There are far too many days around here at Nine Circles where progressive bands are essentially ignored. As the resident old man (along with Caryn) it’s up to me to put forth the effort to include progressive acts such as Haken. With their new album Affinity scheduled for release on April 29, 2016, the band has, through their label Inside Out, stepped up the PR machine. In that vein of promotion Haken have now released a video for “Initiate” which is the second track (and first song) on their upcoming release.I’ve taken a few casual spins throuhg Affinity and I can attest that it’s a bit quieter, more electronic and retro than their previous releases. Haken is looking towards the 80s and new wave for influences across the board. With regard to this songwriting process the band had this to say:
“It is the most collaborative we have ever been on an album. We wanted to develop and expand our sound by having every member contribute initial ideas from the very beginning of the process. It naturally takes longer to filter through the mass of material and fit it all together coherently, but this approach has helped to create something completely fresh whilst maintaining the core elements of Haken‘s sound.”
The video certainly supports the 80s-era view of the future that the band is using for inspiration. There is ample shots of space, some shots of the band and a lot of Matrix-style computer programming flying across the screen. But don’t just read words, have a looksie.
You can learn more about Haken by visitin their official site and you can pre-order Affinity by going here. I can’t promise a full review of the album on this site but I can assure you that, for fans of progressive music, and for fans of Haken, Affinity will be well worth your time.
– Manny-O-War
Nine Circles 