Review by Saxy S for Haken - Fauna (2023)

The last two Haken albums (Vector and Virus) have been surprisingly disappointing. One of the things that made Haken stand out in comparison to their progressive contemporaries was how much more fun their music would be, and that was displayed wonderfully on 2013's The Mountain. And so, it's been a decade since that release and Haken are finally back to enjoying making music again, and I must say, those who listen to it should enjoy it just as much.

I've said somewhere in the past that heavy metal music tries too hard to be angsty and angry all of the time that sometimes I just need a break from it all. It happened with Electric Callboy last year, and now Haken are attempting to reclaim their place at the table. And they pull it off in surprising fashion. Now don't get me wrong, Fauna does have a certain unease about it that stirs in the undertones and subtext, so if you expect the album to just tell you what it's thinking, you're going to get left behind. "Nightingale" sets the tone as a hybrid of their serious tones of the last five years, and molds it together with the bands signature quirkiness that was found on The Mountain ten years ago. As the album continues, tracks like "Lovebite" and "Island in the Clouds" are just so cool and refined; they tell a good story all on their own as well apart of a whole album concept, and they are both just fun songs.

What it boils down to is whether or not you are willing to accept a "return-to-form" where Haken are not concerned with telling a deeply personal concept with themes of death, destruction and a potential oncoming apocalypse. It is a nice change of pace coming out of heavy metal music and I will be eagerly awaiting the progression of Haken in the future.

Best Songs: Taurus, The Alphabet of Me, Island in the Clouds, Lovebite, Eyes of Ebony