Opel

Referring back to the comment I left on the last Haken review, I have great respect for bands that don't stretch things out endlessly, inserting fillers and dragging ideas and insights to the point of exasperation just to achieve an impressive final runtime. This album lasts 37 minutes, but it's 37 fresh and inspired minutes, and you don't walk around hunched over after listening to it, damn it. This is what they could give, and this is what they delivered, and it’s a tremendous work.

I listened to it once the day before yesterday, I need to listen to it again but already from the first listen it deserves a lot. I like all of their works (some more than others), even the second to last, Empros, and this one is definitely no exception; in fact, I believe it has what it takes to stand among their musical peaks. The cover is ice-cold, perfect.

I've listened to Acquarius several times, Visions less so, then I just parked them abruptly, as my ProgMetal phase had already ended a few years back. Anyway, they are an interesting proposition for those searching (and in the mood) for P.M. works over 70 minutes long, mixed with pure Progressive and a certain melodic exploration. As far as I'm concerned, the overall length of these P.M. works (not just those of Haken) is always excessively long and inevitably weighs down on the listener. In my opinion, these albums should last a maximum of 50 minutes (unless in rare cases); they would result in much more enjoyable and inspired works. Even for a band overflowing with ideas (and Haken certainly has them), it's tough to churn out 75 minutes of this music in a single album without falling into boredom and prolixity. Acquarius could have been a masterpiece by trimming 25 minutes. I don't know, but sooner or later, I'll give it a listen.

In the second video on YouTube, the computer shut down and this image appeared

what a record you reviewed.. a real gem, think years ago I considered it for my first review :D nothing groundbreaking but I love this little disk, starting from the cover. At first, I had difficulty approaching it, especially because of the voice, but over time it grew on me a lot (German singing included), and after all these years I still listen to it very willingly. And how beautiful is "Du bist der eine Weg"? (also the 2 bonus tracks are great)

Anyway, if that day I had smoked a couple fewer joints before sending the "review," it would have been better.

If you know the genre a bit, absolutely! :P By the way, this album contains what is probably my favorite track of all time: "River Of Sleep." The funny thing is that in some remasters it's not included, I don't know why, there's a bit of confusion about it. Anyway, the correct version is this with "River..." as the last track which lasts about 11 minutes, plus 2/3 possible bonus tracks.

After years of Deb, I believe this is the first time I've seen 7 reviews on the homepage from the same user, all with a decidedly high average quality of writing. How do you manage it? :) This is not a criticism, of course; you are a valuable resource for the site, you make very interesting proposals without ever duplicating (it seems to me), great job nonetheless. I'd say go for it, but, um, this is good too :D

I fully agree with Lao Tze. I found it quite compelling because I found the story interesting and original (which I increasingly struggle to find). It’s certainly not a masterpiece; it’s nice entertainment with thought-provoking elements. The ending gave me a sense of incompleteness, but I didn't know yet about the books and that this was just the first chapter of a trilogy.

I have the impression that everyone who deems them finished after listening to "I milanesi ammazzano il sabato" has reserved the right to snub Padania, which I think is a mistake, but a forgivable one. Meanwhile, those who label them finished directly from this album onwards have probably always struggled a bit to like them, in the sense that they've never quite managed to digest their sound—beautiful, yes, but the arrow never pierced the heart; it's a matter of instinct. Especially since there are really so many elements that can make you either love or hate a band like the Afterhours.