Haken Collection

Haken are a modern progressive band from London, England. The band’s sound has evolved through the years from prog metal to hooky electronic pop, progressive metal, and anthemic rock and roll. Surprisingly, they were also able to incorporate new wave elements into their sound, as evident in their 2016 release Affinity.

Haken was formed in 2007 by guitarist and keyboardist Richard Henshall of the band To-Mera. After a few lineup shuffles, the final members included guitarist Charlie Griffiths, bassist Thomas MacLean, drummer Ray Hearne, keyboardist Diego Tejeida, and singer Ross Jennings.

After signing with Sensory Records, the band released their album Aquarius in 2010. A year later, they released Visions in October 2011. The band’s influential third studio album, The Mountain, was released via Inside Out Music in 2013. This time, Haken brought some elements of Led Zeppelin and Queen into their sound.

New bassist Conner Green worked on the band’s Restoration EP released in 2014. Restoration featured several reworked versions of the songs in their 2008 demo. Their fourth full-length album, Affinity, was produced by the band’s longtime collaborator, Jens Bogren. Two singles were released before the album, The Endless Knot and Initiate.

In 2018, Haken recorded a gig in the Netherlands to mark their tenth anniversary as a band. It was released as a four-disc set and combined video and audio performance as well as tracks from the band’s entire catalog. Vector, Haken’s fifth studio album, was released near the end of the year and was considered a sharp contrast to Affinity.

After the release of The Mountain in 2013, fans kept asking about the identity of the “Cockroach King” from a song of the same name. In response, the band expanded and elaborated on the song’s harmonic, rhythmic, intervallic, and lyrical themes. The arc was carried through to their album Vector and their 2020 release, Virus.