Category: New album releases

Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly announce new album ‘Friendship’

Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly are pleased to announce ‘Friendship’, their brand new studio album, due out on November 9th, 2018. Following the release of 2017’s ‘On Her Journey To The Sun’, as well as 2018’s retrospective 5CD collection ‘Rumbling Box’, the band masterminded by former Beardfish frontman & current Big Big Train member Rikard Sjöblom, are happy to reveal their fourth full-length release.

Rikard comments: “The idea for ‘Friendship’ came to me because of an old photo of me as a child. I found this old photo at my parents’ house, depicting me standing on top of this really tall treehouse in a glade near our house. Although I of course remembered it as being really high up in the tree tops as a child, this picture proved that it really was! As I reminisced about the treehouse I started thinking about my childhood friends with whom I built it. We were the best of friends and we spent so much time together in this little village where I used to live. This of course made me think about all the friends I used to have, these relationships where you hung out all the time, went through childhood together, grew up and knew everything about each other and then all of a sudden, for some reason, disappeared from each other’s lives.

This phenomenon of falling out with someone is still a mystery to me, but I’ve learned to accept it, much like the separation of death it’s just a part of life and the nature of our course of life, I guess. So this is a collection of songs about and for all of my friends, dead or alive, past and present. I chose to base the stories around the treehouse in the glade, not because all of my memories are from there, but rather that it’s the place that made me think back on all of this.”

The album will be available as a limited CD Digipak & gatefold 2LP + CD (both including 3 bonus tracks) as well as digital download. Pre-order now here: https://Gungfly.lnk.to/Friendship

The full track-listing is as follows:

1.Ghost of Vanity
2.Friendship
3.They Fade
4.A Treehouse in a Glade
5.Stone Cold
6.If You Fall, Pt. 2
7.Crown of Leaves
8.Slow Dancer (Bonus Track)
9.Past Generation (Bonus Track)
10.Friendship (Utopian Radio Edit) (Bonus Track)

Rikard comments of the musical direction: “Musically, what can I say? This is prog rock, but I want to be free to move in whatever direction the music wants to go and I happily go exploring where it wants to take me. Even though there are a few softer songs and sections, most of the album turned out to be a rocker; a collection of hard rock songs with lots of tricky parts, some heavier moments and some downright jazzy elements too!”

Rikard Sjöblom is perhaps best known as the multi-instrumentalist frontman of Beardfish, who established themselves as one of the most consistently brilliant modern-day progressive rock bands over the course of eight studio albums. In recent years, he has also become known for his work with English progressive collective Big Big Train, playing live with them as well as performing on their most recent studio album ‘The Second Brightest Star’ as well as the new live album ‘Merchants of Light’.

 

The Tangent announce new studio album ‘Proxy’

The Tangent, the progressive rock group led by Andy Tillison, will release their 10th studio album ‘Proxy’ on November 16th,  2018. Recorded during the band’s tour with Karmakanic in 2017/18, which saw them with more chances than normal to work together on the record – hotel writing sessions, van discussions, soundcheck ideas – all of which have allowed the band to make an album that is as organic as they have achieved since their formation 15 years ago.

Andy Tillison comments: “Our belief is that Progressive Rock music is still a valid and viable musical form in 2018 and will continue to be so. Our band has always sought to take on board things from the present and add them to that magical mix. We don’t claim to be offering the FUTURE. We just claim to be offering one set of possibilities. Ours. Now.”

‘Proxy’ is a riot of juxtaposing styles, presented in a really direct manner and despite being firmly rooted in the stylistic traits of the Progressive Rock Genre takes some unexpected turnoffs and a major swerve. The albums kicks off with a trademark Tangent prog fantasia based around growling Hammonds, shrieking Synths, whirling guitars and sharp percussive bass  – influences of ELP, Egg, Hatfield & the North, Caravan and Camel proudly worn on their sleeves.  This 16-minute title track eventually becomes a protest song about the continuing wars that share their name with the song.

But this album features no overall concept. The second track is a sun-drenched Mediterranean fusion instrumental, more Chick Corea than Che Guevara.  And the third track is referred to by the band as an attempt to find the missing link between Porcupine Tree and Jamiroquai.  By the time we reach the centrepiece epic track ‘The Adulthood Lie’, the rulebook has been left behind and the band are trying to fix the car with whatever is at hand. The Tangent came of age some time ago now. After 15 years with a constant presence on the periphery of the scene, this album is the next step on the road from a band who have painstakingly revered and recreated the past, with one eye on the future.

