Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Haken - The Mountain CD (album) cover

THE MOUNTAIN

Haken

 

Heavy Prog

4.21 | 1313 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Semibreve
4 stars (NOTE: Excluding the two bonus tracks of the reissue for this review.)

Few albums start in a way that suspends you, readying you for a compositional left-turn into heavy territory that juxtaposes a soft beginning. The Mountain, an effort from the modern prog-rock band Haken, does this beautifully with its tranquil opener The Path, and leads a perfect transition into the piano arpeggios of Atlas Stone that eventually throws the listener into an explosion of heavy prog, contextualizing what the album intends to do for the rest of its length. In a sense, this well-crafted opener reminds me of prog-rock classics like Close to the Edge or Foxtrot, except Haken's efforts aren't derivative and instead establish their own sounds through the opener.

Though the arrangements of individual songs are unpolished and sometimes unfocused (especially towards the beginning with the chaotic Atlas Stone and Cockroach King), the album as a whole is an excellent portrait of what Haken can do next. It is clear that the members have pursued new musical territory, with a wide variety of genres being explored from acapella in Because It's There to conventional jazz in Cockroach King. Sometimes the genre diversions can feel disorienting and out-of-place, however, they never fall below the quality that the album has established as a precedent.

Many of the tracks are triumphant representations of prog rock, though the pristine track of the album is Cockroach King, which is a fantastic amalgamation of various prog-rock influences, from the vocal harmonies of Gentle Giant to the synthesizer wackiness that can be seen across many classic bands such as Yes. The problem with a perfect track being situated in the middle of the album is that the subsequent tracks feel underwhelming compared to the creativity of the opening trio of songs, though the later tracks feature more focused compositions and fewer genre diversions that can both be an improvement and a boring detraction. Falling Back to Earth, although a concentrated effort of progressive metal, is noticeably less creative than the other progressive metal track Pareidolia, and both less creative compared to the heavy prog modifications Haken added within the first few songs. As a result, the album loses a lot of musical excitement towards the back half. I found myself distracted more once Falling Back to Earth came, though my focus was revived once the quiet reflection of As Death Embraces leads into the slow buildup of Pareidolia that marches the listener into a dark and brooding climax that helps finalize and conclude the various emotions and tensions introduced throughout the album.

Despite the few compositional mishaps, this album is nearly perfect due to the talent of the instrumentalists and the creativity of the production. From the heavily plucked guitar arpeggios in Pareidolia reminiscent of Close to the Edge to the quirky bridge of Cockroach King or odd vocal effects near the end of In Memoriam, we can see both the extreme talent of the players as well as the creative control they have over their instruments. As a bassist myself, I'd love to shout out Thomas MacLean for his versatile bass work on Cockroach King. The various tones that he incorporates throughout the track--as well as the various genre influences--is a sight regularly unseen within heavy prog-rock.

Although this has grown to be the peak effort of Haken when compared to their recent releases, there is more in them that they can achieve within their discography. I believe that The Mountain is a representation of what they can achieve, and now the only step for the band is to master cohesiveness within their albums. All in all, the album should be required listening for modern prog (due to it already surpassing the quality of other albums), but I believe it's not the end for Haken's efforts and what their talents can achieve next.

(When listening, be prepared for numerous jaw-dropping moments. When the album shines, it REALLY shines.)

Semibreve | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this HAKEN review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.