Band:	Haken
Album:	Affinity
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	April 29, 2016
A review by:	Dream Taster

Disc I
01. Affinity.exe
02. Initiate
03. 1985
04. Lapse
05. The Architect [feat. Einar Solberg]
06. Earthrise
07. Red Giant
08. The Endless Knot
09. Bound By Gravity

Disc II [Instrumental version] [Deluxe Edition bonus]
01. Affinity.exe
02. Initiate
03. 1985
04. Lapse
05. The Architect
06. Earthrise
07. Red Giant
08. The Endless Knot
09. Bound By Gravity

My, my, my! Where to begin? Let's start with the obvious. Haken are a progressive metal band from the UK who aren't afraid to try new things as their previous works have shown. The Mountain was their breakthrough album and gathered considerable praise, and for good reason. Their newest opus, Affinity, is an interesting concept as it brings listeners back to the 1980s with throwback samples, sounds, melodies, even the artwork and packaging, marketing materials were all designed with that decade in mind. You know, when chatting involved a corded phone and music was recorded on tape.

The integration of their new member Connor Green seems to have produced a revolution within Haken. Previously, founding member and guitarist Richard Henshall was putting forth most of the demos and the other guys would add their touch. For Affinity, every musician threw ideas on the table from the start, and they worked more collaboratively, hence the album title.

The album starts and ends with the tell-tale sound of a modem connection. A special attention has been paid to period sounds and the discerning listener will get a kick out every single one of them. By including so many musical references to the 80s, the band is at times sounding like Yes, Rush or The Alan Parsons Project, which is about the best compliment I could give them. Yet they do manage to remain ultra modern progressive. The aptly-named "1985" is a prime example of this odd mix of retro sounds and melodies being tossed over a groovy contemporary rhythm.

Often compared to the Norwegian band Leprous, Haken decided to push the envelope by asking Einar Solberg, the very recognizable voice of that band, to guest on the longest track on the album "The Architect". That one track is a 15-minute monster assemblage of old school metal, vintage progressive metal a la Dream Theater and everything in between and beyond.

Affinity is a gutsy progressive album that pays homage to the best of the 1970s and recreates the 1980s with frightening musical accuracy. On the downside, this is probably going to sound a bit weird if you were not around in the 80s. But beyond the temporal and cultural references, the album is innovating and fresh, which is in itself ironic. Just give it a try, it's a worthwhile experience either way. Best progressive metal album of 1986 so far. I mean 2016.