Released: March 3, 2023
As with most bands this deep into their career, it’s difficult to take a truly objective stance on Haken’s latest release, Fauna. After all, that oh-so-treasured back catalog is the reason everyone cares so much in the first place. Still, regardless of where you fall on the band, it’s safe to say that Fauna marks a significant milestone in Haken’s musical journey.
Highly anticipated on a variety of levels, fans couldn’t help but wonder what direction the band’s seventh full-length release would take them. Would Fauna find the band doubling down on the overtly-crushing, Djent-inspired approach that characterized their most recent work, or would Haken return to their prog-tinged glory days (a la The Mountain)? Well, how about, ‘C,’ as in, ‘all of the above.’
Three years removed from “Virus,” and featuring the return of keyboardist Pete Jones, “Fauna” showcases the band’s most stylistically diverse work to date. Haken are no strangers to high-brow concepts, and this time around each of Fauna’s nine tracks embody a “spirit animal” that serves as a unifying theme reflected in both the songs and Dan Goldsworthy’s brilliant artwork.
As is the current trend these days, Haken released four singles (nearly half the record?!?) in the months leading up to the release of Fauna. The songs ran the gamut from muscular riff-fests (“Taurus”), expansive, prog-tinged workouts (“Nightingale”), and even a couple of quasi radio-friendly unit-shifters (“Lovebite,” “Alphabet of Me”). While the four singles represented a substantial pre-release preview into the wide array of styles and moods present on “Fauna,” the band wisely kept its remaining (and best) cards close to the vest.
Featuring one of their strongest choruses to date, “Sempiternal Beings” starts with a mellow groove before building into an appropriately dynamic journey. “Beneath The White Rainbows” features an odd-time riff and a suspenseful and dark tone, lifted by a glorious chorus while “Island In The Clouds” showcases Ross Jennings’s increasingly captivating vocals in a more straightforward package.
The centerpiece of the album, however, is the theatrical mini-epic, “Elephants Never Forget.” Blending elements of “Celestial Elixir” and “Cockroach King,” the song practically demands repeated listens. Closing the album is “Eyes Of Ebony,” a heartfelt tribute to Richard Henshall’s late father (and an exploration of the impending extinction of the northern white rhinoceros) that finds the band once again demonstrating how a touch of restraint can truly elevate a song.
As for the band itself, Fauna finds Haken in top form, something the crystal-clear mix (courtesy of Jens Bogren) continuously demonstrates. Pete Jones’s return to the band after pursuing academic challenges adds a fresh sonic palette to their music, injecting all sorts of new energy and creativity. And for his part, Jennings turns in his strongest (by a country mile) vocal performance to date, all but erasing the ‘acquired taste’ tag that’s dogged him for years.
So, there you have it—Fauna represents Haken at their most diverse, and (arguably) that’s when the band is at its best. It’s all there in spades–musical versatility, impeccable performances, dynamic arrangements, technical proficiency, strong melodies, and, most importantly, emotional moments by way of some of their best lyrics. But most of all, “Fauna” is a testament to Haken’s continued maturation as a band and is yet another high-water mark for the prog genre at large.
