Vector (Haken album)
| Vector | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Haken | ||||
| Released | 26 October 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:19 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Producer | Haken | |||
| Haken chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Vector | ||||
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Vector is the fifth studio album by British progressive metal band Haken. It is scheduled to be released on 26 October 2018 through Inside Out Music. It is the shortest studio album of the band, and the first with a duration of less than one hour. The album was produced by the band and mixed by ex-Periphery bassist and producer Adam "Nolly" Getgood[1].
The album's first single, "The Good Doctor", was released on 31 August 2018 along with its official music video[2]. The album's second single, "Puzzle Box", was released on 28 September 2018 for digital download, following the daily publication of six scrambled parts from it in spirit of the song's theme[3]. The original version of "Puzzle Box" is created when the scrambled parts are put into the correct order.
The artwork was created by long-time collaborators Blacklake,[1] which features a Rorschach test ink-blot design.
Background
About the album, vocalist Ross Jennings commented:[4]
| “ | We don’t like to make simple music. We always aim to defy expectations, and I believe we’ve surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album [...] We produced the album ourselves, as we always do, but we’re fans of what Adam has done with Periphery, Sikth and Devin Townsend. He has a great reputation for the heavier end of our genre. | ” |
Guitarist Charlie Griffiths added:[1]
| “ | We’ve always had a heavy influence, but it was obvious from the riffs that were naturally coming out of us early in the writing process that this would be a more metal album. These are some of the most riff driven songs we’ve ever written. | ” |
Concept
Regarding the album's concept, Griffiths said:
| “ | Musically it feels like a logical step from 'Affinity', but lyrically it’s a bit more theatrical and about as ‘rock opera’ as Haken has ever got. It’s about a Doctor with an intriguing, perhaps sinister interest in a particular patient. From there the story enters the point-of-view of the patient – who appears to be catatonic, but his mind is sparking with what could be memories, or delusions brought on by the treatment he’s receiving – we leave this up to the listeners to decide [...] And that’s the challenge for the fans – to find out for themselves their own meaning for Vector as an album. | ” |
When asked about the concept, keyboardist Diego Tejeida stated that the field of psychology was involved, as well as influences from psychoanalysis, Freudian theories, the Milgram experiments, Pavlovian conditioning, and operant conditioning experiments[5].
Critical reception
Worldprognation gave the album a 9 out of 10 stating that "Haken did it again. They managed to release an amazing, deep album. I really hope I get to see them play it live. Everything in this album clicks. The heavy style, the concept and the lyrics all work together really well."[6]
Nick Andreas from Sonic Perspectives gave Vector 9.3 out 10 "The only major strike against Vector, if it really is one, is that we only get forty-five minutes of music. But that’s all good in my book, as the band seemed to go with quality over quantity in delivering a brilliant album that might be their best sounding yet. It shows off some fresh new styles, and sees the instrumentation again finding new sounds and rhythmic approaches, all of course centered around the group’s always-solid songwriting."[7]
Progressive Music Planet rated the album with a 7/10 saying that: "[...] it is indeed their weakest album to date but again, when you look at the strong catalog they already have, this was going to happen."[8]
Track listing
All tracks written by Haken.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clear" | 1:57 |
| 2. | "The Good Doctor" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Puzzle Box" | 7:45 |
| 4. | "Veil" | 12:41 |
| 5. | "Nil By Mouth" (instrumental) | 7:11 |
| 6. | "Host" | 6:47 |
| 7. | "A Cell Divides" | 5:00 |
| Total length: | 45:19 | |
The Limited Mediabook edition will feature a bonus disc containing an instrumental mix of the entire album.
Personnel
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Haken
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Additional personnel
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Production and design
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References
- 1 2 3 "HAKEN | HAKEN announce fifth studio album "Vector" and launch fan etching competition". HAKEN. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ↑ "HAKEN launch video for "The Good Doctor" from the upcoming album 'Vector' - The Prog Report". The Prog Report. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ↑ "HAKEN". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ↑ "HAKEN Announce Fifth Studio Album 'Vector'; Launch Fan Etching Competition". sonicperspectives.com. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
- ↑ Interview with Diego Tejeida (Spanish)
- ↑ http://worldprognation.com/album-review-haken-vector/
- ↑ https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/haken-vector/
- ↑ https://progressivemusicplanet.com/2018/10/06/haken-vector/
- ↑ https://lotsofmuzic.weebly.com/home/each-album-is-its-own-fresh-start-and-you-shouldnt-compare-it-to-what-weve-done-before-charlie-griffiths-of-haken-talks-about-their-new-album-vector
- ↑ https://burningshed.com/haken_vector_cd?filter_name=haken&filter_sub_category=true
- ↑ InsideOutMusicTV (2018-09-14), HAKEN – Discuss Vector Part 2, retrieved 2018-09-16