The album will be available as a limited CD digipak, Vinyl LP + CD & as digital download. The full track-listing is as follows:

1.Proxy

2.The Melting Andalusian Skies

3.A Case of Misplaced Optimism

4.The Adulthood Lie

5.Supper’s Off

6.Excerpt From “Exo-Oceans” (Bonus Track)

The album features the following players:
Andy Tillison – Vocals, Lyrics, Keyboards, Composer
Jonas Reingold (The Sea Within, Steve Hackett Band) – Bass Guitar
Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Travis-Fripp) – Sax & Flute
Luke Machin (Maschine, Francis Dunnery Band) – Guitar
Steve Roberts (ex Magenta, Godsticks) – Drums
With special guest: Goran Edman (Karmakanic) – Vocals

FIDDLER EXTRAORDINAIRE KARRNNEL SINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DOUBLE ALBUM

Karrnnel, one of Canada’s most innovative fiddlers, and member of JUNO-winning instrumental band The Fretless, is proud to announce the independent release of his double album on September 13th. Featuring his unique sound, including a copper fiddle with pedal effects, ‘Crazy Old Man’ and ‘SKMB’ have 18 tracks that Karrnnel has been crafting since his 2009 debut release. Although he has been a multi-award winning professional musician since age four and has composed over 300 instrumental pieces, the upcoming releases represent two firsts: vocal tracks (with him singing) and original lyrics. He’ll present this new work to audiences with tours across Canada, the US and Europe.

The albums were recorded with engineer Don Benedictson and producer Murray Pulver in Roseisle, MB at Unity Gain Productions and in Toronto at Revolution Recording.

‘Crazy Old Man’ – a solo album inspired by bands/artists such as Snarky Puppy, Natalie McMaster, Wade Ward, and Bruce Molsky. The album incorporates experimentation with the use of the copper fiddle, the copper fiddle with two octave strings, and pedal effects. And of course, Karrnnel’s vocals for the first time. All of the instrumental tracks were recorded live off the floor with the full band: Karnnell (fiddle), Nate Douglas (acoustic guitar), Joey Landreth (electric guitar), Don Benedictson (bass), Daniel Roy (drums), and a three piece horn section.

‘SKMB’ – a guest-singer album influenced sonically by bands/artists The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jack White, and Gary Clark Jr. The album title reflects how much Saskatchewan and Manitoba musicians have shaped Karrnnel’s art and music. Three guest vocalists (his favourite singers from SK and MB) bring these cross-genre songs to life: Amy Matysio (award-winning actress and Karrnnel’s wife), Joey Landrey (The Landreth Brothers), and Ken Hamm (JUNO winner). The album is similar in concept to the Santana album, “Supernatural”.

“The vision was to create a massive project that translates into a massive show. Bigband. Big sound. Life is a journey and this is mine. Enjoy yours.” – Karrnnel

TOUR DATES
Sept 14 Winnipeg, MB Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain
Sept 15 Clearwater, MB Harvest Moon Festival
Sept 16 St. Lucipin MB St. Lupicin Fundraiser
Sept 20 Regina, SK The Artesian
Sept 21 Saskatoon, SK The Broadway Theatre
see karrnnel.com for further tour announcements

Florida Ambient/Experimental Rock Band Europa To Release Debut Full Album In Late 2018 – Release Video For Running Futures

5-piece Independent Ambient/Experimental/Progressive rock group Europa, based out of Orlando, FL. have announced the title of their debut, full-length album due late 2018. The release is to be called ‘Small Steps’ and is about progress; musical, personal and social. The band are also currently finalizing the artwork.

The band, who strives to push the boundaries of modern Rock music, have released two E.P.s, 2013’s ‘Stage 0’ and 2015’s ‘Children’. So far in their career they’ve garnered comparisons to bands such as Eidola, Sianvar, The Deer Hunter and Thrice.

Recently Europa released two singles from the forthcoming album – Redesign and Running Futures – and a video for the latter.

Running Futures is a wide ranging soundscape of highly intense music. The fiery, energetic drumming works perfectly with the stark, yet vibrant guitar. The vocals are an integral part of the experience, ranging from the typical post and hard rock to the harsh and coruscating.

