Virus (Haken album)
| Virus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 July 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Crypt (London) | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, progressive rock, djent | |||
| Length | 51:54 (International release) 55:59 (Japanese release) | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Haken chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Virus | ||||
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Virus is the sixth studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 24 July 2020 (postponed three times, first from 5 June 2020, then from 19 June 2020 and finally from 10 July 2020) through Inside Out Music.[1] According to the band's guitarist and primary songwriter, Richard Henshall, the album is loosely connected to their 2018 release Vector.[2] 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.[3] It is the last album featuring keyboardist Diego Tejeida, who left the band the following year.
The first single, "Prosthetic" was released on 3 April 2020, along with a music video.[4] About the song, the band said:[5]
Prosthetic was the first song we completed during the Virus writing sessions and we always felt it would be the perfect opener for the album. It's a very guitar heavy track with its roots in 80s thrash riffing, but with the unconventional rhythmic twists and turns we often like to explore in Haken. We sadly never had a Jeff Hanneman and Robert Fripp collaboration, but this song at least draws on inspiration from them both! Lyrically the song is a bridge between our two albums Vector and Virus.
Background
[edit]Haken had been secretly writing the music for Virus and all the initial ideas were created back when they were writing Vector at the end of 2017,[6] soon after touring with Mike Portnoy in live reproductions of his Twelve-step Suite.[2] The album title generated surprise as it was announced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but vocalist Ross Jennings said it was just coincidental;[2][6] back in 2017 the members wanted their fifth and sixth albums to begin with the letters "V" and "VI", respectively, to allude to the numbers 5 and 6 in Roman numerals.[2] Jennings says touring with Portnoy with a conceptual series of songs did not influence them into creating the concepts that would result in the albums.[2]
Despite the albums being connected, Vector was initially not promoted as a first half of something bigger because the band wanted it to be treated as a whole and in its own right. Conversely, Virus can be listened to even by people who don't know Vector yet.[2]
While the band is used to arranging songs remotely, this time they had some time to conceive them together while touring with Devin Townsend.[2]
Concept, themes and composition
[edit]The album continues the story from Vector while expanding a concept initiated with "Cockroach King" from their 2013 album The Mountain. According to Henshall, "we wanted to provide a back story to the protagonist we introduced in that [song]. So, on Vector we see the character institutionalised, then, with Virus, the narrative follows his maniacal downfall."[2] The epic song "Messiah Complex" references melodies and themes from that song. According to Jennings, it explores the "ideology of a tyrannical government, the narcissism that surrounds it and seeing the rise and fall of the Cockroach King as a political virus. It’s a fictional tale but there's also an element of putting a mirror up to the negative world we live in."[2] Henshall also said the song was based on one of the final riffs present in the initial version of "Nil by Mouth", from Vector, which was originally 11 minutes long.[2]
The themes present in the album are institutional abuse,[7] physical and mentally abusive relationships, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies.[8]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prosthetic" | 5:58 |
| 2. | "Invasion" | 6:42 |
| 3. | "Carousel" | 10:29 |
| 4. | "The Strain" | 5:23 |
| 5. | "Canary Yellow" | 4:14 |
| 6. | "Messiah Complex I: Ivory Tower" | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Messiah Complex II: A Glutton for Punishment" | 3:38 |
| 8. | "Messiah Complex III: Marigold" | 2:24 |
| 9. | "Messiah Complex IV: The Sect" | 2:02 |
| 10. | "Messiah Complex V: Ectobius Rex" | 4:57 |
| 11. | "Only Stars" | 2:10 |
| Total length: | 51:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Canary Yellow" (Acoustic Version) | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 56:05 | |
Reception
[edit]The album has received generally positive reviews from music critics.[10][11] According to critic Thom Jurek, it successfully challenges tropes from progressive metal, and he lauded the harmonic and rhythmic complexities of the tracks.[10]
Some critics also noted the musical similarities between the album and the works of bands like Meshuggah and Dream Theater.[10][11]
Personnel
[edit]Haken
- Ross Jennings – vocals
- Richard Henshall – guitars
- Charlie Griffiths – guitars
- Diego Tejeida – keyboards
- Conner Green – bass
- Raymond Hearne – drums
Additional personnel
- Pete Jones – additional keyboards on "Messiah Complex", drum programming on "The Strain", production and arrangement on "Only Stars"
- Pete Rinaldi – acoustic guitar on "Prosthetic" and "Messiah Complex"
- Adam "Nolly" Getgood – bass solo on "Messiah Complex"
Production and design
- Adam "Nolly" Getgood – mixing, drum engineering
- Anthony Leung – drum engineering
- James Stephenson – drum editing
- Chris McKenzie – assistant vocal engineering
- Ermin Hamidovic – mastering
- Blacklake – art and design
- Corey Meyers – logo
- Jeroen Moons – web design
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] | 25 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 66 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] | 48 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 30 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] | 12 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[17] | 142 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 12 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[19] | 33 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] | 63 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] | 99 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 7 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 91 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Virus". Mountview Institution. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Weller, Phil (2 June 2021). ""We never thought we would be releasing Virus during a pandemic!" Haken revisit the Cockroach King on their boldest album yet". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Ewing, Jerry (22 May 2020). "Haken release video for new single Invasion". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "YouTube" – via YouTube.
- ^ "HAKEN". facebook.com.
- ^ a b "Haken's Ross Jennings Picks 5 Mind-Blowing Prog-Metal Albums". Revolver. Project M Group LLC. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "INSIDE OUT MUSIC - Haken". www.insideoutmusic.com.
- ^ "HAKEN launch video for 'Canary Yellow'; second taken from 'Virus' – Kronos Mortus News". 2 May 2020.
- ^ "「ヴァイラス」- ヘイケン". Sony Music Japan. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ a b c "Virus - Haken | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Virus - HAKEN". 3 June 2020.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Haken – Virus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Haken – Virus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Haken – Virus" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Haken – Virus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Albumit 30/2020". IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Top Albums (Week 31, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Haken – Virus" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 31. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 31 (dal 24.07.2020 al 30.07.2020)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 31: del 24.7.2020 al 30.7.2020" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Haken – Virus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
