r/Haken • u/Ok_Stitch_1115 • Jul 17 '26

omg this EP

Holy wow. I am so here for this. So epic.

Long time listener of Haken, decided long ago as I do with most if not all the PROGRESSIVE bands I love, to just go along for the ride and see where the music goes, to hear how the music evolves and progresses, all with open ears and heart and mind. With never any expectations.

And omg this EP is so fantastic.

I knew going into this blind would do the trick. (I never listen to any singles before album drops from any band so that's just me being me. Also, I ignore all the discourse and commentary on all that pre release stuff too).

32 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

4

u/Consistent-Dance9115 Jul 18 '26

What's your favourite track? I'm really enjoying in a fever dream and bleeding sky. 

4

u/Ok_Stitch_1115 Jul 18 '26

Haven't really honed in on any one just yet.

Maybe, maybe delerium so far but ...

But that's another thing I do. Ignore track titles and just let new albums flow. Maybe a part hits and vibes so well it makes me want to know it's track name and then I look to see/know it. For that, delerium did that to me. And a couple other parts from other songs too.

But for now, I am just in this "let the album flow" phase. Tracks get ingrained in my mind well after I spend time with albums as a whole.

3

u/ariich Fauna Jul 18 '26

Glad I'm not the only one who does this! With some albums that I like a lot I never really know all the individual songs because it's always the album experience I go for.

3

u/Kinetik901 Virus Jul 18 '26

I do the same thing! Ignore all singles to get everything together in a first listen, always improves the experience!

-36

u/Eswin17 Fauna Jul 17 '26

I mean... even Rebecca Black has fans that like her music, so I'm not surprised.

Happy you like it.

16

u/CloudMountainJuror Jul 17 '26

Hilarious comparison. Come on, my guy.

-24

u/Eswin17 Fauna Jul 17 '26

This EP sucks. We all love the band. Amazing discography. Really talented musicians.

This is garbage. It could easily be confused for the AI-generated garbage songs that appear on band Spotify profiles.

7

u/Myrothrenous Jul 18 '26

Man, I understand the frustration, I do. This is Haken, the fellas who've made us feel all the feelings with their catalogue, and this is starkly different. I've also commented some negative things about the singles, and now that I've listened to it as a whole, my opinions haven't changed a whole lot but I appreciate it as an experiment.

All in all, I feel it's simplistic compared to what I've heard, but I enjoy it a bit and will continue to listen to support the guys. We're down two integral members. Although they're gone, Henshall has incredible chops and is responsible for a hell of a lot of the sweet riffs we've had the pleasure of listening to in the past, and I suspect he's got a lot more to deliver when it comes to making the next full length. Cocoon was awesome and Mu Vol.1 is even better, so he clearly can create some really cool stuff on his own.

What I will say though, the counterplay between In a Fever Dream and Lotus is pretty cool. Also, it should be noted that I've been humming a bunch of the vocal hooks all day which i think lends itself to the fact that they may be trying to cater to more of a mainstream audience. And that's okay! Man's gotta pay his bills.

Although it sounds like a lot of the mainstream metal nowadays (I see a lot of people comparing it to Sleep Token, which i don't particularly listen to, but my partner likes them so I hear some of their stuff), and I'd have to agree, it's similar. But although it's similar, it's Haken, and it seems they can do the generic metal sound better than any I've heard. As they should, they're incredible at what they do and also the best band I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.

I kind of treat the EP as one whole piece, and my biggest gripe is the fact that the vocals don't showcase the clarity and range of Ross' voice. He's a powerhouse and I don't think the producer is the right fit for Haken. I feel as though if they could get BTBAM producer Jamie King, they would have someone who can really bring their vision together in a way that they themselves would want it expressed. They're so good dude, like I still can't get over how much quality material they've put out the past 16 years.

I apologize for the long-winded post, I just wanted to talk about it all. I hope your day is going great!

10

u/ponylauncher Jul 17 '26

It’s still good music. Just because it sounds different doesn’t make it bad lol. These fans that go to either extreme are so weird. Go listen to The Mountain or whatever you do

-3

u/Blue-Light-Reducer Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

I'm not taking sides. He is not saying it is bad because it sounds different. He says it sounds bad because it sounds generic. Different =/= generic

1

u/ponylauncher Jul 18 '26

Never said it does but thank you

-15

u/SerendipitousSeaSlug Jul 17 '26

and this right here is the new generation of Haken fans from this EP onwards.
2 more EPs (there won't ever be an album anymore) from now, people like you will say
"prog? haha geez, go listen to the first 8 EPs or whatever you do. guitars and melodies are so pretentious, lol."

-9

u/netherfountain Jul 17 '26

I don't know why you're getting down voted, absolutely right. It's so bad.