Over the years, I have come to realize that “Cockroach King” from HAKEN‘s third studio album, “The Mountain” (2013), was the very gateway drug into the band’s progressive magic, not only for me but for quite a few prog-oriented metalheads back in the day. Personally, that could explain why I never fully acknowledged their affinity (sic) for vintage YES, though, until a few years later when HAKEN released the follow-up endeavor “Affinity” to that magnificent beast of a record. I mean, that mountain of a song resonated so strongly with the air of classic GENTLE GIANT (as did a few other gems on that 2013 outing) that their obvious kinship with YES as well was far too easy to dismiss. Released on April 29th, 2016, “Affinity” set the record straight in this respect. Okay, it’s not the most novel approach to draw from the vast back catalog of YES, since all prog wanna-be’s are doing so, but to give credit where it’s due, HAKEN does it with style on this particular album. Plus, what sets this selection apart from the rest is the fact that, contrary to the popular, if not clichéd approach, these nine prog bangers aren’t paying homage to the sepia-filtered, early-1970s classics, but show HAKEN‘s love for the yuppie-prog sound of the 1980s. At face value, that could give you the creeps, but on “Affinity,” these quantum-proggers aptly demonstrate that the 1980s weren’t only about plastic fantastique.
A short, cinematic intro sets things in motion, bearing the title “Affinity.exe,” as if to imply something of a title track. Maybe it was a tad eccentric move from the band to christen a short sound collage as the titular track for the album, but when the first proper song kicks in, you won’t mind. The proggy syncopations that start “Initiate” resonate with the quirky, signature HAKEN vibe, so that you cannot mistake the song for anything else. The main riff is in a septuple meter, but the syncopation is pretty diabolical, making it sound as if the time signature were alternating between six and eight. If it doesn’t hook you from the very first beat, do you even like progressive rock? The overall sound takes a rather deep nod towards the 1980s, especially in the synth department. Keyboardist Diego Tejeida‘s timbral choices are nicely reminiscent of Pat Metheny‘s longtime wingman Lyle Mays, whose trademark sound is probably best known from the David Bowie hit, “This Is Not America,” from 1985. Yeah, the 1980s were a rather synth-dominated era in almost every genre, but that was the absolute best thing about the entire decade, if you ask me.
Befittingly, the first epic on this album is entitled “1985.” It’s quite peculiar that the song sounds like a tribute to the YES blockbuster “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” from their 1983 album “90125,” and like a wink toward DREAM THEATER simultaneously. Over the course of 9 minutes, the song throws in nice off-kilter riffs, delicious synth textures, and mind-melting solos – everything you would expect from a nice “All you can eat”-prog buffet. On a closer look, without some of those heavier riffages and metal-tinged sections sprinkled here and there, this epic could have fitted quite nicely onto YES‘s “90125” album back in the day. The same thing could be said about the next track, “Lapse,” as well; while it is a tad more atmospheric affair altogether, it has YES writ large all over it – except maybe for the shredding guitar solos.
The centerpiece on this album is a 15-minute epic, “The Architect.” The first 6 minutes or so are essentially a quantum riff fest of the highest order. Then, the song mellows down for a cinematic and more ambient middle section that slowly starts building momentum with intertwining guitar and bass motifs. Finally, the song erupts into a metal-riff mayhem, and we get to hear some of Ross Jennings‘ harsh vocals, too. You would think that 15 minutes is a bit much, even from a prog epic, but these rogues make every minute count – like usual.
After such a gargantuan prog maelstrom, the verses of “Earthrise” caught me totally off-guard when I listened to the song for the first time. I mean, the song starts like any other power ballad from the 1980s, and the first verse could basically be from some vintage LEVEL 42 album. Then the chorus kicks in with the Big Muffs cranked to the max. I guess this is HAKEN cosplaying as some vintage pop group from yesteryear. Sure, some of the quirky riffs would be a hard pill to swallow for the mainstream pop crowd, but still…
The quirkiest track of this bunch is “Red Giant,” hands down. The song is basically a cross between the 1980s avant-garde pop of Peter Gabriel and, towards the end of the song, contemporary Brit-prog à la FROST* and the like. That said, as eccentric as the song is, the more I listen to it, the more I fucking love it! When the album came out, I thought HAKEN had written their first skippable album track, but now I have the song bookmarked for my Best Of the Best playlist. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is about the song that makes it stick to your head, but whatever it is, I don’t mind – it is a great damn track.
Before the 9-minute epic, “Bound by Gravity,” wraps up the album, we get yet another brain-melting riffage. “The Endless Knot” is an intense, uptempo quantum riffer. The riffs in this 6-minute banger are pure ear candy, and the guitar solo resonates with the air of contemporary jazz fusion, which just happens to be one of my guilty pleasures. Needless to say, then, that this is one of the absolute highlights of this album for me. (Who am I kidding, here? The album is an all-killer-no-filler affair, so there are nothing but highlights, really…)
Usually, I’m not exactly the most vocal advocate for putting a mellow, almost balladeering song as an album closer. In fact, in most cases, I would strongly oppose such a choice. On the other hand, if you can pull off writing a ballad that doesn’t suck, to begin with, that would be half the battle won. “Bound by Gravity” does the impossible: it is a ballad, indeed, and it certainly doesn’t suck. The song comes off almost like a cross between Michael Jackson‘s most famous 1980s ballads and the cinematic, widescreen post-rock soundscapes of SIGUR RÓS. (By the way, that new Michael Jackson biopic by Antoine Fuqua is a great movie! You should definitely go and see it.)
In conclusion: not only was “Affinity” yet another great album from a great band, but it also kindly reminded me at the time how fantastic an era the 1980s were for progressive rock, too. Moreover, digging deeper and deeper into the prog crates of 2016, it is beginning to look an awful lot like it was a damn good year for progressive rock and metal.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Affinity.exe
- Initiate
- 1985
- Lapse
- The Architect
- Earthrise
- Red Giant
- The Endless Knot
- Bound by Gravity
Lineup
Ross Jennings – vocals
Richard Henshall – guitars
Charlie Griffiths – guitars
Conner Green – bass
Diego Tejeida – keyboards
Raymond Hearne – drums
Label
InsideOut Music
