peter Jones – keyboards, backing vocals

Guest musicians:

Miguel Gorodi - trumpet (on "The Alphabet Of Me")

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. The Last Lullaby (2:12)
02. Taurus (4:43)
03. Nightingale (7:27)
04. The Alphabet Of Me (5:42)
05. Sempiternal Beings (8:27)
06. Beneath The White Rainbow (6:51)
07. Islands In The Clouds (5:52)
08. Lovebite (4:00)
09. Elephants Never Forget (11:07)
10. Eyes Of Ebony (8:37)

CD2:

01. Puzzle Box (8:32)
02. Earthrise (4:50)
03. Cockroach King (8:27)
04. Nil By Mouth (6:49)
05. 1985 (9:21)
06. The Strain (5:29)
07. Strainwreck (4:03)
08. Canary Yellow (4:24)
09. Drowning In The Flood (10:00)

CD3:

01. Crystallised (18:26)
02. Visions (18:28)




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