Vector is the fifth studio album by English progressive metal band Haken. It was released on 26 October 2018 through Inside Out Music. It is the shortest studio album by the band and the first with a duration of less than one hour. The album was produced by the band and mixed by ex-Periphery bassist and producer Adam "Nolly" Getgood.[1]
| Vector | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 October 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Studio | The Crypt Studio, London The Bunker, Mexico City | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, djent | |||
| Length | 45:42 | |||
| Label | Inside Out Music | |||
| Producer | Haken | |||
| Haken chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Vector | ||||
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The album's first single, "The Good Doctor", was released on 31 August 2018 along with its official music video.[2] The album's second single, "Puzzle Box", was released on 28 September 2018 for digital download, following the daily publication of six scrambled parts from it in the spirit of the song's theme.[3] The original version of "Puzzle Box" is created when the scrambled parts are put into the correct order. A third single, "A Cell Divides", was released digitally on 19 October, along with its video clip.
The artwork was created by long-time collaborators Blacklake,[1] which features a Rorschach test ink-blot design. The album is loosely connected to their following album Virus, released on 24 July 2020.[4]
Background edit
About the album, vocalist Ross Jennings commented:[5]
We don't like to make simple music. We always aim to defy expectations, and I believe we've surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album [...] We produced the album ourselves, as we always do, but we're fans of what Adam has done with Periphery, Sikth and Devin Townsend. He has a great reputation for the heavier end of our genre.
Guitarist Charlie Griffiths added:[1]
We've always had a heavy influence, but it was obvious from the riffs that were naturally coming out of us early in the writing process that this would be a more metal album. These are some of the most riff driven songs we've ever written.
Concept edit
Regarding the album's concept, Griffiths said:
Musically it feels like a logical step from 'Affinity', but lyrically it's a bit more theatrical and about as 'rock opera' as Haken has ever got. It's about a Doctor with an intriguing, perhaps sinister interest in a particular patient. From there the story enters the point-of-view of the patient – who appears to be catatonic, but his mind is sparking with what could be memories, or delusions brought on by the treatment he's receiving – we leave this up to the listeners to decide [...] And that’s the challenge for the fans – to find out for themselves their own meaning for Vector as an album.
When asked about the concept, keyboardist Diego Tejeida stated that the field of psychology was involved, as well as influences from psychoanalysis, Freudian theories, the Milgram experiments, Pavlovian conditioning, and operant conditioning experiments.[6]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Sonic Perspectives | 9.3/10[8] |
Concluding the review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote that "Haken's willingness to take chances keeps older fans in the fold because here, they've balanced a far more aggressive direction with more nuanced elements from each phase of their recorded development. Vector is at once a brave new chapter and a logical -- if surprising -- continuation of Haken's always expansive M.O."[7]
Nick Andreas from Sonic Perspectives gave Vector 9.3 out of 10 and said: "The only major strike against Vector, if it really is one, is that we only get forty-five minutes of music. But that's all good in my book, as the band seemed to go with quality over quantity in delivering a brilliant album that might be their best sounding yet. It shows off some fresh new styles, and sees the instrumentation again finding new sounds and rhythmic approaches, all of course centered around the group's always-solid songwriting."[8]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Haken
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clear" (instrumental) | 1:50 |
| 2. | "The Good Doctor" | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Puzzle Box" | 7:42 |
| 4. | "Veil" | 12:35 |
| 5. | "Nil by Mouth" (instrumental) | 6:51 |
| 6. | "Host" | 6:45 |
| 7. | "A Cell Divides" (4:57 on the digital version) | 6:04 |
| Total length: | 45:42 | |
The deluxe edition of the album includes instrumental versions of all songs. The digital deluxe edition is missing the instrumental songs "Clear" and "Nil by Mouth". Also while the outro "Verbal Summator" is missing at the end of "A Cell Divides" on the digital version of the album, it is included in the instrumental version of the song.
Personnel edit
Haken
- Ross Jennings – vocals
- Richard Henshall – guitars
- Charlie Griffiths – guitars
- Diego Tejeida – keyboards, sound design
- Conner Green – bass
- Raymond Hearne – drums
Additional personnel
- Miguel Gorodi – trumpets ("The Good Doctor"), flugelhorn ("Host")
- Pete Jones – additional drum programming ("Puzzle Box")
- Pete Rinaldi – additional guitars ("Veil" and "Host")
Production and design
- Haken – production
- Anthony Leung – drum engineering
- Adam "Nolly" Getgood – drum engineering, mixing, drum recording[9]
- Diego Tejeida – vocal production and engineering
- Chris McKenzie – vocal assistant engineer
- Sebastian Sendon – mix assistant
- Ermin Hamidovic – mastering
- Blacklake – artwork, design
- Corey Meyers – logo
Charts edit
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] | 37 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] | 91 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] | 198 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 94 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 20 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 22 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[16] | 81 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] | 47 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 24 |
References edit
- ^ a b c "HAKEN | HAKEN announce fifth studio album "Vector" and launch fan etching competition". HAKEN. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "HAKEN launch video for "The Good Doctor" from the upcoming album 'Vector' – The Prog Report". The Prog Report. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "HAKEN". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: HAKEN - Virus (Album Announcement). YouTube.
- ^ "HAKEN Announce Fifth Studio Album 'Vector'; Launch Fan Etching Competition". sonicperspectives.com. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ Interview with Diego Tejeida (Spanish)
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom (6 June 2020). "Vektor - Haken | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ a b Andreas, Nick (1 October 2019). "Haken – Vector (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ InsideOutMusicTV (14 September 2018). "HAKEN – Discuss Vector Part 2". YouTube. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Haken – Vector" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Haken – Vector" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Haken – Vector" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Haken – Vector" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Haken: Vector" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Haken – Vector" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 44 (dal 2018-10-26 al 2018-11-01)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Haken – Vector". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 November 2018.