FAUNA

Haken is exploring fresh sounds here, and it's their proggiest album in a while. It's intricate, thoughtful and surprisingly soft, considering Haken's typical sound, which develops but remains the same on this record. Henshall and Griffiths do their wonderful guitar interplay, weaving riffs into the melodies and rhythms contributed by the other members. The influence of the new keyboarder is noticeable in many small ways. The quality of the music is outstanding: Very few bands manage to to take rhythm and melody to the places Haken does and actually still get it to sound pleasant and catchy.

My favorite Haken album since The Mountain. Reviewers generally seem to agree it's a strong showing. Early contender for album of the year.