Warthur Haken's second album, Visions, is something of an improvement over its predecessor, in part because it offers a more focused and cohesive sound which focuses on the band's strengths. I hear less of a power metal influence this time around, the band perhaps leaning a bit more on their proggy side after the positive reception they received from the progressive rock community. The overall sound reminds me a bit of a version of Dream Theater in which technical showboating is much less pronounced (and more subtle when it does occur) and which draws more influence (particularly in the keyboards) from neo-prog outfits - particularly groups at the heavier end of the neo-prog spectrum like Arena. At the end of the day I'm still not quite ready to embrace Haken as the saviours of prog metal, but here they are drifting in the right general direction.

dtguitarfan So first of all, I'd like to take a moment to say I am very intrigued by the fact that Haken is classified on Prog Archives as "Heavy Prog", the band themselves insist they are classified this way, and yet here is on Metal Music Archives as "Progressive Metal", and this band were well received at the metal festival Prog Power USA.

Haken is a band that has grown on me over time. I wasn't 100% on board when I first discovered them, but over time they grew on me. By the time Visions was released, I was ready and waiting to see what they would do next. Nothing could've prepared me for what I was about to experience. I was intrigued after the first few seconds, and never at any point in the album did I get bored. Visions is a concept album built around an idea the singer, Ross Jennings, came up with that was inspired by a dream he had one night. The main character of the album dreams of his own murder in his childhood, and spends the years up to his adulthood in paranoid fear and preparation of what he believes is an eventuality that he must try to somehow prevent. It is an intriguing concept, and the music is no less intriguing. Especially notable is the usage of wildly electric keyboard sounds ? there were a number of times I thought "I've heard a lot of keyboards, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone use a sound like that before." The album is symphonic, heavy, electric, driving, eclectic, and very exciting - from start to finish this album is excellence.

Conor Fynes 'Visions' - Haken (9/10)

Although I tend to listen to alot of new albums and bands, there are admittedly few that really stick with me. There are legions of bands out there that I have some measure of respect for, but only a few that still resonate with me long after I discover them. It is rare that I find more than a few bands each year that I really get excited about, and last year, Haken was the newcomer that really took my attention by storm. With nothing more than a debut to steal my heart, I was eagerly anticipating to see where this band would go, and now consider the debut 'Aquarius' to be a modern classic of progressive metal. Now, a band coming out with a sophomore the year right after taking their first big steps is pretty unheard of in the music industry nowadays, but when I heard that Haken were coming out with a 2011 follow-up, I got pretty eager to hear what they were cooking up, expecting nothing less than a second serving of gold. Haken's second album 'Visions' is a very appropriate sophomore after 'Aquarius'. Their sound is a little more distinct, a tad more mature, and just as impressive as the debut. With 'Visions', Haken has proven that they are far from a one-album wonder, and indeed have a very promising future ahead of them.

Musically, little has changed from 'Aquarius'. The band still plays a style of technically accomplished, stirring blend of Dream Theater-inspired prog metal, with each member achieving technical perfection. What has always set this band apart however is their wonderful draw for melodies and emotion in the music, something that much progressive metal seems to lose in favour of complexity. Like 'Aquarius', 'Visions' is a complex concept album, a meticulous album that gives the listener every sign that the band is attempting to make a masterpiece. And indeed, one thing that Haken has had down from square one is the craft of album-making. On 'Visions', we hear a theatrical spectacle of progressive metal that goes from bombastic technical metal to inspiring passages of heartfelt prog rock. A new emphasis in Haken's sound are recurring motifs, or ideas throughout the album; dramatic themes to get the feelings in the story across.

The concept of 'Aquarius' was revolved around mermaids and wanting to become one with the fish-people, or something. To be honest, I was never attracted much to the concept that tied together Haken's debut, and that is no different for 'Visions'. The narrative of Haken's music has always been its weakest aspect, and although 'Visions' does seem to take a more mature step in its storytelling, this is still no 'Operation: Mindcrime' or 'The Human Equation', conceptually. From what I can tell, this album tells the story of a character who is psychic, and I'm almost certain that people die in it, and I think the dramatic tension here revolves around the character trying to change the future. It's not a bad story, and it works well for prog rock, but its certainly not a tale of such originality to inspire much in a listener besides glancing through the album booklet a few times.

