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The Mountain (Haken) - Extended Play Lounge (Ep. 9) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-12-02 04:08:49
Edited:
2023-05-25 16:15:25
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Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/652298244/e7dbbb1517

I'm really happy that I decided to not overlook Haken. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while listening to this album. I find their music to be sophisticated and honest...really enjoy their vibe. Thanks to the Haken fans for advocating for the band. And, non-Haken fans, I hope you'll give it a shot. 

As usual, please don't share this link outside of Patreon. Enjoy!

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The Mountain (Haken) - Extended Play Lounge (Ep. 9)

Comments

The Black Queen

Cockroach King has a very Gentle Giant feel to it

Andrew Lamont

It'll be a first listen for me too, but I reckon it'll be a blast!

Greg Dundore

THANK YOU!! Can't wait to watch this!!

Fabian J Lelo

Loving your reaction thus far. Had no idea Diego left the band too, damn! 😔 The Mountain also contains two bonus tracks which actually compliment the album well too, just saying. 😁👍 Have you reacted to any Uriah Heep yet, Doug? Salisbury, July Morning and The Magician's Birthday I'd highly recommend checking out...

Arrow2theACL

Thanks Doug. Just a couple of things to point out. On first look at the album, people don't see the man rolling up his stone up the mountain. Sheds a whole new perspective when I noticed him. Because It's There is absolutely gorgious. You were trying to figure out the lyrics at the end. Something you wouldn't be able to pick up on is that final verse recalls lines from each song in the album. Almost like a coming together of Life's journey. Which is odd to me the band decided to have it in the middle of the album instead of the end. It was a repraisal of The Path to get back on the right track while remembering all that you learned during the journey.

Arrow2theACL

Also, I recommend listening to that vocal layering section in Somebody again. The only line is "I wish I could have been somebody." But the way it is sung puts an emphisis on a different word in decending order each time. I wish i could have been somebody i WISH i could have been somebody i wish I could have been somebody i wish i COULD have been somebody and so on....

Frank Bernard

Great video. I hope you can do the Messiah Complex from the last album Virus on an upcoming Friday.

Anthony Taylor

Thanks so much, Doug! This was my introduction to Haken upon the albums release. What a strange and wonderful group they are!

Arrow2theACL

Ok. few more thoughts....sorry. There will be some Haken fans that will take offense to pointing out that they sound similar to DT and they really shouldn't. These guys obviously have been influenced by several different prog bands. Each album does have it's unique sound and the first 3 definitely has a DT feel. I wonder it that is why the band has steered toward a more heavier sound in the last two albums. I really hope they go back to something along The Mountain sounding personally, but the 2 recent albums do sound great. It also goes into a deeper story of The Cockroach King and has spurred the beginning of the Hakenverse (which may or may not be in large part driven by a member of Doug's community). Which is an idea neither confirmed or denied by the band that ties all their albums together under one concept story.

Dan Noyes

Thanks for dragging me into the 21st century... There is hope.

Blinky

At the point you were saying sounded like no other artist, I was thinking it sounded like dredg a bit, but nobody listens to them (Though "The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" is a spectacular album that everyone should check out, and their previous albums, "El Cielo," "Catch Without Armos" and "Leitmotif" are also solid.) They're a much more straightforward rock band, but they are ambitious enough to be very interesting. And watching their drummer/pianist in their live shows is always a treat (yes, he plays both simultaneously). Haken is probably one of the djentiest bands that I can still find myself enjoying. So musical.

Blinky

By the way, you noted the flat six in "Pareidolia." I'm pretty sure the song's in Phrygian, which would explain that (it contributes to the very exotic sound, especially coupled with being in 5, which is a common meter in traditional southeastern European and Middle Eastern music). I can't help but think of Shelley's "Ozymandias" when listening to this, both lyrically and musically.

Dan Noyes

After listening to this, you really must check out "Memetic Pandemic" (2012) by 3rdegree and "Larf and Sing" (1971) by Family

Edward Malthouse

I really enjoyed your reaction and happy you liked Haken. Here are few related bands to sample. The Nova Collective is a project between current and former members of Haken and Between the Burried and Me. It's instrumental and really cool. Mike Portnoy did his 12-step suite about AA treatment live with the members of Haken. They killed it, and I think it is one of the more important Dream Theater Works. Just announced this week, Ross Jennings has a project with Neil Morse and Nick D'Virgilio (Spocks Beard and Big Big Train). They released a 25 second clip that blew me away. Can't wait!

Edward Malthouse

I would love to hear your reaction to two obscure European bands. The first is Cellar Darling, which is kind of folk progressive metal, complete with a hurdy gurdy. Perhaps start with the song Six Days. They also do a great cover of Queen's Prophet's song. The band is Igorrr. Start with Cheval. It's a cross between Queen and Mr. Bungle. Bungle is another band that you should consider for your channel. Have a good day!

Ken Slater

Ross Jennings, the Haken vocalist has made an album called 'Troika' under the name D'Virgilio, Morse and Jennings featuring (obviously), Neal Morse, Nick D'Virgilio and Ross Jennings. Pre-orders start today December 3rd at www.radiantrecords.com

Ken Slater

Here the Gentle Giant influence sometimes?

Khaled Akbik

As someone who’s been advocating for Haken over the past few weeks, I say thanks for this Doug. Really enjoyed watching your reaction and breakdown of the whole album and enjoyed simply listening to it with you, which is also a pleasure on its own. Haken has many flavors and are wildly talented. Each album is unique in its own way and tells a story in its own way as well. They also evolve musically in each album, so worth checking how far they’ve come along recently with their last album, Virus.

