2026 opens with a significant lineup shift for Haken: the departure of two members the band itself once called “irreplaceable” — longtime guitarist Charlie Griffiths and bassist Conner Green — leaving Jennings, Henshall, Hearne, and Jones to carry the group forward as a quartet. To fill the gap, the band brought in two heavyweight bassists, Bryan Beller (The Aristocrats) and Adam “Nolly” Getgood (Periphery); notably, Nolly also handled drum duties on “bleeding sky.” Produced and mixed by George Lever (Sleep Token, Loathe), “in a fever dream” — released July 01, 2026 via InsideOut Music — pushes into more emotionally raw, “honestly vulnerable” territory: a fresh, modern fusion of Progressive and Alternative Rock/Metal, threaded with electronic passages and brief growled vocal outbursts. The record opens with the title-track, elegant yet unsettling, fusing downbeat electronica with Post-Djent riffing. Its lyrics dwell on delta sleep and disembodiment, moving between melancholic passages and short growled incursions. This new direction reads as a genuinely compelling reinvention, one that ranges across modern genres with remarkable freshness and dynamism. The Heavy, at times suffocating atmospheres serve the track’s themes well, with fine excursions into more extreme prog metal territory without sacrificing the band’s razor-sharp technicality. Growled vocals alternate with melancholic melodic lines that bloom into choral passages carrying the track through to its close. “delirium” is the record’s most energetic, bombastic cut, built around an immediate chorus that “creeps in like a ghost.” The official video, directed by Oliver Kember, captures the track’s essence and power in full. It’s a piece with excellent drive, steering the sound toward a technical, elaborate strain of modern Progressive Metal — and one likely to reshuffle the running order of any future setlist. “eclipsed by you” leans into a more Experimental vein, drawing on Post-Rock and Shoegaze with a layered, ethereal intro. Treated and electronic vocals, warm synths, and a structure that drifts through cosmic space before erupting into a luminous melody all define the track. Its Electronic, contemporary textures underline the band’s eclecticism, blending Electronic and Progressive elements into a thoroughly modern sound. Among the EP’s most emotionally weighted tracks, “bleeding sky” moves between airier, more ethereal openings and bursts of modern Progressive Metal, anchored by a granite-solid rhythm section and powerful riffing. Precision, power, and vocal melody meet at exactly the right point here — another clear high point of the record. Closing track “lotus” cements the band’s new course, blending melodic vocals with growled passages, propelled by superb drive and technique. Cinematic Progressive Metal, poowerful riffs, and a dense rhythm section define the piece, punctuated by constant tempo shifts and accelerations — an epic close to a listen that, despite two significant lineup departures, finds this reconfigured quartet delivering an outstanding EP. The lowercase styling of both the title and the track names mirrors the record’s whispered, dreamlike aesthetic — fitting for a band that has managed to reinvent itself despite losing two such pivotal members. Haken‘s artistic maturity and resolve have shaped a genuinely intense listening experience, one that bodes well for this new chapter. The sound is direct and elaborate without unnecessary embellishment, foregrounding both technical prowess and a lyrical, emotional depth of the highest order. Pending further developments from the band, this is an unreservedly recommended listen — proof of a determined group that has found the best possible way to reinvent itself.
Tracklist
01. in a fever dream (07:12)
02. delirium (04:04)
03. eclipsed by you (03:24)
04. bleeding sky (04:18)
05. lotus (07:22)
Lineup
Ross Jennings / Vocals
Richard Henshall / Guitars
Raymond Hearne / Drums
Pete Jones / Keyboards