You can download both singles, pay what you want, from the bandcamp page here

 

Glass Hammer Set To Release “Chronomonaut” Concept Album

Glass Hammer have been teasing a concept album based on “the ultimate prog fan”, and now it’s official.

Fans will no doubt recognize the name “Tom” from 2000’s ‘Chronometree’ release and videos on Glass Hammer’s social media sites show that Tom has recently resurfaced to promote his own music. Bassist Steve Babb explains, “While ‘Chronometree’ documented Tom’s prog-rock influenced alien-encounter in 1979, our new album ‘Chromomonaut’ tells the stranger story of all that happened later; from Tom’s failed early eighties prog-rock band, The Elf King, to his most recent musings on nostalgia and the glory days of progressive rock.”

To lend credibility to the ‘Chronomonaut’ story, the character of Tom began posting his own music and theories on time travel to YouTube and at least one well-known progressive rock forum (progressiveears.org) several months ago using the name “The Elf King”. Glass Hammer has also been releasing “found footage” video of Tom, supposedly from 1983, which documents his time travel experiments as well as the failure of his own prog band to secure a record deal.

“Tom is a frustrated guy,” says Babb. “He’s growing older and his prog heroes are retiring or sadly passing away. We all reflect as these things happen and we’re all guilty of romanticizing the past, but Tom makes the bold attempt to actually go back in time. Is the music in his prog collection powerful enough to make this happen? Can he really get back there? That’s what ‘Chronomonaut’ is all about.”

Bandmates Fred Schendel, Susie Bogdanowicz and Aaron Raulston are all on board for this release. Guest appearances include Discipline’s Matthew Parmenter and Chris Herin.

“Chronomonaut” will be released on Friday, October 12th. Pre-ordering for autographed copies will begin one month ahead of the release on September 12th at the band’s website.

Youtube Teaser Link: https://youtu.be/UuWJFWwYxKs
Band website: www.glasshammer.com

Kscope to release Anathema – Internal Landscapes 2008 – 2018 on 26th October 2018

A 13-track journey through the best of Anathema’s Kscope years Feat. “Thin Air”, “Untouchable”, “Dreaming Light” and “Springfield”

“The band isn’t just a way of life, its been much more than that. To us, as a family, writing music of such honesty, and reaching people who feel it similarly, is as profound an expression of art and life as its possible to be. People have said to me it must be cathartic to write songs like this. I often say the real gift is in the people I do it with. For what we share and what we mean to each other when all is said and done.. The landscapes are internal” – Daniel Cavanagh

Internal Landscapes showcases the highly influential Liverpool sextet’s uncompromising dedication to fearless artistry. They’ve continually evolved since 1990 by placing hope in the future – from leaving the underground scene they were fundamental in establishing to continually mesmerising the world with dramatic post-progressive alternative rock that knows no borders.

The release of Internal Landscapes follows an extensive worldwide headline tour, including performances at Download Festival, ArcTanGent and Wembley Arena with Opeth in support of their 2017 studio album The Optimist. The release won the Album of the Year at the Progressive Music Awards ’17, reached the top 10 in the Polish charts, top 20 in Germany, top 40 in the UK, and has 5.8 million track streams on Spotify. This built on the success of their previous Kscope material, which also won at the Progressive Music Awards, including Album of the Year, Live Event of the Year & Multimedia Package of the Year for 2010’s We’re Here Because We’re Here, 2012’s Weather Systems and 2013’s Universal.

This collection, curated by the band, selects the best works from their prolific output on the ground-breaking label Kscope since 2008. In this time the band left their heavier roots and transcended into emotional heaviness that resonated deep within the heart of the listener. It takes its name from the band’s perhaps most heartfelt song, from their most popular album of the period, Weather Systems.

Daniel Cavanagh has provided the album sleeve notes and the artwork was created by long-time collaborator Travis Smith.

Internal Landscapes will be released on CD, LP and available through usual download and streaming platforms and is available to pre-order HERE

Internal Landscapes 2008-2018 tracklisting

1. Anathema [06:41]

2. Untouchable part 1 [06:14]

3. Untouchable part 2 [05:33]

4. Thin Air [06:00]

5. Ariel [06:29]

6. Can’t Let Go [04:34]

7. Dreaming Light [05:47]

8. Are you There? [05:11]

9. J’ai Fait Une Promesse [03:33]

10. Leaving It Behind [04:27]

11. Springfield [05:42]

12. Distant Satellites [08:07]

13. Internal Landscapes [08:37]

To coincide with the release of Internal Landscapes and the 10 Years Of Kscope show on 2nd October in London, Anathema will be playing a series of intimate acoustic shows, under the title Ambient Acoustic Tour. Anathema will be touring these shows as a four-piece featuring Daniel & Vincent Cavanagh and Lee & John Douglas. Support act(s) will be announced shortly.