Anonymous

Where do we make requests/suggestions for bands/albums for these extended plays?

Jean-Michel LaFontaine

Great reaction! Thanks again Doug! Can't wait for the next one!

Sian Podmore

Whoa! That is intense. I need this album in my life. Thank you to you Doug for your analysis and to those who recommended it.

Anonymous
>>72920591

That part is so well crafted. Certainly the high point of the song.

Rob Winchell

They completely rip off Dream Theater and Sieges Even. Fact. I just have a hard time with it.🤨

Arrow2theACL
>>73102756

And Dream Theater ripped off Rush. And Rush ripped off Led Zepplin etc. etc.

Rob Winchell

Lol, yeah. That’s how they created a new genre. Seriously dude.

Russell L. Craft

Cockroach King is definitely reminiscent of Gentle Giant.

Russell L. Craft

Could Doug's attempts to get meaning from Jon Anderson's lyrics be pareidolia? :-)

Anonymous
>>72983485

Igorr would be quite interesting, "Tout Petit Moineau" gives me goosebumps every time

Anonymous

A big thank you, Doug, for this. I'd never heard anything from Haken - why do today's serious bands use the word 'metal' in their descriptions? It puts me off. Anyway, I'd heard so much of them but never actually heard them, unfortunately because of the 'metal' description 😥 I'd obviously missed something special (metal? well, a bit at times with songs like Falling Back To Earth). But Haken's CD set is now on my Christmas list - my wife will be happy to have something specific to look for! A lot of people here have mentioned Gentle Giant in comparison. They're right - the harmonies, the syncopation, the odd changes in rhythm. Also I'm minded of what you said during (I think) The Lamb that the original prog bands - Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, etc - made frequent use of changes in both dynamics and atmosphere. More so than today's prog bands. Now we've heard this, you simply have to take a look at: - Gentle Giant (my suggestion is Three Friends, but others may prefer Octopus or The Power And The Glory) - Cocteau Twins (Treasure and Victorialand) I'm gonna keep reminding you of these... ☺

Mike D

Thank you for this reaction, Doug! I was really surprised by how deep a lot of this album was, since Cockroach King (my only other exposure to Haken) was so quirky in comparison. Great stuff! Since you mentioned Ralph Vaughn Williams, is there any possibility of you doing an analysis of one of his pieces -- perhaps "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", or the first movement of his incredible 5th symphony? I have long felt that the music of Vaughn Williams has a lot in common with prog, in that it grows and evolves over time, and ideally has a powerful emotional impact on the listener who's going on the journey. Anyway, I'd be curious to know your thoughts! Thanks Doug!

Arrow2theACL
>>73187552

Their latest two you can definitely tell they are trying to reach a wider audience. Still great music, but it is a heavier sound. I love the first two concept albums. Their soundscape and the ability to take the sounds of the tuned down guitars and make a more melodic sound out of them is what I have never really experienced with another band.

Paul Hoyle
>>73102756

Is not the description "inspired by" more accurate than 'ripped off'?

Anonymous
>>73102756

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Anonymous

atlas stone is I think based on the story of Sisyphus

Jozo

Thank you for reacting to a full Haken album! Was a fantastic reaction and breakdown. I look forward to future Haken reactions, and I hope you will continue to do extended play lounge with more of their albums. Especially Aquarius and Visions, but also eventually Vector and Virus. Virus is a continuation of Vector and also revisits themes from their other albums!

Zoe winters
>>73373740

i guess its a combination of Sysiphus and Atlas combining to the meaning of "being forced to carry the weight of the world as burden " and that there is no end in sight/its a continuous cycle

Ray Sincere

Well! I was legitimately impressed by this band. Honestly, Haken was a group I intended to pass up, when I saw them listed as a metal group, because I'm really not a fan of what metal is doing these days. Then I saw your highlight video yesterday, and saw the puppets, and I was surprised. Not only do they have beautiful vocals, but they have a real sense of humor, too. And now I've heard the album, and again, I'm impressed. Like others have said, there are moments that really remind me of Gentle Giant. I can't pick them all out. But the vocal passages of "Cockroach King" bring to mind "On Reflection" and "Knots" by Gentle Giant. And the soft vocals going around and around with "I wish I could have been somebody" sounded so much like Kerry Minear, especially in the song "Three Friends". I was not expecting a contemporary band to remind me so much of Gentle Giant. And I like the sound, too. The production. More complex harmonically than Dream Theater was. A lot of bands today go too dead and too dry, but this album had some atmosphere and tonal richness. I liked these guys, and I think I will be listening to them again.

Arrow2theACL
>>74719297

So glad you liked them. If you have not heard Doug's 2nd reaction to Haken on his YouTube channel, I highly recommend it. The song is called Crystilised and I think you will enjoy it quite a bit.

Andrew Wingham

I'd not heard Haken before. Silly really. I am reminded of Chris Squire's bass as the bass underpins. And the way the voice is an instrument. Steve Howe's guitar would rise out of the music. But, I am not complaining. Love the energy. Will certainly listen and learn.

Andrew Mellor

Loved this -the seven deadly sins thought reminds me to mention the band Magenta -a Welsh Prog band with a female vocalist. Their second album Seven covers those sins..........reminiscent of Genesis, Yes and KC... worth a listen.