While Haken just released their first single from their upcoming 5th studio album, Vector, it was 5 years ago on Sept. 2nd that the band released their breakthrough 3rd album The Mountain. With highlights like the fan favorite “Cockroach King” and prog epics like “Atlas Stone” and “Falling Back to Earth” the band took a leap into the prog mainstream and proclaimed themselves as one of the bands to watch for years to come.
As quoted in the book Essential Modern Progressive Rock Albums, Vocalist Ross Jennings talks about the desperation that made the album resonate so well with audiences. “At the time we embarked on The Mountain, we felt like we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. No matter what we did, it was either gonna be in vain or nothing much would change. We were feeling a bit disheartened by the amount of effort we were putting in and how we were seeing some recognition, but not enough in order to change our day-to-day living reality. This is very much reflected in the lyrics and can be heard in the heart and soul of the music. So you could say that The Mountain was a desperate last clutch at straws to make it, and that’s what makes it sound so appealing.”
Listen to The Prog Report Top 5 Haken songs with guest Dan Briggs from the band Between the Buried and Me.