Daniel Cavanagh introduces the tour:

“Welcome to a new Anathema experience: Ambient Acoustic. In exploring what we might do to expand the music still further, out of thin air came the idea to arrange music in a ‘third way’, in the space between the acoustic band and the live rock band. With ‘ambient acoustic’ we feel freer to explore many textures, mixing live loops, piano, strings, percussion, electronics, guitars and voices, all within the essence of the songs and the emotions they carry. We hope you enjoy this next chapter of the story, the journey of discovery, of searching for something that can never really be found”

28-09: France, Lille, Theatre Le Splendid

29-09: Netherlands, Tilburg, 013

30-09: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Melkweg

01-10: UK, Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

02-10: UK, London, Union Chapel (10 Years Of Kscope)

03-10: UK, Manchester, Deaf Institute

04-10: UK, Glasgow, The Mackintosh Church

Tickets are now on sale from usual outlets. More information can be found on: www.anathemamusic.com/tour-dates

Anathema will also be appearing the UK’s Arctangent Festival on Friday 17th August (http://www.arctangent.co.uk )

 

Arnór Dan releases new video for’ Stone by Stone (Agent Fresco/Ólafur Arnalds)

Arnór Dan, the multi-award winning vocalist and front-man of Iceland’s Agent Fresco, released his debut solo single, ‘Stone by Stone’ today via Clash Magazine, who are calling it ‘a beautifully nuanced, highly graceful return.’ An ambient track that gradually builds with cinematic strings and hypnotic percussion, ‘Stone by Stone’ is a fragile and haunting lament that highlights the void created in the current digital age. Despite being consumed by our  innate desire for intimacy and connection, this era is marked by an unavoidable sense of apathy that feeds a grander sense of detachment.

The accompanying video features an emblematic intimate portrayal of two mysterious figures isolated from each other within the infinite, sweeping vistas of Iceland’s volcanic landscape. The tranquil imagery accentuates the simultaneous detachment and longing they feel toward each other, with the focus shifting from the minutiae of their present moment under a magnifying glass to a broader picture of the beautiful, natural world that surrounds their affairs.

‘Stone by Stone,’ which was co-written with Janus Rasmussen (Kiasmos) and Sakaris Emil Joensen, provides a perfect musical foundation for the delicate, ethereal timbre of Arnór’s voice and showcases the vocalist at his most tender and contemplative while drawing parallels to the collective conscious.

Arnór has lent his vocal talents to several projects, including celebrated Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds (with whom he also collaborated on the BAFTA award-winning soundtrack for ITV’s Broadchurch), the acclaimed anime Zankyou No Terror with Yoko Kanno, Hugar, and Agent Fresco. In 2016, Arnór won ‘Male Singer of the Year’ at The Icelandic Music Awards for his sterling and varied work on Agent Fresco’s second full length album Destrier.

THE PINEAPPLE THIEF RELEASE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FOR “TRY AS I MIGHT” TAKEN FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING ALBUM DISSOLUTION

The Pineapple Thief  have launched their brand new video for “Try As I Might”, the new single from their forthcoming new studio album Dissolution. The highly anticipated follow up to 2015’s Your Wilderness, is the band’s second album to feature King Crimson and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison.

Vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Bruce Soord explains his dystopian view, “The video follows the theme of the song and the album – if you sign up to this hyper connected world we live in, then you have to live with the consequences.  Try as you might to get out of it.”

The futuristic clip was created by Blacktide Phonic/Visual (www.black-tide.co.uk) director George Laycock, who expands on how he created the film “When The Pineapple Thief came to me with their track ‘Try as I might’, they had a broad basis for an idea for a music video that dealt with a social media obsessed ‘connected’ world.

This had nods to previous films and television like ‘The Truman Show’, ‘Black Mirror’, the ‘Big Brother’ landscape and its preceding shows, so it was about creating a storyline using these broad influences and encapsulating into an obscure 3 minute film on a budget.

