| The Mountain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 September 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
| Studio | The Crypt (London) | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 62:13 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music Century Media Records (distribution) | |||
| Haken chronology | ||||
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The Mountain is the third studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 2 September 2013 through Inside Out Music. [1] It is the last album to feature bassist Thomas MacLean.
Band members Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths said of the album:
"To us, 'The Mountain' is symbolic of our journey as a band, but also reflects the wider trials and tribulations of life. Lyrically, we've done a lot of soul searching which has given the album an emotional depth that we're sure listeners will really relate to, whatever personal mountain they are climbing.
Musically, the new songs feel rawer and more emotional than anything we've created in the past. All the essential elements of our sound are still there but have been delivered in a more gritty and focused style. We've really pushed ourselves in all areas and truly believe that this album is a step up from any of our previous work..."
Unlike Aquarius and Visions , for which vocalist Ross Jennings wrote all the lyrics, The Mountain features contributions by every band member. On a 2016 interview, Jennings said: [3]
"I'm still not sure if the rest of the band fully understood what I was trying to achieve lyrically with Aquarius and Visions, which I think left them quite cold and therefore they couldn't relate to those albums so well. If you ask them today, I still don't think they could explain the stories or the themes. So when it came to writing the Mountain, everyone wanted to get involved with that part of the process [...]"
According to keyboardist Diego Tejeida, the band "didn't set any boundaries for how we wanted the album to sound". [4] He added that "The Mountain was tangibly influenced by 70's music, at the same time we threw in some prog-unrelated influences like: ambient, soul, jazz, 80's synthpop, minimalism or even those Glitch Hop Drums on 'Because It's There'." [4]
Drummer Raymond "Ray" Hearne added that "The Mountain set out on a few different lyrical paths before realising its final form. We initially had a couple of quasi-concept ideas but soon began to realise this was a bit too constrictive so we pretty much chose a song or two each. [...] Each of us chose the song(s) that spoke most personally to us. We then tried to reflect that music with our words and vice versa. It soon became clear that this was a great collaborative decision as we all began to really dig what each one of us came up with and we were able to help one another with any musical/lyrical guidance they might have needed. It was a truly collaborative process." [4]
Guitarist and keyboardist Richard Henshall said the band wanted to sound more "elemental" than their previous work, Visions . [4] "We used this as a rough guideline and went with the natural flow of things. [...] To me, what we end up with is most the honest expression of our emotions and feelings. [4]
According to Jennings, the epic "Falling Back to Earth" consists of two parts ("Rise" and "Fall"). [4] The first is based on the history of Icarus and covers the subject of "ambition, failure and perseverence[ sic ], using the metaphor of wings and flying too close to the sun to represent how we take on challenges in life and the desire to prove something to people." [4] The second part is inspired by science fiction iconography, "looking at the who we are and the world around us when we have fallen, and the humility required to reach out to others for forgiveness & acceptance. The rise and fall of this song sits aptly as the centre-piece of this album." [4]
A shortened version of "Cockroach King" received a promotional video with The Muppets-like band members manufactured by Griffiths and controlled by Rinaldi and Ross. According to Tejeida, the idea was to make a video with comic touches for all ages, "far from the seriousness protocol demanded by a rock/metal video". [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [6] |
| Angry Metal Guy |   [7] |
| Ghost Cult Magazine | [8] |
| Metal Underground | [9] |
| The Monolith | [10] |
| Sea of Tranquility |  [11] |
The Mountain was met with critical acclaim.