While the lyrics are certainly not the greatest, the singer who delivers them is excellent. Ross Jennings has a very distinctive timbre to his voice, and I think he is a very definitive part of Haken's sound. Especially when it comes to the more mellow parts of the album (being the latter half of 'Nocturnal Conspiracy', or the beautiful track 'Deathless') he sings these gorgeous melodic lines that have me going back again and again to it. Instrumentally, Haken is top-notch, always interesting, playing loops around people twice their age. A gripe I would still have with 'Visions' is one I had moreso with 'Aquarius'; although Haken plays their music to absolute perfection, the style feels too derived from the music of Dream Theater, and there are even moments in the technical instrumental sections where I felt as if I could almost pinpoint the Dream Theater song that inspired them to write a riff. With this being their second album though, I do notice aspects of their sound that are uniquely theirs; the vocals being first and foremost, but also a very epic depth to their keyboards. Reaching their peak with the grand title track of this album, Haken proves that even if they haven't yet established themselves aside from the unfortunate 'Dream Theater clone' label, they are still making music that is both astounding in its sense of beauty and intelligence, and for what small flaws that are here, I would not hesitate in saying that Haken have made another killer record with 'Visions'.

bonnek In 2010 Haken took the Prog Metal scene by storm with their acclaimed 'Aquarius' debut, but I wasn't much impressed actually. I disliked the band's tendency to show off their chops and tricks all the time, as well as their urge to impress the listener constantly. It suffocated their songwriting, but they trimmed that down now, let in more breath in their compositions, and remained focused on the strength of the songs. They also ditched most of their AOR influences. Thanks again for that!

The band is often compared to Dream Theater but I don't see much of that on this album. Their riffing is rarely trash metal based and they don't rely as heavily on shredding and pyroclastics. They often use long instrumental passages for developing melodic themes and shifting moods, reminding me sometimes of Threshold, with a similar atmosphere and melodic qualities. Also, Haken is proggier and more modern then those two bands.

They also try their hands on a 22 minute piece, and unfortunately the main vocal theme lets me down here (too balladry and mellow for my taste), and the track isn't as much to the point as their shorter songs are, but around minute 6 it takes off for real with a roller-coaster of ideas and styles that doesn't let down for most of it's duration. The end section reprises the opening vocal a couple of times and ultimately leaves me with a disappointed taste. Too typical and formulaic. Also the ballad 'Deathless' is a turn-off.

Haken showed a lot of promise on 'Aquarius' and now they delivered. I must say that the first half of this lengthy album works a lot better for me then the second half, which is too mellow and sticks too much to trodden prog paths. Anyway, a very good album that serious proggers will love a lot more then me. 3.5 stars.

J-Man London-based progressive metal outfit Haken immediately gained a reputation as one of the new decade's biggest talents with the release of 2010's Aquarius, and Visions proves that they have no intent of slowing down. The band's unique and modern blend of progressive rock and metal is still fully in-tact, and Visions effectively delivers over seventy minutes of top-notch progressive metal wizardry. Make no mistake - Visions is anything but a sophomore slump, and I'd even venture to say that this is a notch above their masterful debut album. This is a well-composed, focused, and mature masterpiece of modern progressive metal. Absolutely essential.

With Aquarius, Haken established a distinct blend of progressive metal that, while still drawing heavily from the likes of Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation, sounded totally original and unique. Visions is more or less that same exact style, but a lot more focused and mature (in my mind, at least). Any flaws that were found on Aquarius - which were, admittedly, not very many - are nowhere to be found on Visions. Gone are the out of place growled vocals, as well as a few of the more unfocused sounding instrumental sections of Aquarius. Visions strikes me as a very polished, mature, and concise work of art - although the songs are exceptionally long and complex, and the full album exceeds the seventy-minute mark, there's hardly a weak moment found on Visions.

The first thing that will grab the attention of most prog fans is probably the epic, 22-minute title track. On this song especially, Haken's masterful abilities as composers are shown in full-force; through all of the complexity and odd time signature shifts, there's not an awkward transition anywhere in sight. Any listener should not let this overshadow the rest of their listening experience, though - the other sixty minutes or so are every bit as amazing. The Porcupine Tree-sounding "Deathless" is another big highlight, with its somber lyrics and melancholic keyboard textures sending shivers up my spine every time. "Nocturnal Conspiracy" is probably the other highlight, with Ross Jennings's fantastic vocal performance grabbing my attention immediately. Picking highlights is rather difficult, however, when the entire album is this damn good.

