​Sleeping Forest
Rise of Nature
Hadra Records


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There isn't much instantly available about Sleeping Forest, and yet the music holds an esteem that for me, requires a little celebration. The magically crafted album Rise of Nature is made with electronic instruments including guitars. The paint work of colour with sound is gigantic, with sensational waves from many aspects of existence, entering our audio perceptions at an array of angles. Head fizzing effervescence spun into strands of sonic candy, some have a filling that carries a kick, others are more fluffy and dreamy in context.


The album works in a way that creates an atmosphere, it's not a singalong or even a danceathon, but there is elements of soundtrack which causes us to feel a certain way while it hums along in our earshot. It doesn't matter what we're doing, what we want to achieve, it will have a more space age feel about it while accompanied by this album.


Full use of the studio gizmo is utilized with respectable skill, with extreme examples of how stereo and surround can enhance our experience. The mixing is extra-ordinarily good, and even though electro music must be produced well, the levels of mastery in the mastering are suitably notable. The Amethystium ring to this kind of thing makes us think of new age meditation but that couldn't be further from the truth of this work, here we are asked to dance with stardust, and that stuff can be pretty hot.


The electronic music produced is an epic piece of work, it could be boring if we want to rock out, it could be too intense if we want to drift off into sleep but if we are painting, reading, writing some stuff down about an album, it's actually pretty ideal. One for the regular pile, for sure. To be honest, the ghostly significance of the album art combined with the music, can have us whisked off into dreamlike story book nostalgia for quite some time.


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Sometimes we are confronted with an album that looks like it was made to sell T Shirts. Admittedly, at first glance of this fabulous art work and extremely clever name, I judged this album to be one of those stand alone products, made to compliment a line of hoodies and perhaps some leather jacket patches worn by ageing bikers and teenagers.


Well, I was stood up by myself within a few seconds as the incredible punch of guitar worship threw me into the back of my seat with a G-force on the G-spot of musical delivery. The perfection that followed, for me, was briefly put on hold hen the singer began to add their new layer, and it took a verse and a bit for me to adjust myself to their tone. I'm glad I took the time as now I'm used to him, the gruff and keyless drapery that flags the swelling ocean of distorted guitars and smashing cymbalic drumming really does the business.


Splendid emotive riffs and licks froth like coca-cola as the pedal work and deeply pushed and compressed wave jockeying of the effects rack make something crazy out of abstract forcings of sound that although obey many of the technical rules of musicianship, simply over step the mark with huge cuttings to their analogue patterns.


Comic book song titles match their sound and artwork to the menu and their self confidence is a dead giveaway as the track “Riffborn” treats us to some fancy chord throws which could match Led Zep or Hendrix given the right time period. It's a good job that the vocals are kept to a minimum at times as the actual power behind this group lies in the music, and the words float along like small ducks. I like it, without the human voice we'd soon be wondering what the album was all about and if the words became prominent, we'd lose the specialness of that chunky sonic wall that fills our face.


Sludgy, blues orientated and with manliness pushed to an extra level of beard, the psychedelic goth fest which grows from this plant pot of rock n roll grows on me with each new track. The short album is perhaps a good idea, because the dense and rich songs really take a lot of focus to appreciate to the full. It's like deeply flavoured red wine, where the wholeness of the flavour makes a smaller portion a bit more appropriate.  

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I was browsing Youtube as usual on a Thursday night, the sun was down. The lambs sleeping and the hour was right for some new music. The usual collection of regular artists appeared before me, in the new wall of media look that the global vlogging hub has adopted, and there sticking out like a sore thumb was an album by this artist.


Haken are a prog rock band with feels from electronica and post rock, their work reminds me of Yes but after some kind of love affair with members of Tangerine Dream and Rush. Spectacular fills and builds crescendo with rock mountains of sheer brilliance, and fun melodies simply crisp the edges with a flame of purple heat.


Those of us who like their music to do more than create earworms and make us move our backsides are in for the works when setting this album to play. If we sit and let it happen, we find that it doesn't matter what we're doing, tidying up, reading a book, sitting staring out of the window, something happens that makes us pay attention. It's not the ferocious rock spirit that grabs us at first, but some other thing that is so hard to touch with words, but it has a sense of urgency in the tempo, it almost poses as music and gives us the impression that we really have to take heed.


Rewards are quick to manifest, the rhythm is a tidal machine and huge talents on all the equipment simply fill the gaps with such hefty meat that even the most skilled butcher of sound would sweat at the brow upon realising their oath to this band.


I love the way Haken's singer is able to produce real story telling elements of the work, so often lyrics are used to add to the music and not really give more layers of human experience, but with Affinity, it's easy to spot that we have an album that delivers not only music but a versed passage of mentality which describes more than the sound, it creeps up on us and drags us into their realm of thrashing energy bound to the eternal fizzing soul. Blue virtuoso guitars and bass which funks the hell out of the patchwork of drum patterns thrown together in a Frankenstein of brilliance and jazzical rage, a soaring effect is created as the culmination of energies peak as a tidal wave of power.  

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