Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Aquarium (remastered 2017) ORIGINAL VIDEO: • Aquarium (remastered 2... Patreon: www.patreon.com/criticalreactions Twitter: critreactions
Without you knowing the album, it seems like Haken conveyed their music and story well! At this point, the mermaid has been around the world and is stuck in her aquarium for a long time. The song before (Streams) is light and fun but moves into this melancholic piece. Haken uses their music as the story progresses. Definitely would recommend to check it out on your own later! For more Haken, I’d recommend of this album Streams or Celestial Elixir. - Affinity- The Architect, 1985 - The Mountain- Cockroach King, Pareidolia - Vector- Puzzle Box, A Cell Divides - Visions- Visions Some are hella long, so maybe not a RU-vid video. Also recommend listening all the way through the albums as they’re mostly concept albums. Peace...againn
It was so great when they played at a very small venue, a bar with a small stage, many years ago and asked, what they should play. Someone wanted to hear "Visions" and they actually played the whole thing. :)
@@hanfred Wow. I saw them several times in Florida, once in a setting similar to what you explained (approx. 2005), but don't remember them playing Visions. Still my favorite song of theirs.
Messiah complex as a whole is probably my favorite thing by Haken. That being said the time signatures in the middle of Cockroach King are absolutely wild
I think Haken has captured so much of the spectrum of prog metal in their nearly 15-year career. Their style can't be pin-pointed because each and every one of their albums is completely different from the rest, and to an even finer point each and every song. I'd highly recommend deep-diving into their catalog! Their work and creativity is so inspiring! Personal favorite songs of mine: '1985', 'The Architect', 'Bound By Gravity', 'Atlas Stone', 'Pareidolia', 'Because It's There', 'Nocturnal Conspiracy', 'The Good Doctor', 'Veil'
There are two guitarists. Great live band as well! I’d also recommend checking out Cockroach King or 1985. Others to check out: Soen - Lucidity or Lotus Between The Buried and Me - Extremophile Elite Devin Townsend - Deadhead Live at Royal Albert Hall
Thank you so much for checking Aquarium out! I feel it gets overlooked a ton, but even though it can be a little more sloppily put together production wise in comparison to their more recent albums, your initial closing statements sum it up perfectly. It's just fun! :) That guitar solo and Ross's vocals harmonizing along to it immediately pulled me in when I first heard this song and just solidified me as a lifelong fan of Haken. They're so talented and goofy and fun
I'm glad you started out with their 1st album. Back in the day (from 1999 to about 2010), I was dedicated to an Internet Prog Station, that had a live chat on the main page, and we'd gush about all the obscure bands we loved and admired. When Haken's debut Ep made it to the station, it created a buzz in our circle. WE felt we had a secret gem waaay before anyone knew about them. Then _Aquarius_ was released, and again, we were soo proud that we were one of the first to praise the album. They were the "different" Dream Theater (a big similarity was both keyboardists and guitarists "playful"/humorous riffs in the middle of soloing), and with 2 guitarists. Both bands I have been into since their debuts. A couple more albums had the same style, but by "Affinity", they had re-invented themselves which was really cool. It was unexpected and refreshing. But Aquarius and the 2nd album "Visions" are some outstanding Progressive Rock/Prog Metal. And the lyrics are really well put together. Great stories (and introspective). Hope you checkout more! Edit: Speaking of "Samba", you get a bit of that in the mid-section of "Visions" (title-track).
Yiay, Haken! ( Haken as in Bacon or Taken or Taken 2) They have alot of different stuff to offer so keep on checking them out! I'd recommend The Architect, Falling back to earth, Crystallised or what ever you want because they dont really have bad songs imo.
Falling Back to Earth is my favorite of their songs. Shows a lot of range. Both Ross's vocal range as well as their tonal and stylistic range. It's also got some of their best lyricism.
You should definitely react to the song Visions by Haken. It's their best song in my opinion, and it might just be my favorite song of all time. By the way, Haken rhymes with bacon.
The pure emotion in every note in the ending Melody Solo is frankly untouchable. I get teary every time I put this one on, it ends the deep sorrow of the chorus, with the final realization of the man of what he has to do (story of the album) which leads into Eternal rain. Its so amazing.
My favourite thing about this song is when you talk about whether there are two guitarists or not and their control, how each one is playing a phrase that starts fast and lands on a different note each time, so you get this melody crafted out of the high notes of each guitarist's phrases... just GENIUS.
'That came out of nowhere, but I dig it' perfectly sums up listening to Haken. They definitely have a great sense of musical humour, but take their art very seriously. This is one of the better songs from a weaker album imo. The Mountain is a master piece, Cockroach King is their best known song, probably because it is a great representation of most their various styles.
