Haken are back in Paris behind the excellent Fauna, more than three years after we last saw them opening for the equally eccentric Devin Townsend. This time they have the room to themselves, and a headline set suits them considerably better.
What separates Haken from a lot of progressive metal is that the complexity never overwhelms the songs. The arrangements are intricate, the playing is ridiculously accomplished and the time signatures frequently wander off into places designed to make musicians count along, but there are hooks everywhere. Some of the melodies are genuinely immediate, and a surprising amount of the set turns into a singalong.
Ross Jennings remains the obvious focal point, but much of the attention from the musos in the room goes to Richard Henshall and his eight-string guitar. His exchanges with Charlie Griffiths are among the evening’s highlights, less a display of technical one-upmanship than two players constantly pushing the music in different directions.
The theatre is packed, which says something about the audience Haken have built. Progressive metal has never needed radio play or mainstream approval to survive. Give people music this ambitious, and this enjoyable, and they will find it.
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