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,[1] with an official release date set for 25 October 2011.[2][3]
Unlike Aquarius, which was written mainly on the piano by Richard Henshall, Visions was mostly written on the guitar. As with the debut album, the members recorded their parts at home and then shared the files between them. The album features a string quartet and a French horn player mixed with synthetic string and brass sections.[1] Both string and French horn arrangements were arranged by keyboardist Diego Tejeida and drummer Ray Hearne.[4]
It is a concept album like its predecessor, telling the story of "a young boy who sees his own death in his dreams and believes it's going to happen and spends the rest of his life trying to avoid it." The multi-part closing track "Visions" signifies the end of the story having come full circle, referencing earlier musical themes and motifs. The track was written by vocalist Ross Jennings based on a premonition of his own death and it was the first song to be written, with the album growing around it.[1] Like Aquarius, the album artwork was also created by Dennis Sibeijn.
The album is dedicated to the mother of guitarist Charlie Griffiths, who had died in 2011.[4]
Visions received high praise from Sea of Tranquility webzine. It was described as "a staggeringly brilliant example of progressive metal" by Pete Pardo and "probably the final progressive masterpiece of 2011" by Murat Batmaz.[5] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic gave the album a positive review saying, "Visions isn't exactly a proud new flagship in Her Royal Majesty's Progressive Rock (H.R.M.P.R.) navy, but it's pretty darn seaworthy nonetheless."[6]
Progressive metal is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral or "pseudo-classical" compositions of the latter.
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, oscillation between heavy and calm passages, complex vocal harmonies and the structures of their albums, syncopation, and polyrhythms. Thus far, every album released by the band has been a concept album. Lyrically, the band tends to address contemporary issues, such as sexuality, war, the environment, and the nature of God, humanity, and existence.
Blackwater Park is the fifth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on March 12, 2001, in Europe and a day later in North America through Music for Nations and Koch Records. The album marks the first collaboration between Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson and the band, as Wilson had been brought in to produce the album. This contributed to a shift in Opeth's musical style. The songs "The Drapery Falls" and "Still Day Beneath the Sun" were released as singles.
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.
Tom MacLean is an English progressive metal multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the guitarist of To-Mera and as the former bassist of Haken. MacLean was taught the classical guitar at the age of 10 and changed to electric at 14. It was not until he was 25 that he started to play the bass in order to join Haken. Since leaving Haken, MacLean has been a member of the progressive metal band Psion.
The Mountain is the third studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 2 September 2013 through Inside Out Music. It is the last album to feature bassist Thomas MacLean.
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.
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.
Troika is a collaborative album by progressive rock/metal musicians Nick D'Virgilio, Neal Morse and Ross Jennings under the moniker D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings. It was released through InsideOut Music on February 25, 2022.
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.
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