I went to see Devin Townsend and The Contortionist recently and saw that Haken was also performing and since I hadn't heard them I wasn't that interested. I was very pleasantly surprised, they're amazing!
they are super super good. amazing composers and players. it is really amazing as you listen through all the albums to see how they have changed and really found their own sound and style. react to Crystallised or Celestial Elixir (this one is from same album and the instrumental section is just so amazing)
Sweet! I’m glad you checked them out. They are one of my favorites and were one of my suggestions. I second the votes for Between the Buried and Me. They tend to have cool narratives weaved throughout their album(s) as well as super technical instrumentals and snippets of different genres. Their early stuff is a bit heavier while their newer stuff has some cool and different singing. I listened to their full discography over the past two days and thought of SO MANY songs to check out. I’ll list them, but maybe do a poll or just one at random. Starred ones are my top recommendations. - Augment of rebirth - Sekies: The Endless Obsession ** - Extremophile elite- they have a cool play though of a few songs ** - Famine wolf - Prequel to the sequel - Informal gluttony (one of my favorites) - White walls - Voice of trespass - Condemned to the gallows** - Bicycle Race (cover of Queen) - Astral bodies - Lay your ghosts to rest - Bloom** - Sun of nothing** - ants of the sky...basically the whole dang colors album** Peace!
Haken is the best thing to ever happen in prog scene in recent years....React to Crystallised by them...its 19 minutes long....and I swear you won't regret it....you would only wish it was longer.... :)
Just checking this video out now. Your comments about "fun" in metal makes me want to reiterate my suggestion from a newer video. Devin Townsend Project - The Mighty Masturbator
So glad you reacted to a song from Aquarius . The exact thing you said about how they switch around ideas all the time is exactly why I think Aquarius by far their best album in witch their true identity is the most present , they kinda lost themselves nowadays in my opininon .
I know your comment is almost a year old, but I disagree about them "losing themselves lately." Haken has always heavily shown their influences in their music and I think their most recent albums reflect what they have been listening to in the last few years. For instance, bands like Polyphia and Animals as Leaders are considered by some as the future of prog, their influences have shown in the rise of "djent" style in modern prog. Haken has taken these more modern approaches and constructed them perfectly into their own style. I'm an OG Haken fan, and Aquarius is my favorite album by them, but I don't think any of the things they have released since The Mountain are worse or lesser than the early stuff, it's just their desire to expirement with new sounds cannot be fulfilled if they stuck with the Dream Theater inspired epics that they started with.
You did a really good job breaking down very similar thoughts I had on listening to what is now my favorite song for the first time. It's weird for me to say that as I'm not usually someone who picks favorites, but compositionally this song is perfect in my opinion - and especially in the context of the story that the song (and the rest of the album) is telling. Ross Jennings (singer) really does have a unique voice but it's such a beautiful fit for the emotional tone of the music Haken writes and this song is a wonderful example of it. If anyone here liked the sounds you heard, but don't know the story or concept of the album, I highly encourage you to look it up. The poetry is, in my opinion, as perfectly done as the composition of the music itself
Great reaction/analysis! It seemed to me that Haken conveyed the story (or at least the emotions) very well, even though you don't know the story yet. Veeery simplified: A fisherman catches a mermaid while fishing, and starts to showcase it by saying it's the great discovery of the 22nd century. And the mermaid obviously asks 'free me master / see me shiver / put me back into the river'. That said, all Haken albums are concept albums, so stories make sense only if you give them a listen all the way through. You mentioned you don't see fun in metal much. My recommendations would be: - March of the Poozers - Devin Townsend (live) [meant to be comedy, so is the show. DT is a great comedian] - Crystallised - Haken [not meant to be comedy, but you can tell they had fun] - In your free time, you can give "Ziltoid the Omniscient" a listen. It's about an interdimensional warfare and features a coffee-addict emperor. Very heavy metal, but very fun indeed. If you are asking for more Haken: - Falling Back To Earth (idk, I think it's just a well-composed song) - The Architect (heavier, good song) - Crystallised (relatively softer, so fun to listen) - Celestial Elixir (live) (from Aquarius) Also, Haken as in "Bacon". Like Hayken.
Listening to this band nonstop for the past month has made me realize that weird/fun aspect is mostly the tones that they use. They like 80s sounds for their keyboards and guitars and theres some sort of nu wave influence there. The organ and keyboard patches they use are so refreshing as it seems like a lot of prog artists are stuck on a similar set idea of what sounds go into progressive metal music.
long story short, at first I wrote off this band as just another progressive metal band that was nothing special. But when I finally took the time to listen to their album Affinity it quickly rose through the ranks to land high up on my favorite albums of all time. The Architect is a truly amazing song from that record, kinda wish you checked out that instead. Well hopefully you get to it sooner than later, you'll love it.
I highly recommend the band Neurosis, listen to Sovereign, A Season In The Sky, or No River To Take Me Home. Unique band, been around a while, I'd like to hear what you think of them. They've become my favorite band for over a decade now.
