Haken – In A Fever Dream [EP]

I’ve heard it often been said, that when a band release a live album, that it marks the end of a chapter in their career. That it’s an audio statement of “this is where we got to, and the next step will mark a change in our musical development”. Never was that more-so than with the recent activity from Haken during the last 15 months. Back in May of last year, the band released their mammoth double CD/Blu-ray live concert, Liveforms. It’s an absolute beast of a recording, lasting around two and three quarter hours in total, and showcasing some of Haken’s finest moments from their previous 15 years. I thought at the time that this was a perfect live representation of where the band where at that point in their career, with them performing their previous studio album Fauna in its entirety, and also including a superb selection of songs from the rest of their back catalogue. Little did I know back then that this would be the last product from Haken in that present 6-piece line-up.

Rumours were spreading at the back-end of 2025, and by the beginning of this year Haken finally put out an official statement to say that 2 of the band members would no longer be continuing on with them. These were the exceptional bassist Connor Green (joined 2014), and original member Charlie Griffiths (joined 2008), who is an amazing guitarist and a major song-writer too. It then came to light that the band wouldn’t be replacing them, and would instead continue on as a 4-piece, reducing it to a one-guitar line-up and using session bassists to cover the bass duties in the studio. I guessed that with Griffiths & Green no longer being involved, that any future music might show a noticeable shift in direction. And indeed that is very much the case with this latest release from Haken, In A Fever Dream.

The first new music to be lifted from this and promoted was the opening title track In A Fever Dream, released on the 21st May. Straight away you could hear changes in the music, even though it still contained a lot of Haken hallmarks, including the highly distinctive voice of Ross Jennings. Before people could start getting excited about it being from a future studio album, it was announced that this was to be part of a 5-track EP (extended play), containing over 26 minutes of brand new music. I’m not sure why they’ve gone for an EP format, as it’s only their 2nd ever one, with the first being the Restoration EP that featured reworking of 3 songs that originally appeared on their demo album. I’m guessing that the reason could be that these songs may not sit well among other new material, or that the band were determined to get a new product out, and felt that these 5 songs in particular had a mutual cohesion about them. I find myself moving more towards that latter explanation.

So is this a ‘concept’ collection of songs? Haken’s last album Fauna used avatars of members of the animal kingdom to represent each individual song, giving it a sort of concept theme, even though musically it was a total smorgasbord of varying styles. This time with the new EP it starts with In A Fever Dream, ends with Lotus, which has some similar musical melodies and uses the repeated line “at the end of my fever dream“, and the 2nd song is titled Delirium (being delirious is often described as an effect from having a fever). I’ve no real idea if the combined lyrics actually tell a story in their meaning, yet musically there is a definite cohesive style & sound that bonds these tracks together. They don’t feel as if they are meant to be heard as separate entities, and for me personally they are far more enjoyable listening to them altogether in their presented running order. For those 26 minutes, it does feel like a concept batch of songs, so yes … I’d say it’s concept EP, even if that was not the band’s deliberate intention.

What you have included in this release are 2 lengthy songs around the 7 minutes mark, that are the opening and closing tunes, with 3 shorter tracks sandwiched in between. On first listening only Delirium stood out for me as something that I’d recognise as more typically Haken. It’s a solid driving beat rock number with a big chorus, and not too far removed from what they’ve done in the past. However the other 4 tracks don’t really grab you by the shirt collars on first listening, and at the end of my very first listen, I must admit I was a bit underwhelmed. The song structures can be lighter and more atmospheric at times, and the band are really employing sound design techniques now, with vocal filters & processing, as well as electronic noises, programmed percussion & tonal filters too. They have clearly gone for a very different overall sound.

For anyone that has followed Haken’s career, then they will know that their first 3 albums had a definite nod towards classic prog, and neo-prog influences. Their 4th album Affinity shifted towards a more experimental approach, while their following 2 albums had a much harder-edged rock feel, and of course, lastly Fauna, which I’ve already mentioned that it incorporated so many different musical styles that it didn’t really have a distinctive identity running through it. Yet with this new EP it does have its own musical identity that bind all 5 tracks together, and a huge part of that is the production style. In A Fever Dream was co-produced by band with assistance from George Lever, who also produced the first 2 albums by Sleep Token. Haken also recorded the EP at Vada Studios, again where the first Sleep Token album was recorded. It does appear that they had a certain distinct sound in their heads, and knew what direction they wanted the music to be taken in. I’m not going to say that this EP sounds like Sleep Token, but I can hear that vibe that they were going for, and it’s definitely different to anything that Haken have done previously.

