Haken-Aquarius

Sensory
2010


Right away this cover summons a rather dark image. This is indeed a rather moody blend of progressive rock. This band hails from London and some the members are also in To-Mera and Linearsphere. Right away I hear some definite Dream Theater influences with the rapid bursts of different sounds going to and fro. I also hear some Kansas, IQ and others as there is a definite nod to classic style prog-rock. In fact despite some similarities to Dream Theater this is definitely more hard rock and just rock mixed in with the prog-sounds and not so much metal. Not a problem though because the whole and explosive nature of their many sounds is going to enough to occupy your senses for the duration of this album. Every instruments contributes in building this many layered songs. They go from hauntingly beautiful to mind crushing and then back again. Granted it took me several plays to real grasp everything because it is indeed a very busy album. They manage to do so much without seeming completely self-indulgent because everything they do contributes to the overall feel of "Aquarius". I think this is and album that fans progressive rock/hard rock will be to sink their teeth into.