- Country: UK
- Style: Progressive metal
- Label: InsideOut Music
- Release date: 3 March 2023
Haken’s seventh album gives every song its own animal, and the London band use that loose concept as an excuse to go in nine different directions. It is also the first record since keyboard player Diego Tejeida left, with founding member Peter Jones back behind the synths, and the band produced it themselves.
The variety is the point. “Taurus” opens on a heavy, lurching groove, “The Alphabet of Me” bounces along on an almost funky pulse, and “Lovebite” is the closest Haken have come to a straight-up pop song. Ross Jennings sounds relaxed and confident, and the Griffiths/Henshall guitar team keeps finding odd little rhythmic angles without ever turning into a technique showcase.
The second half is stronger still. “Elephants Never Forget” is eleven minutes of theatrical twists and comes close to the band’s best long-form writing, and “Eyes of Ebony” closes the album on an emotional note. Some of the middle (“Island in the Clouds”) feels lighter by comparison, but Fauna is still a playful, smart record from a band at their peak.
Best tracks:
Taurus
Nightingale
Elephants Never Forget
Eyes of Ebony
Author’s rating: 8.7/10
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