So with regards to the production on these songs … it’s really very good indeed. The low-end depth of tone is fabulous, giving the music a distinct ‘thickness’, for want of a better word. It does have a lot of compression being used, which reduces the overall dynamics of quiet & loud, yet gives it gives it a punchier vibe as well as feeling very present at all times. On headphones, or good quality reference speakers, the music really comes into its own. It is marvellous ear-candy! And because it sounds so good, I kept on listening to this over & over, and the songs all grew on me massively. Even the 3rd song Eclipsed By You, which was probably my least favourite to start with, has now become a stand-out track for me. Yet in saying that, I still feel strongly that it’s the combined 5 songs in that running order that works so well, giving the listener the sense that they are on a musical journey, which is essentially what great prog music should do.

Now after listening to the full EP on many occasions I have a far greater grasp on what they band are trying to achieve here. There is a noticeable shift towards recent prog rock styles, and a moving away from the more traditional music that has established the genre. It is a brave & bold move, but also them being aware that they are no longer a 2-guitar outfit, which clearly makes things feel a lot less guitar driven. There has been programmed drums & various other sound design aspects on previous releases, yet here it feels that they are pushing themselves further to be more experimental and embracing other musical styles to use in their collective toolbox. It is Haken’s 20th anniversary next year, and they are continuing to proudly push their music into newer territories, while still retaining an identity that reflects the various musical facets of the band members. And although they are down to just 4 members now, they do contain founding members Richard Henshall, Ross Jennings, Ray Hearne, and Peter Jones (who returned to the band in 2022 after a 14 year absence). And as such, the music continues to have that Haken stamp all over it.

Even though this EP has grown on me considerably, if I were to rate it against previous material in the Haken back catalogue, this would not rank as high. The band have set a very high bar with their previous albums, and I am a big fan of the band, and would easily put them in to my own personal top 10 of all-time greatest prog bands. I may not love this new work from the band, compared to their past endeavours, but I really do like it a lot. That’s purely a subjective point of view, based on how excited & passionate I feel when listening to their songs. Yet I completely respect their need to explore new territories, and to be creative artists by not just regurgitating familiar well-trodden themes. These 5 songs represent a stepping stone period where the remaining musicians are adapting to the changes in their line-up, and figuring out the best way to continue on that feels right for them. The next full studio album may sound something different yet again, and this EP could possibly be a purge of material written during their transformative stage. Regardless, the music on the EP is still absolutely top-notch, gorgeous to listen to, and will likely rank as some of the best progressive rock music released this year.

Haken are due out on tour this coming Autumn, playing 17 dates in mainland Europe & Scandinavia. It’ll be interesting to see the next live incarnation of the band. Firstly who the guest bassist will be that they are taking out with them. Secondly their set list choices, and if that will based upon past material that still works well with just one guitarist in the band now. Or thirdly, will the band opt to put extra instrumentation in the backing tracks, as Haken do work to a time-code for live shows, which allows them to program such a precise & impressive automated lightshow. I’ve no major problem with bands using backing tracks to expand their sound to make it much fuller. So many do that these days, and Cardiacs were doing that back in 1992 when they stripped down to a 4-piece version of the band. You will always get purists that scream “that’s not live”, but I’d personally rather hear a band sound absolutely glorious & majestic, than to sound sparse & lacking.

My final comments on the In A Fever Dream EP are about just how amazing it sounds. I’ve read other reviews about it, and many have commented about Ross Jenning’s lead vocals perhaps sounding a little too subdued in the mix. I think that’s a deliberate action not to having them poking through too prominently, and to be honest, I can still hear them fairly well, even if they aren’t as upfront as on previous releases. However, the drums sound incredible. Ray Hearne is a stunning drummer, and his fills sound so crisp and precise. The cymbals have been dialed back a bit to allow everything else to breathe better, yet the tone & accuracy of every beat is so impressive. There’s also contributions from 2 highly respected bassists, Bryan Beller & Adam Getgood, and regardless of who features on what particular track, all of the bass sounds are magnificent. There’s a 40 second soft vocal and piano introduction to the song Lotus, and straight after that the song really kicks in with a gorgeous riff played in unison by the guitar, bass and synth, while the drums groove underneath it. That is one of the stand-out moments for me, as it sounds bloody marvellous.

Best of the luck to Haken with this new release. I’m hoping that the band add some UK dates to their touring schedule, and perhaps that I’ll get to see them before the year is out. Fingers crossed.

TRACK LISTING
01. In A Fever Dream (7:12)
02. Delirium (4:03)
03. Eclipsed By You (3:24)
04. Bleeding Sky (4:18)
05. Lotus (7:22)

Total Time – 26:29

MUSICIANS
Ross Jennings – Lead Vocals
Richard Henshall – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Ray Hearne – Drums, Percussion, Drum Programming, Backing Vocals
Peter Jones – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Adam (Nolly) Getgood – Bass (2,3 & 4)
Bryan Beller – Bass (1 & 5)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Inside Out Music
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 17^th July 2026

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