HAKEN

L-1VE INSIDEOUT

British prog heavyweights go wild in Amsterdam

There is far more to Haken’s sound than the meticulous, gleaming prog metal that has earned them the tag of the

UK’s answer to Dream Theater. On their first official live album, the Brits demonstrate the secret to their success; it’s an often strange and unpredictable blend of the intricate and the atmospheric, propelled along by robust but peculiar melodies and delivered with the kind of wide-eyed brio that prog’s older generation have arguably long since lost. Astutely recorded to give a real sense of a show taking place, L-1VE benefits greatly from the omnipresent bubbling of excitement from the audience, but it’s the band’s exquisite chemistry as a unit that seals the deal. Whether it’s recent material like the immaculate 1985 or a medley of tunes from Haken’s 2010 debut, Aquarius, everything sounds like a celebration of progressive ideals and metal’s neverending versatility. FOR FANS OF: VOYAGER, BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME, DREAM THEATER