Haken is definitely a fun band. I saw the recently and the interrupted a 10 min song with an impromptu cover. Pushing the bar for sure. Plus there's all the concept stuff on top of the crazy composition and musicianship. Definitely a top notch band.
Hakeeen!!! One of my fav bands!! For me, their best album is Restoration (yes...the full album). It is a great prog rock album that brings a jethro tull thick as a brick taste
I would love to hear your thoughts on some of the British bands that came out over the last decade, with more genre-mixing. Press To MECO - Affinity Arcane Roots - Habibty (Extended) or Triptych Marmosets - Vibtech Elliott Millman - You Will, Numb or Hold It Down. There is a lot of great music coming out of the UK in the mix between Indie, prog and metal.
Bryan you should definitely react to Haken once again. I'd recommend you either the architect , cockroach king (full song) or crystallised. I'm so curious to hear your opinion because Aquarium is certainly awesome but it's from their first album which is definitely more fun and comedic. They evolved so much since then.
Awesome review, but the band's name is pronounced more like "Hay-ken" like movie "Taken" or "Taken 2" or anything starring Liam Neeson for that matter. I'm not joking. This is an actual band's description on their official facebook page :)
Haken racked up a really incredible discography in almost no time at all. Even with (or perhaps in part because of) the less polished vocal performance on Aquarius, this will probably always be my favorite Haken record, but all of them, aside from Vector, are well worth checking out.
They do in fact have two guitarists that are great at tremolo picking! That trading guitar solo part is one of my favorite moments in their discography, even though I think this album is by far their weakest (still really good though)
This entire album is masterful. Fun is a perfect way to describe them. They DO have serious music but there is always kind of a light hearted side to most of it. Few bands have sunk their hooks into me like Haken. Cool to see someone else appreciate them and do a reaction of a track I’ve not yet seen done off of Aquarius (Celestial Elixir is the one everyone does). The album is a concept album and is a bit of a tragedy in story with some dark elements lyrically despite some of the playful elements musically. Anyway. Good reaction
If you're not already a fan... you're gonna appreciate Between the Buried and Me if you enjoy all the unpredictable changes and transitions. They have a vast amount of material and which has a clear progression between each album. It's difficult to recommend one song for a first time listener / to react to. If i had to choose one, I think It would be the song 'Telos'.
I checked out Ants of the Sky and was quite intrigued. I'm not sure if I'm a 'fan' yet but I'm definitely interested in more from them. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WcuOEFS9qZ0.html
@@CriticalReactions Hey bud thanks for your reply. Since i posted the message I actually watched through a few more of your videos and came across it! :) - BTBAM have so much material now, and whilst that is a fantastic track, it is rather like reading the middle of a story without a beginning nor end if you listen to it as stand-alone. Have you listened before to Agent Fresco? They're from iceland, and have a really refreshing sound (and a phenomenal vocalist.) Whilst you seem to be listening to quite a few bands recently with heavy 'prog' elements and influences I think these will be a good one to check out. Judging by a few of your reactions on your other videos I'd be keen to see what you think of these. I saw them with Leprous and they absolutely owned the stage that night. I recommend the song 'Dark Water'. Take care man
"I love how they shift around a bit, they don't really stick around with anything very long". That pretty much describes the vast majority of progressive music, from the classic bands of the 70's, to the modern bands, to technical metal, to avant-prog, etc, etc.
Pronounced like bacon with an H. They are really cool guys and going to see them live again in a couple of weeks. Should definitely listen to some newer stuff. Same feeling but they have grown musically.
Hey! New to the channel and I love your stuff! You might not get many other recommendations of this kind, but you MUST listen to Author of Confusion by Neal Morse. The song is about the main character being tempted and mislead by the devil and there is a verse of God calling to him. Neal Morse is almost certainly the best modern progressive rock composer, and I would say one of the best ever. Especially if you like music that paints a picture and gets across a story, you will definitely love this song. Please consider it!!!
It’s Haken as in Taken. If that helps. They do have fun. Seen them play live and they’re a fun band to watch. Dream Theatre also have fun and I think the comparisons are fair. Ross Jennings, the singer, is way better than thingy from DT though. Sorry, his name escapes me at the moment. Check out The Cockroach King. See if you can find the video for it. The very definition of a “metal” band having fun.
Man you should really do 1985. I think it really follows the idea of having "fun while playing metal" and, as the name itself suggests, it is kind of modern prog touching upon 80s influences.
I'd of gone with Celestial Elixir from this album . Thats the best song on the record . Or Point of No Return . Try The Architect next. Much better song
Not quite sure how the instrumentals were annoying or unnecessary. Also your ears must've shut out the vocals. You must not be a prog listener or something :o
I enjoyed the first part, until the random, seemingly out of nowhere instrumentals came in, then it was just a drag. You assume too much, perhaps you should google "osi" and band, see if I'm not a "prog" listener.
