How does a band bounce back when it loses two of its six members? With a new release that shows they’re still here. Can Haken hold their own without Charles Griffiths’ guitar? Yes and no.
This isn’t the first time Haken has faced lineup changes. Perhaps it was a necessary evil. Personally, I found their 2023 album “Fauna” to be one of their weakest works. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it was a bad album, considering how high they’ve set the bar with their previous releases.
“In A Fever Dream” is a smart move. The band is making another shift in their sound, now less experimental on the guitars and perhaps a bit more introspective. Ross Jennings is once again testing himself with heavier vocals, though his melodies are still very much present here. The material balances somewhere between the heavier sound of djent and the lo-fi melodic moments of the keyboards.
The problem for me comes in the heavier tracks, which – for a band like Haken – sound pretty… generic, I’d say. I miss the variety that the band has come to be known for. I understand the shift in this direction. Perhaps the production, which places a lot of emphasis on the low frequencies, also plays a role.
The truth is, though, that if I were listening to a full-length album rather than the 26-minute EP, I’d eventually get tired of it. Everything points to Haken being at a rather delicate juncture in their career. Personally, I hope their next step finds them refreshed.
Michael Ntalakos
