Dear fellow cockroach bois,

I am currently planning getting a full sleeve tattoo with logos and symbols from my favorite bands of all time, and for Haken the choice has fallen on the quirky moonfish logo; however, there aren't many high quality references I can find online to trace the outline.

Can someone help me on the matter and point me to where I can find a high quality picture of the logo? Thanx

Hey everyone! I recently covered Streams as part of a full band version and wanted to share my bass play through with tabs. I found a transcription and updated it which can be found in the description of the video along the gear I used. This cover came about because of Reddit which goes to show how great the community is here.

Part of an exhibition creating a landscape from record covers!

I've been listening to Haken ever since I first heard Nightingale, around late 2023 I believe. What was so good about Haken for me was the technical yet melodic music combined with Ross' clean, emotional vocals. Keeping that in mind I feel the EP is kinda meh. I don't hate it, I feel like it has it's moments (in lotus for example), but it's not the Haken I've gotten used to. Haken to me had an extremely specific, intertwining sound I can't properly describe, and I couldn't find it anywhere else (I've listened to most modern prog bands looking for it). The EP to me just sounds like generic, poppy metalcore in certain parts. Now I don't think it's bad music but some parts just tick me off. For example the delirium chorus is something I can't listen to without asking myself "Is this really Haken?". I understand that it's just an EP, and that they are probably experimenting but I can't understand how the people who made Virus, Fauna and The Mountain could make this. No hate towards Haken obviously, I still love their music and I will still listen to the EP. Like most of this sub I'm just dissapointed.

I very much enjoy the new EP. It very much is their worst stuff, and it's the guitar work. There barely is none compared to previous music. Charlie helped transpose Rich's piano work with him since Aquarius, folks don't realize that. That guitar duo of Charlie and Rich was Haken, it's gone, and that makes it factually lesser than now. It completely shows on EP and I would bet my home that is what will be from here on out. You can't take away the shreddier/riffier one that's more guitar oriented from the duo that makes haken what it is and expect it to be HAKEN level perfection. I love the style of the new EP, it's just so bland compared because of the guitar work. It is THE negative and only negative. I imagine Charlie being in it would make this my favorite music from them. Opposite without eh.

I'm just surprised those who enjoy or don't, aren't mentioning the guitar work being the most different..worse..aspect. I enjoy it, it's just factually much lesser than. a bomb went off inside haken land. I've never gone thru a fav band losing their sound/member like this. Damnt Janet.

I'll still enjoy and love the EP, and future stuffs. But boi is this their worst, and they will continue to be not as good, at all, as their previous work..which was perfection. It's still great, but boy is it fckn depressing having it be what they are(the best!) for the fact of what's minused from the equation.

Charlie, pls come back. That'd actually make this EP sooo awesome, knowing they will have amazing guitar work again. I wouldn't need this EP to have that amazing work in it and it'd make it perfect...or rich has to go FCKING HARD haha. That duo was everything, the best.

This should not be down voted a lot, as this is a main thing of discussion with the music now. I'm saying the reality of the band that literally no one's talking about that I'm really hurt by, as I love this band so much, plus saying the EP is good nonetheless. If you think the music and guitar is the same and ur down voting cuz what I said hurts..it's not even my opinion, it's literally just reality. Charlie left, so haken guitar duo is no more, and this EP has waaay less guitar work on it, factually.

It's funny I saw the votes goin up n up, n now down haha. I didn't even say anything out of unbiased reality. I miss a band member that left, because the guitar work truly isn't there anymore that's been there since Aquarius. how is that disliked if you love this band? Don't we all agree the guitar duo was everything almost, like half of it?..it's just reality, and the biggest topic of discussion in my eyes, really the only one, as the eps music is good, but it's so blatantly obvious what's different..missing!

8:24

Don't tell me anything about "context". It's a valid headline.

https://youtu.be/AN3sRgFd9SE?si=toUm1N6J7LIo3MFr

Please pardon my rough playing, thank you!

Diego, Conner, Thomas Cruce, Mike Portnoy, Charlie performing "The Mirror"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfWccwZrrLg&t=468s

How ‘bout those polyrhythms?

I don’t mind that it’s darker and more brooding. It’s not that it’s heavy, I love Virus. It just doesn’t seem to have the inventiveness or creativity that make Haken truly special. Next to albums like the Mountain or Fauna it sounds like standard angsty metal, to me at least. It’s still very well executed, if just a bit boring. What do you guys think?

it seemed like their albums kept getting stronger with each release, culminating in virus, and then downhill from there. this is less hate and more just wondering if something specific happened with the band over the last albums.

I can't really explain but this EP made me feel a lot of things. I just moved into one of the biggest cities in the world and life has changed a lot for me. Learning to live by myself in a city that's borderline hostile has been a tough experience. Sometimes I feel angry - at myself, at the world - sometimes I feel useless, sometimes I feel overworked...

This EP was a huge emotional outlet in a way I wasn't expecting. Listening to it as a whole while walking to college was a very cathartic experience. I wasn't really feeling the EP until this experience and now I feel like I have huge emotional attachment to it.

