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THE COCOON

Richard Henshall

Progressive Metal


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Richard Henshall The Cocoon album cover
3.55 | 60 ratings | 4 reviews | 27% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2019

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Pupa (2:25)
2. Cocoon (10:26)
3. Silken Chains (8:10)
4. Limbo (3:54)
5. Lunar Room (8:21)
6. Twisted Shadows (8:46)
7. Afterglow (5:16)

Total Time 47:22

Line-up / Musicians

- Richard Henshall / guitars, keyboards, vocals
- Conner Green / bass
- Matt Lynch / drums

With:
- Ben Levin / vocals (5)
- Jessica Kion / vocals (5)
- Ross Jennings / vocals (6)
- Jordan Rudess / keyboard solo (6)
- Marco Sfogli / guitar solo (5)
- David Maxim Micic / guitar solo (3)
- Chris Baum / strings (7)
- Adam Carrillo / saxophone (2)

Releases information

Artwork by Sevcan Yuksel Henshall

CD Self-released (August 9, 2019)
LP Self-released (August 9, 2019) Limited Edition
Digital album (August 9, 2019)

Thanks to genesinister for the addition
and to NotAProghead for the last updates
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RICHARD HENSHALL The Cocoon ratings distribution


3.55
(60 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(27%)
27%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(49%)
49%
Good, but non-essential (20%)
20%
Collectors/fans only (2%)
2%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

RICHARD HENSHALL The Cocoon reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by A Crimson Mellotron
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars Haken mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Richard Henshall released his first solo album in 2019, and if I am not wrong this is the very first solo album to come from anyone in Haken.

He obviously blended a variety of influences here, trying to disassociate this album as much from the band. However, all this to a result that is simply unappealing to my taste and perception of music.

We can hear jazz, metal, pop, ambient, math rock, and even hip-hop all thrown in the mixer, resulting in some directionless, in my opinion, compositions that sound overly chiseled here and there.

Opener 'Pupa' is a mellow and ambient little piece leading to the main song on the album, the title track 'Cocoon' where Hen displays his songwriting ability and his guitar craft. We get a sax solo that comes as a surprising but pleasant treat.

'Silken Chains' is another guitar-oriented song that falls in the 'forgettable' category of mine. 'Limbo' is another shorter interlude made up of ambient soundscapes and vocal melodies provided by Henshall, that is leading to the really messy track 'Lunar Room'. This song happens to be written by Bent Knee-native Ben Levin who also raps on this track. There are also female vocals, guitar solos, and many things that do not leave me astonished and wanting to hear the track again.

'Twisted Shadows' sounds like the track that could fit on the Haken albums of this period ('Vector' or 'Virus'). Ross Jennings also provides vocals and Jordan Rudess lays down a keyboard solo. The song is very technically honed and much heavier than the rest of the album. I do not have much to say about the closing track 'Afterglow' except that it could have been left out.

Generally, this is not the kind of album that is appealing to me. It is decent for what it is, that is for sure. Still, given Henshall's background, I must compare it to Haken and admit it sounds weaker than any of their albums. He is a fantastic and very talented player but his powers work better in the band environment at this moment, in my humble opinion.

Latest members reviews

4 stars I had no idea what to expect with Richard's first solo release but this totally blew me away. If you're a fan of his work with Haken or Nova Collective then this is a must have. Richard wrote all the music plays guitar, keys and sings. His vocals aren't bad, they are low in the mix, but the majo ... (read more)

Report this review (#2451180) | Posted by Grumpyprogfan | Saturday, September 26, 2020 | Review Permanlink

3 stars Haken fans are naturally attracted to "The Cocoon", debut solo album by Henshall. It's a mature debut, made by a master craftsman. Henshall enlisted his wide group of musician friends. The result is a delight, showcasing different influences such as prog-metal, jazz-metal, post-rock and math-roc ... (read more)

Report this review (#2412258) | Posted by uribreitman | Thursday, June 11, 2020 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Richard Henshall is the guitarist of the group Haken, it is known! Before, he had worked for NOVA GROUP, TO-MERA and later Shattered Fortress, the project of Mr. PORTNOY. All that to say that the gentleman has a few arrows to his bow and his quiver is full; he also plays the synthesizer course ! ... (read more)

Report this review (#2310076) | Posted by alainPP | Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | Review Permanlink

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