Conor Fynes of Prog Sphere called it "quite possibly the greatest statement in progressive metal yet released in 2013", and noted that "the influence of bands like Dream Theater and King Crimson are undoubtedly evident, but Haken have finally claimed ownership of a sound unto their own. [12] He however criticized the lyrics, saying they "tend to feel as cheesy and heavy-handed as they have always been", though still noting songwriting improvements compared to the previous two albums. [12]
Anso DF of MetalSucks considered The Mountain "a chore, an overlong, indulgent, and occasionally annoying odyssey", but stated that "fans of Porcupine Tree and Katatonia will love The Mountain's moody melodies, if not its flights of wankery. The latter will tantalize those in a mood for Petrucci-type fun, though unsatisfied they will be with the infrequency of heavy riffage. It's basically just barely too heavy to be mistaken for Cairo. But not too heavy to open a co-headline tour of Devin Townsend and Zamfir." [13]
Steven Reid of Sea of Tranquility said the album is "blindingly technical", but "doesn't feel like an exercise in how to get the most notes out of any given instrument". [11] He also stated that "every instrumentalist comes to the fore, but never too egotistical to take a big step back when the need arises." [11]
Kevin of The Monolith called it "a fantastic album that combines elements from all over the musical spectrum, boasting jazz, classic prog, modern prog rock and metal as main influences, while weaving the likes of choral, funk, and soul in as well. It has fantastic writing, amazing musicianship, a really personal, relatable theme, and sounds clear as a bell." [10]
Roger T, also of Prog Sphere, gave the album a mixed review, stating that "Haken have taken a trolley-dash through the supermarket of prog, grabbing every influence they can get their eager little hands on, sometimes wholesale, and the end product is dizzying in its ambition and scope." [14] However, he praised some songs, such as "Cockroach King", in which he noted vocal influences of Gentle Giant and "Because It's There", described by him as "an example of highly skilled writing and arrangement". [14]
It has been cited by Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess and by drummer Mike Portnoy as one of their top 10 albums of 2013. [15] [16] It was also praised by Between the Buried and Me's bassist Dan Briggs. [17]
The Mountain made the band gain a more substantial fanbase. At Prog Sphere, it won first place in albums of 2013 [18] and fourth place in The Prog Report. [19]
All music is composed by Richard Henshall, except "As Death Embraces", by Diego Tejeida
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Path" | Ray Hearne | 2:46 |
| 2. | "Atlas Stone" |
| 7:33 |
| 3. | "Cockroach King" | Henshall | 8:14 |
| 4. | "In Memoriam" |
| 4:17 |
| 5. | "Because It's There" | Hearne | 4:23 |
| 6. | "Falling Back to Earth"
|
| 11:50 |
| 7. | "As Death Embraces" | Diego Tejeida | 3:13 |
| 8. | "Pareidolia" | Tejeida | 10:50 |
| 9. | "Somebody" | Thomas MacLean | 9:00 |
| Total length: | 62:13 | ||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "The Path Unbeaten" (instrumental version of "The Path") | 2:12 | |
| 11. | "Nobody" (acoustic and abridged version of "Somebody") | MacLean | 4:53 |
| Total length: | 69:18 | ||
|
|
|
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] | 166 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] | 82 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] | 42 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [23] | 93 |
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).
Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE) is an American instrumental progressive metal supergroup founded by Mike Portnoy, in 1997. The band initially released two albums, between 1998 and 1999. An extension of their second regular album, with the absence of John Petrucci was released in 2007 under the name "Liquid Trio Experiment".
Jordan Rudess is an American keyboardist, composer, and software developer best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive metal supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory is the fifth studio album and first concept album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 26, 1999, through Elektra Records. It was recorded at BearTracks Studios in Suffern, New York, where the band had previously recorded their second studio album, Images and Words (1992), and the EP A Change of Seasons (1995).
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is the sixth song and title track on the album of the same name, written and performed by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Though the song is essentially broken up into eight movements on separate tracks, it lasts 42 minutes in full and takes up the entire second CD of the album. The song was conceived when keyboardist Jordan Rudess wrote what would become the "Overture" section, and the band took various melodies and ideas contained within it and expanded them into segments of the complete piece. The song explores the stories of six individuals suffering from various mental illnesses. Particularly represented are bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, post-partum depression, autism, and dissociative identity disorder.
Aquarius is the debut studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. Despite the band having released two previous demos, none of the multiple songs already recorded were re-released on this album. A 22-minute medley of the whole album, except for the song "Sun", was included in their live album L-1VE.