I was interested in the concept of ‘in eye cameras’, scary technology I am sure isn’t too far away from us. We decided to go down the optical medical route and follow our character on a journey from first pre-operation, to surgery, recovery and then trying to battle the decision he has made, whilst battling with the corporation he has signed up too. The film hopefully leaves the viewer to create their own conceptions on his outcome.

We filmed it all on the Dorset/Devon coastline around where I live and were fortunate to be able to secure great locations to shoot in with a few favours, including a remote seaside post-modern house, a private beach and a real working hospital and opticians.

To keep the cast down to a minimum I decided that the camera that is watching Bruce would become the main supporting actor and his nemesis, appearing in scenes without anyone operating it. This allowed us to see the cameras point of view and tell the story to the fictional viewer. This old broadcast camera weighed an absolute ton, and carrying through remote woods, down a mile-long steep cliff path to a beach was a challenge on some of the hottest days of the year. Filming in the water at the end was a welcome refreshment. 

Many thanks to all those who helped with the film, especially everyone involved at Yeovil hospital for allowing us such amazing access, and to Bruce for being so amenable about having scalpels inches from his eyeball.”

The Pineapple Thief have grown to become one of the leading lights of Europe’s experimental rock domain, Your Wilderness produced 4m+ album streams, a #7 in the UK Independent Charts and two extensive headline European tours culminating at London’s Islington Assembly Hall where the concert was recorded for the live release Where We Stood, and their new album Dissolution promises to propel the band to even greater heights. 

Dissolution will be released in the following formats – all available to pre-order now HERE

  • CD
  • Black LP –pressed to audiophile 180g vinyl
    Limited Edition Crystal Clear LP edition – pressed to audiophile 180g vinyl
  • Blu-ray – features a 16-page booklet, the album plus bonus music in a 24/96 DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound mix and 24/96 hi-res stereo audio
  • Deluxe 4 disc edition – features 52 pages containing exclusive additional artwork, the original album on CD plus a second CD of bonus music, and is topped off with a DVD and Blu-ray featuring the album and bonus material in a 24/96 DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound mix and 24/96 hi-res stereo audio.
  • All digital & streaming platforms
     

     

The Pineapple Thief will be taking Dissolution on the road starting in September 2018, with new dates added for March 2019. This tour includes their biggest show to date at London’s prestigious O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – tickets are on sale now and selling fast: http://www.pineapplethief.com/tour/

The Pineapple Thief – Dissolution Tour 2018/2019

Sep 15 – FR – Paris – La Maroquinerie

Sep 16 – BE, Brussels-  La Madeleine

Sep 17 – DE, Bremen – Schlachthof

Sep 18 – DE, Hanover – Musikzentrum

Sep 19 – DE, Berlin – Lido

Sep 21 – PL, Warsaw – Stodola

Sep 22 – CZ, Olomouc – S-Klub

Sep 23 – CZ, Prgaue – Rock Cafè

Sep 25 – AU, Wien – Szene

Sep 26 – DE, Munich – Backstage Werk

Sep 27 – DE, Aschaffenburg-  Colos-Saal

Sep 28- DE, Cologne – Live Music Hall

Sep 29 – NL, Amsterdam – Melkweg

Oct 4 – UK, Edinburgh – Liquid Rooms

Oct 5 – UK, Sheffield – Leadmill

Oct 6 – UK, London – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

2019

Feb 22 – IT, Roma – Largo Venue

Feb 23 – IT, Milano – Santeria Social Club

Mar 3 – DK, Copenhagen – Vega

Mar 5 – SE, Stockholm – venue tba

Mar 6 – NO, Oslo – John Dee 

The Pineapple Thief are:

Bruce Soord – vocalist, guitarist, composer

Gavin Harrison – drums

Jon Sykes – bass

Steve Kitch – keyboards

IAMTHEMORNING & KSCOPE RELEASE OCEAN SOUNDS ON 19TH OCTOBER

The new intimate studio film from the highly praised Russian duo recorded on a remote Norwegian island.

Following the success of two highly-praised albums on Kscope, Belighted and Lighthouse, Russian duo Gleb Kolyadin and Marjana Semkina are releasing a new studio film shot at and named after a remote recording studio on Giske, a Norwegian island. The footage offers a behind-the-scenes insight into the recording techniques of two of modern progressive music’s most talented composers. The content captures iamthemorning’s live set-up from the last three years, with the setlist consisting of songs from their first three studio albums and an unplugged recording of “Blue Sea”, the first track to be written for their upcoming fourth album and exclusive to this Blu-ray disc.