One thing that really took me by (pleasant) surprise about Haken's debut was how professional and confident they sounded as musicians - that's still definitely the case with Visions. All five instrumentalists are technically outstanding and musically pleasing to listen to, and every single one of them delivers their fair share of jaw-dropping moments throughout Visions. Ross Jennings's vocals are also powerful and unique - he sounds very different from your average prog metal vocalist, and I think his mid-range style is another factor that helps give Haken their own identity.

To top things off, Visions also sports a remarkable production job. The mix is evenly spaced and every instrument is powerful and clear, resulting in a modern sound that is simply unbeatable. If you've got a good pair of headphones on, it sounds almost as if the band is right next to you playing the music - this really sounds that good.

While perhaps less adventurous than Aquarius, Visions is an equally terrific (and possibly even more mature and concise) masterpiece from Haken. I'm not one to usually feed the hype machine, but this British prog metal act is one case where you truly must believe the hype - so far these guys have crafted two stunning masterpieces over the course of about a year. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next exports from Haken, and in the meantime I'll keep enjoying the hell out of Visions. Of course, 5 stars are the least I can give here. 2011 has been a year filled with great albums (particularly in the prog metal genre), but Visions is a truly essential masterpiece that should be experienced by any fan of progressive rock and metal. So after two amazing albums in a row, all I have left to say is 'keep up the great work'!

adg211288 Visions is the second studio album from UK progressive metal act Haken. The 2011 release comes just the year after their 2010 debut, the highly acclaimed concept album Aquarius. Visions, like its predecessor, is also a concept album and features eight tracks of music, including the title track which lasts for a whopping twenty-two and a half minutes in true progressive epic style. The Haken line-up remains unchanged between the two releases. I haven’t been able to interpret the whole of the concept at the time of writing, but I gather the gist of it is that someone has a vision of someone’s (or possible themselves – one or the other) death, and then sets out to change it. It’s obviously a lot more detailed than that, but this is how I’ve loosely interpreted it.

Haken’s debut Aquarius was, without any other way to put it, a masterpiece of progressive music. What few flaws to be found in the album were buried deep down and didn’t deduct from the listening experience. With the album Haken really made their mark on the world of progressive rock and metal music, gaining widespread acclaim, but in the process set the bar really high for themselves for when they made their second album. Progressive music doesn’t get much better than Aquarius, but despite its greatness, it’s this second album, Visions, that Haken’s reputation is really riding on. Have they done it again?

Initially I thought that answer was going to be a no, and a big resounding no at that. Then I remembered that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with Aquarius when I first heard it either, and it took more than a couple of listens for me to regard it as the masterpiece that I do now, so despite some early doubts I kept giving Visions listens, and true to the form of the debut I soon began to regard the album extremely highly. I’d say that ultimately it took less listens to fully appreciate Visions than it did Aquarius, possibly because Visions is more in line with a traditional progressive metal sound than Aquarius. And just in case you were wondering, just because it is more in the traditional prog metal vein (or if you prefer, the Dream Theater school of prog metal) it does not mean that Haken devolved into your typical prog metal act. Visions may be a more traditional album as far as the genre is concerned, but doing this after an album such as Aquarius is actually very good for Haken, as I’ll explain in detail in the next paragraph. Of course all this doesn’t answer the question about if they’ve done it again, so before I move on, let’s clear it up. Suspense over, yes they have, Visions is another release of the highest level of quality from Haken.

The sound of Visions is still recognisably that of Haken, but Visions doesn’t feel like a hasty rehash of Aquarius. It has a different feel to the music even though at the core they remain a progressive metal act. In some ways it may initially seem that there is actually less variation on the album compared to Aquarius, but that’s because they incorporate new ideas into their progressive metal instead of doing the same things again, so when you come to the album expert certain trademark themes you won’t find them, which is definitely a good thing, as it keeps their music fresh and interesting, despite the fact that as I have already said, Visions is more along the lines of traditional prog metal. This is okay though, as it just happens to be as mighty fine slab of traditional prog metal as you’ll ever find, and by doing this Haken shows that they’re no one trick pony. Sure in terms of overall uniqueness within their field Aquarius has more of its own identity, but would you rather hear a band make the same album twice or explore multiple paths? I sure as hell know which I’d prefer, and I fully expect Haken will continue to do such for many years to come.

