71. Haken - 'Virus'

A combination of stealth and hard work has meant that, without anyone really noticing, Haken have become a major force in modern Prog-Metal. This is their sixth album and probably their heaviest so far. Heaviest actually in both senses of the word. Having played with an eighties synth sound on 2016’s “Affinity”, “Virus” follow’s 2018’s “Vector” into a much more insular metallic feel. The riffs across the whole of “Virus” pound. There is much less layering than on previous Haken records and instead the crunching guitars are allowed space to breath. The subject matter is also heavy. This is not a happy album. It deals with institutional abuse, physical and mentally abusive relationships, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies. So very 2020.

Overall, Haken have used their frustrations with the world to make a striking record that evolves them as a band. This is Prog with the excesses scaled back. “Virus” is tense, minimal and, in places, haunting. It is also very, very good.