haken aquarius

Released: 30 March 2010 Label: Lasers Edge / Sensory

2010 is turning out to be a damn good year for progressive rock. The likes of Myrath and Aspera have already released great albums in recent months, but this debut effort from Londoners Haken could well end up being the best of the lot.

By the time opening track The Point of No Return finishes its eleven and a half minute rollercoaster of a trip, the only response is to play the thing over again to be sure of what you just heard.

It is a stunning start to an album that bit by bit reveals itself to be alternately beautiful, caustic, quirky, threatening and magnificent. The only predictable thing is that something totally unpredictable lurks around every corner.

If you have a few days to spare, you could try to summarise what Aquarius actually sounds like. You could discuss the traces of vintage Genesis or Pink Floyd at their most wildly experimental. You could attempt to pinpoint the pomp rock nuances of Kansas and Styx. You could marvel at the staggering musicianship which pairs the virtuosity of vintage UK prog acts like IQ and Twelfth Night with the contemporary cutting edge of Muse, Radiohead and Porcupine Tree.

You could do all of the above. But what you should do is simply set aside eighty minutes of your time and allow these seven tracks to take you on their journey. You will visit the most surprising, diverse and spectacular of places – places that reveal something new each time you visit and that will have you going back time after time. Awesome.

by Marcus Jervis