There are no death metal growls on the album, as there were in both Haken’s demo songs and Aquarius, with vocalist Ross Jennings sticking to his most melodic vocals throughout the album, although his performance is still somewhat varied in approach. I can’t say I miss the growls. They were used for effect on Aquarius really well rather than Haken specifically trying to add a brutal aspect to their music, and it’s very clear that aren’t needed for Visions material. Having got myself established with Haken through Aquarius I knew what to expect of Jennings’ vocals, but I will reiterate here for any newcomers that somehow missed the stir that Aquarius caused last year; his vocals do, in my opinion, take a bit of time to get used to and to fully appreciate. If Visions is your first encounter with Haken the vocals may need to do some growing on you because of this, but once fully grown you should realise what a quality vocalist Haken has in Ross Jennings. He sings the way the composition and the concept demands, and I love this about his performance a lot.

The flow of the album from track to track is exceptional. Although they are both concept albums with Aquarius I did feel that you could take each track as a track rather than as a chapter in a story, mainly because I felt the Aquarius story was hard to follow. Visions feels in some ways like one really long composition rather than individual tracks, as is most evident with the way the music flows together and sometimes you don’t even realise you just went onto the next track, such as between first two tracks Premonition and Nocturnal Conspiracy. Visions has more clarity as a concept album because of this, and the music is equally stunning as Haken’s past work. It’s made even more exciting by the fact that they quickly establish that you aren’t going to know quite what they’re going to pull out of their hats as the album progresses.

Like with a lot of progressive metal there is a large focus on instrumental work on Visions. So much so that this time around Haken have not only included some lengthy and progressive instrumental passages, but also some fully instrumental compositions in the opening Premonition and also with Portals. In general the tracks on Visions are shorter than on Aquarius, with a couple of them not even hitting the five minute mark, but it does include what is essentially the crown jewel of the album in its title track that I mentioned earlier in this review. The amount of different sounds in the album is truly astonishing in the way the band fits it all together and makes it work. There’s even a bit that sounds straight out of a retro computer game (I believe people refer to this sort of thing as Nintendo rock, or Nintendocore or something). Even that works amazingly well and although such a thing may seem light-hearted and quirky, it doesn’t in any way distract from the serious nature of the storyline or indeed the enjoyability of the music.

The riffs are once again not the heaviest that you could expect from a metal band, although there are some really crushing moments in Shapeshifter that remind me more of bassist Tom MacLean’s work in To-Mera (where he plays guitar). You can once again expect a larger focus on progressive and technical playing rather than raw intensity though, and this is definitely to Haken’s strength. This is exceptional progressive music from a group of exceptional musicians and I honestly think you won’t find finer despite Haken still being a pretty young band. I’ve said before in my reviews that there are three classes of band: the sort that can make one or two masterpiece albums in their career, the sort that can make several and the sort that never really gets there. With just two albums under their belt Haken has already slipped into the ‘one or two’ class and if their two albums so far are any sort of indication then they are well on their way into not just the class that makes several masterpiece albums, but the even more exclusive subclass that makes those masterpieces sequentially. As good as Visions is the thing it succeeds most at for me is whetting my appetite for even more releases from Haken. They prove between their two albums that they don’t need to repeat themselves and with epic tracks such as Nocturnal Conspiracy and Visions they promise that there is even better to come.

So while we’ve established that Visions is another masterpiece from Haken, one final question remains: Is it better than Aquarius? Ultimately I have to say no, but that shouldn’t in any way discourage you from a purchase of Visions. The album is a more than worthy follow up, and in many ways it does things a lot better than Aquarius. It’s really only just under Aquarius overall, and a score right at the top end of the scale is still very much deserved, but I can’t shake the feeling that the band didn’t quite manage to top their excellent debut. They certainly didn’t fall at the wayside though and Haken proves once again that they are not only one of the best new progressive metal acts, they are the best. Haken are also easily the best band to come out of the United Kingdom since Iron Maiden. Get this album. No, don’t argue about it, just get this album!

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.8/10, "Masterpiece/Classic Album")

Phonebook Eater 9/10

"Visions" is the album for which Haken will be remembered as the paladins of prog rock/metal to come.

With "Aquarius" Haken had been recognized by many as one of the next legends of progressive music. With "Visions", their sophomore LP released a year after, this prediction seems to be certain: the band has reached a level of maturity and songwriting that make their music sound always unpredictable and open to new horizons. Yes, this is the very basic definition of progressive.