Haken are an English progressive metal band formed in 2007 by multi-instrumentalist Richard Henshall, guitarist Matthew Marshall, and vocalist Ross Jennings. While Henshall, Marshall, and Jennings first had the idea of forming Haken in 2004, they opted to pursue their instruments and songwriting first. Upon recruiting other members three years later, they eventually released the demo Enter the 5th Dimension in 2008, signing with Sensory Records and releasing their first album Aquarius in 2010. As of 2023, they have released seven studio albums, two EPs, and two live albums.
Richard James "Hen" Henshall is a British progressive metal multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the guitarist and keyboardist for the bands To-Mera, Haken, Nova Collective, and Opinaut. He has released one album (Exile) with To-Mera, seven with Haken, and one solo album. He has also released EPs and singles: Oxygen, Redemption, Earthbound, and Restoration. Henshall was classically trained on the piano from the age of seven. By the age of 11 to 12, he started playing the guitar on a self-taught basis. He also had drums and clarinet classes.
Visions is the second studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. The album was released mostly for the attention of people at ProgPower USA on 17 September 2011, with an official release date set for 25 October 2011.
Restoration is an EP by English progressive metal band Haken, that was released on 27 October 2014 through Inside Out Music. It is the first release of the band to feature bassist Conner Green and the second with producer and mixer Jens Bogren, who did his job at his Fascination Street Studios.
Affinity is the fourth studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 29 April 2016 by Inside Out Music. It is the group's first full-length album with the bass guitarist Conner Green following the departure of Thomas MacLean.
Eric Gillette is an American multi-instrumentalist from Dallas, Texas. He is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Neal Morse Band, lead guitarist for TEMIC, as well as a solo artist and session musician. Although primarily a guitarist, he often plays keyboards and drums as part of his professional work.
L-1VE is the first video album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 22 June 2018. Most of the concert was filmed on 13 April 2017, at the Melkweg in Amsterdam during their 10th anniversary tour in 2017. It also includes four bonus tracks filmed at ProgPower USA 2016 at the Center Stage in Atlanta, which also includes Mike Portnoy's cameo appearance on gong, as well as all of the official videos from the Affinity album.
Vector is the fifth studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 26 October 2018 through Inside Out Music. It is the shortest studio album by 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.
The Cocoon is the debut solo album by British guitarist and keyboardist Richard Henshall of Haken fame. It was released on 9 August 2019. It features guest performances of his Haken bandmate Ross Jennings (vocals), among other guests. The main members include bassist Conner Green and Cynic drummer Matt Lynch.
Virus is the sixth studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 24 July 2020 through Inside Out Music. According to the band's singer, Ross Jennings, the album is loosely connected to their 2018 release Vector. As well as the latter, Virus was mixed by ex-Periphery bassist Adam "Nolly" Getgood and the artwork was created by long-time collaborators Blacklake. It is the last album featuring keyboardist Diego Tejeida, who left the band the following year.
Ross William Jennings is a British progressive metal singer, most known for being a founder member and the lead vocalist of the bands Haken and Novena. As of 2023, he has released seven albums with Haken, one with Novena, three with Redados and one solo album.
A Shadow of My Future Self is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Ross Jennings. It was released on 19 November 2021 through Graphite Records. Unlike his more well-known Progressive music, Jennings' solo record follows a much more mainstream approach with Jennings directly citing Styx, Coldplay, Journey and Porcupine Tree as references.
"Cockroach King" is a song by English progressive metal band Haken. It is the third song from the band's third album, The Mountain. Curiously, the song received a single edit shortly after the release of the album but the song was never directly released as a single. The song is to date the band's most popular song and would later go on to form the basis of the band's fifth and sixth albums, Vector and Virus.
Fauna is the seventh studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 3 March 2023 through Inside Out Music. The album is the first release without keyboardist Diego Tejeida, who left the band in 2021. Founding member Peter Jones served as his replacement. The first single "Nightingale" was released on 26 April 2022, when the band had not yet started to record the whole album. The second single "The Alphabet of Me" was first announced, along with the cover art and name of the album, at their website with a puzzle game.