The studio was designed with panoramic windows that allow the stunning back-drop of Giske Island and the Norwegian Sea to be baked into the performances, a location that is featured in glorious high-definition on the Blu-ray. Marjana commented “It was the most inspiring place for us to work in, surrounded by the sea, mountains, wild flowers and gorgeous Norwegian sunsets. All of the natural splendour we don’t see that often.”

Ocean Sounds builds on the recent success of Kolyadin’s self-titled debut solo album on Kscope, which has been nominated as Album of the Year at the Progressive Music Awards ’18: an honour that Iamthemorning have already achieved with Lighthouse, and which is also backed by Semkina winning Female Vocalist of the Year in the 2016 Prog Magazine Reader’s poll. The pair’s live performances have included the likes of London’s Bush Hall, Ramblin’ Man Fair and the Netherland’s Midsummer Prog Festival.

The audio recording, mixing and mastering were handled by regular collaborator Vlad Avy, the film was produced and edited by Miles Skarin at Crystal Spotlight, and the watercolour artwork was designed by Constantine Nagishkin.

Ocean Sounds will be released as a 2 disc CD + Blu Ray set which includes the film and hi-res audio on Blu-ray; the audio on 180g LP; digitally and is available to pre-order HERE

2 disc CD (audio) + Blu Ray (video) / LP (audio)

1. Inside  [03:30]
2. Scotland 03:37]
3. To Human Misery  [04:05]
4. Romance [02:57]
5. 5/4  [03:12]
6. Touching II [03:53]
7. Os Lunatum  [03:49]
8. Matches  [03:53]
9. Sleeping Pills  [03:17]
10. Libretto Horror [02:04]
11. Chalk & Coal [04:06]
12. K. O. S.[05:51]
Bonus Track on Blu Ray disc only
13. Blue Sea [02:42]

HAKEN announce fifth studio album ‘Vector’; launch fan etching competition

HAKEN, one of progressive music’s most exciting bands, have announced details of their much-anticipated fifth studio album titled ‘Vector’, due for release on the October 26th, 2018. The album was produced by the band themselves, and recorded & mixed by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery, Devin Townsend Project), with the artwork once again being handled by Blacklake.

The band comments: “On the back of celebrating the 10 year anniversary of our conception, all of us here in the Haken camp are extremely excited to begin this new chapter of our career and share ‘Vector’ with the world.”

The album will be available as Limited edition 2CD Digipak (including instrumental versions), Gatefold vinyl 2LP + CD, & as digital download. You can find the track-listing below:

1.     Clear
2.     The Good Doctor
3.     Puzzle Box
4.     Veil
5.     Nil By Mouth
6.     Host
7.     A Cell Divides

To celebrate the announcement of the new album, the band are opening up a unique opportunity for one fan’s artwork to be used as the etching on the fourth side of the vinyl LP version of the record. Haken are inviting fans to submit their own version of the Rorschach test ink-blot image which graces the album’s cover, and one winner’s art will be picked by the band to be etched into every vinyl copy of Vector.

Submissions are open now, closing on the 10th August, and can be sent to: drrex@hakenmusic.com

Since their inception in 2007, Haken have shown over four previous studio albums, one EP and a live release that they never stand still, merely satisfied to rely on past triumphs. Rather, Haken always look for ways to challenge themselves as musicians and artists, and also to keep the listeners on their collective toes. “We don’t like to make simple music,” laughs vocalist Ross Jennings. “We always aim to defy expectations, and I believe we’ve surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album.”

Their fifth studio record sees the band going in a heavier direction with the music. “We’ve always had a heavy influence”, explains guitarist Charlie Griffiths, “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.” As is usual, Haken produced the album themselves, but for the first time they have enlisted Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood during the recording and mixing stages. Formerly bassist with Periphery, in the last couple of years he has built a reputation as a fine producer. “We produced the album ourselves, as we always do,” insists Jennings. “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”.

But if this album is musically heavy, then there’s an underlying theme running through the seven songs which is certainly esoteric and fascinating. “The scene is set with the track The Good Doctor, which was a really fun song. 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”, explains Griffiths. “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. Although we don’t want to give too much away, people who are familiar with our back catalogue will have fun discovering further clues we’ve planted throughout the album. And that’s the challenge for the fans – to find out for themselves their own meaning for ‘Vector’ as an album”.