On "Aquarius" everything sounded so expensive and gorgeously arranged, with tons of eclecticism in their sound. Here, the members are a little more focused, they are more concentrated on the melody and musicianship more than the little things surrounding them, those little details that seemed to be absolutely necessary and essential in the debut. It is obvious that the band has taken a step forward and truly learned what progressive music is, improving their style in every way. However, the style itself hasn't changed much; it's still that blend of prog rock and metal that we loved so much a year ago, but there's a somewhat more straight-forward approach to "Visions", a direct consequence of the above mentioned new characteristics it has.

"Visions" is also a conceptually more complex and darker album than the debut: instead of a little corny water concept, the sophomore puts in front of you a lot of existentialism, meaning of life and death, and focusing more on man's emotions, strengths and weaknesses. While this kind of album isn't exactly new, it feels new, as a matter of fact, it feels like the future. However the lyrics make this concept a little cheesier than what it is, and this is surely not something new for prog metal lyrics.

The albums is another beast lengthwise, like "Aquarius", having more than 70 minutes of music, but it honestly feels like time flies by pretty quickly. It's not a hard listen, and it's an absolute delight as well. "Nocturnal Conspiracy" is a magnificently structured song, containing some great haunting moments that are certain highlights. There's also the amazing trilogy in the middle of the album, starting with the pretty-straight forward and melodic piece "The Mind's Eye", continuing with the instrumental "Portals" easily the "Dance Of Eternity" of the band, and finishing with "Shapeshifter" the longest and most complex one of the trilogy, a fabulous song that borrows some electronic and some circus music as well. "Deathless" is a moving and very experimental sounding ballad, very long as well, but very deep and a little dreamy too. But the best song of the album, which is also of the band, and one of the finest pieces in prog metal history, is the twenty two minute title track. Everything about this song is flawless, amazing hook(s), great musicianship, it is the very essence of what modern prog is.

"Visions" has topped pretty much every single prog album this year. This is the first LP for which Haken will be remembered as the paladins of prog rock/metal to come. A masterpiece.

poslednijat_colobar Expected sophomore perfection

The sophomore Haken's work is as I said expected perfection, because of the debut, of course. The professionalism stream from Visions! It's much more flexible album than the debut in terms of subgenres use, musicianship and especially songwriting. The musicianship is just... indescribable... full of progressions and developing the album main's idea... heavy riffs are one of the fundamental expressions into the album. The experimentation is quite lesser, than on Aquarius and the sound is absolutely confident. There are some genuine keyboards electronic ideas.

What to say about the strange choice of type of the band's line-up? Six members with one regular keyboard player and one regular guitar player, and a band leader - Richard Henshall - with keyboard/guitar performance - just amazing, wonderful... That specifies and determines the album altogether, as a unity. The vocals made by Ross Jennings are so gentle and exciting - magnificent. Visions, as Aquarius is still heavy prog album with prog metal influences, but here you can find strong jazz fusion, psychedelic and symphonic influences.

The execution and production of the album are superb. The logical links between the themes are completed in exceptional manner. Some of the ideas are very dark and heavy, but others - agant-garde and boundless. The structure of Visions is precise, catchy and full of surprises and great moments. As a conclusion: masterpiece, highly recommended for all prog fans, that will stands the test of time!

raul_siberian This is not the best Prog Metal album to start listen to.

I have played it many times, but it just don't work on me. I couldv not find anything really worthwhile right here, only a few complex songs (well played) that it doesn't mean nothing to me, a pathetic Soft rock-Ballad "Deathless" that really sucks and an unbearable 22 minutes "Visions" that never ends. So I won't give my opinion track by track, because all of the tracklist are pure crap and do not deserve a decent comment.

Next time I will give it another chance, but now:

0.25 Stars well received!!!

rdtprog After the excellent Aquarius first cd, Haken is back with their second. Could they achieve the same level quality on this one? First, the band start with a instrumental track with a classical intro and symphonic arrangements. The rest of the cd contains vocals, the usual Haken prog metal’s sound, who got a lot of Dream Theater’s and Magellan’s influence. Nice keyboards, complex guitar parts, a good rhythm section, and vocals that give more emotion to the melody. The band add to this metal sound, some jazzy tones, a little techno beat in the middle of a song. All this, around many tempo changes that are all culminated in the incredible epic song at the end. On this epic, the band display all the tricks by going in many different styles of music, without losing the melody, and keeping the concept of the song intact by repeating the theme, from the beginning, at the end. With this strong finish, the band has surpassed his previous effort. There is a little bit more variety in this cd and their last epic is at this time, the best thing they have done.