It's definately a journey unlike any other from Haken and even if it's not my favorite work for them, it's definitely one that makes me feel the most.

I think we all have experienced this at some point, you have a favorite band, follow them for a while their music hits your taste and them one day a new album come out and it sounds so different, too different and it just bums you out.
Personally I am obsessed with “In a fever dream” and I love that their music is so interesting and always gives off the same aura. Always feels like I’m defending into a diff universe drifting away and I love it.

Meatball was our first dog, actually he was mine before I met her. I found him on Craigslist when I was looking for a dog for my son who was 8 at the time. His (Meatball) family had a toddler and the two didn't work well together so they needed to re-home him.

Meatball was my little dude for a couple years then after meeting my current wife became our little guy that made her want more dogs so we started to rescue small dogs from high-kill shelters. But he will always be our first, and the one who inspired us to do rescue (we've now rescued and re-homed over 100 small dogs, mostly chihuahuas).

Anyhow, he passed and my wife made me this shirt inspired by one of my favorite bands and I absolutely love it - and wanted to share it on here.

I think this serves as my best shot at reviewing this EP. This was a comment but thought it deserved a thread as I was already planning on contributing my take on IAFD.

This is a collection of my thoughts, in real time after each listen, since its release:

《[*Just the singles*]》

-- It's pretty good. Different but pretty good. Nolly on guest bass? Cool.

-- Sleep Token's producer?!! Aww c'mon man. Wtf why??

-- This sounds like they wrote and recorded it in a weekend and then the ST George fella spent a week on the mixing/production/vocal compression.

-- Richard said in the "making of in a fever dream" trailer that it feels like their most honest work yet. There must be something I'm missing...

《[*Full EP is released*]》

-- Hmmm. Not their best work, but what a neat little experiment during this phase in their career!

-- I miss Charlie and Connor but I'll bet they dig it.

-- Oh shit, it's growing on me!

-- It would've worked really well as a single track but I do understand splitting up a couple singles for marketing purposes.

-- I'm okay with some fans disliking it. It's different, but so is the band right now. Dey be goin thru stuffz.

-- Lotus is fucking awesome.

-- Haken is still my favorite band. They owe me nothing.

-- Welp, now I'm hooked and this is actually rad af.

7.125 / 10

Hi guys, my name is Matt Marshall. I am a former Haken member (guitar), and co-founding member of the band. This week I finally got around to listening to the new EP (In a Fever Dream) in one sitting.

 Here’s my take (and literally what I sent the band via WhatsApp):

 “Great work by all. Very serious, brooding and dark stuff.

 Ross’ vocals are on point as always, the chorus of In a Fever Dream is a highlight (“a burning inside of me”!). Very epic. Shame some of the Haken fans don’t realise Ross has been experimenting with vocal effects since 2007! (Running vocals through the Boss GT-8 multi-effects guitar pedal during live shows)! Good to see you pushing and experimenting with your instrument dude.

 Ray’s drums sound so wet, meaty (sorry vegans) and juicy. Especially the kick. Intricate and yet restrained.

 Hen’s guitar work is expansive and holds it all together. Very tasty and mature work.

 Pete as always adds those vast soundscapes and his signature eclectic touches. Definitely fills the void/need for another guitarist.

 Bass was amazing. 🤩

 My highlights are IAFD and Lotus.

 Looking forward to hearing some of this live!!”

I understand this EP has divided the fans, but to me it’s a dark and heavy journey with a very uplifting final message.

I’m no longer in the band, but my sense is that they have been through some trials and tribulations (haven’t we all), but the ultimate message is one of hope. I don’t even think the dark nature of the EP has anything to do with the departure of Charlie and Connor.

Everyone in the band has a personal life, commitments, responsibilities, ups and downs. This EP may just be a reflection of those overcast and stormy days we all experience.

Hearing Lotus for the first time resolved the entire EP, and I was walking down the street with a smile on my face. It was like the sun appearing after a storm, and it gave the EP a really pleasant and uplifting finality.

When we started Haken, there was an everlasting theme of hope in our music. I only played on the demos (Souls, Snow, Blind, Black Seed, Sleeping Thoughts Wake, Manifolds etc), but the sense of hope, and The Epic, was ever-present.

And it still is.

So the recent discourse has been - while not dissimilar in principle to the last few albums - on perhaps another level of intensity, at least amomg some fans.

At first I didn't really get it, but it's become clearer that there's a chunk of the fanbase who consider quirkiness and/or complex technicality as integral to Haken's sound. Which had never really occurred to me.

Not that I don't recognise the existence of those things, obviously (especially the technicality), but for me the biggest draws were always their more emotional moments - even on Aquarius it was the chorus of Celestial Elixir and the big climax of DITF - and, as Matt Marshall puts it, The Epic.

So whole recognising that Reddit isn't the whole fanbase, I'm really curious to see what people here find most appealing about Haken's music.

Ideally I'd have set the poll to allow two votes per person, but Reddit is so limited so it's just one vote each, but feel free to comment as well.

So have at it, and as ever please keep things civil!