The Cockroach King made them, now they’re breaking him. Prog catches up with Haken to learn all about their ambitious new album, which concludes the prog metal titans’ definitive decade.

Words: Phil Weller Images: Max Taylor Grant

Haken: ’roach killers.

Ambition has never been something that Haken have lacked. Ever since 2010’s Aquarius introduced the British progressive metal act to the world, they’ve striven for each new step to be bigger, bolder and braver than the last. Those self-perpetuating designs have put them at the pinnacle of the contemporary progressive metal scene, where they have remained for the last 10 years. Visions quickly followed in late 2011 and The Mountain, released two years later, married their technical virtuosity with raw, emotional lyrics, that showed a vulnerability making their complex music hugely relatable. It was the record that sent a fast-rising act skyrocketing. They haven’t let up since, producing two more critically acclaimed records in synth-loving Affinity and 2018’s forceful Vector. Now, as their first decade together draws to a close, the band are unleashing their most ambitiously grandiose statement yet.

Their sixth full-length release, Virus, marks the completion of an arcing narrative that first began to unravel seven years ago and one that has consumed the band, creatively, for the past three years. Staying true to Haken’s multicoloured plumage, the album pushes their versatile vitality further than ever before.

“Virus is a continuation of our last album, Vector,” reveals guitarist and chief songwriter Richard Henshall. “The narrative comes from one of the tracks on The Mountain called Cockroach King, which is a song that our fans seem to really like. We wanted to provide a back story to the protagonist we introduced in that. So, on Vector we see the character institutionalised, then, with Virus, the narrative follows his maniacal downfall.”

Writing on the bus together helped bring so many different influences and ideas that we may not have otherwise have had to the forefront. It’s made for the most eclectic Haken album to date.
Richardd Henshall

“The idea for Vector and Virus came about when we were touring The Shattered Fortress with Mike Portnoy back in 2017,” explains vocalist Ross Jennings. “It was something that was born from the album five beginning with a V and the album six being VI in Roman numerals. So it was a case of how we could play about with that and then it really snowballed from there. For want of a better explanation, this was just a way of amusing ourselves and giving us something to write about over the two albums. We needed an anchor and the Cockroach King as a character became that anchor.”