Album Review: Haken - Vector

Haken are a quintessential modern-day progressive-rock/metal band, and Vector, their fifth album, is a real step out into left field for a band that are already highly adventurous. A highly exhilarating one too.

It’s a little difficult to keep track of everything going on, musically, on Vector. They have truly let their imaginations run wild to create a sumptuous feast for the ears and the psyche of progressive music fans everywhere. There is real heaviness here (check out Veil), subtle but effective electronic flourishes, nods to old-school prog, insane all-instrumental moments of madness (Nil By Mouth), quieter moments (the Floydian Host, which builds beautifully to a soaring climax), some real experimentation and so much more it makes your head spin. There seems to be little this band cannot do.

And the very best thing about it all is that virtually everything sticks, and works an absolute treat.

This is a band at their very zenith, creatively and in terms of songcraft and blindingly dexterous musicianship. This is a monumental effort and unquestionably one of the best progressive music releases of 2018. Few will be surprised if the sands of time deem it to be an absolute prog classic too.