Aquarius

Aquarius is the first studio album by British progressive metal band Haken. The album was released on 30 March 2010 and is the first album featuring Charlie Griffiths on guitar and Diego Tejeida on keyboard. A 22-minute medley of the album, titled "Aquamedley," was included in the band's first live album, L-1VE.

The album, along with its successor Visions, would receive re-issues by InsideOut Music on 3 February 2017.

Basis

Aquarius is a sci-fi fantasy tale about a lowly fisherman who discovers a mermaid while fishing for his dinner. Seeing an opportunity for short-term profit, he sells her as a circus attraction. However, he soon finds himself falling in love with the mermaid. Unfortunately it was not meant to be, as the mermaid's blood is the only medicine that can save the human race from extiction from a looming global flood. As such the mermaid must die so that humanity can live, but the fisherman still cries that she may never return, but he will wait forever...

According to bassist Thomas MacLean, the album also acts as an allegory for humanity's hubris and global warming.

Production

Aquarius was written almost entirely by Richard Henshall on MIDI piano with lyrics penned entirely by Ross Jennings.

Due to its status as the band's debut studio album and the band's lack of publicity at the time, very little about the album's production is known.

Tracklist

Pos.	Song Title	Length
	Total Length:	72:56
1.	"The Point of No Return"	11:28
2.	"Streams"	10:16
3.	"Aquarium"	10:45
4.	"Eternal Rain"	6:38
5.	"Drowning in the Flood"	9:28
6.	"Sun"	7:20
7.	"Celestial Elixir"	17:01

Personnel

Haken

Ross Jennings - vocals
Richard Henshall - guitars, keyboards
Charlie Griffiths - guitars
Diego Tejeida - keyboards
Thomas MacLean - bass
Raymond Hearne - drums, tuba, djembe

Additional Personnel

Craig Beattie - trombone
Alex Benwell - trumpet
Pablo Inda Garcia - clarinet
Marged Hall - harp
Darren Moore - trumpet
Jon Roskilly - trombone
Dave Ruff - flute

Production and Design

Misha Nikolic - recording (drums)
Tony Ashby - recording (additional)
Loz Anslow - recording (additional)
Christian Moos - mixing
Eroc - mastering
Dennis Sibeijn - artwork, design

Quotes from the Band

[On the topic of the album's global warming themes] "It parallels what's going on in the world right now. It's a good message."

-Thomas MacLean

Trivia

Aquarius is the only Haken album without a song shorter than 5 minutes long.
The typeface used in the band's logo on Visions is called El Diablo.
Aquarius, along with Visions were the first Haken albums to be re-issued.
A fan-made Aquarius-themed roller-coaster in the video game No Limits 2 received official voice lines by Ross Jennings.

Gallery

>> See full Aquarius gallery

Album back cover

Gatefold

Vinyl LP A-Side (Black)

CD from the Vinyl release

Links

Visions - HAKEN Official Website

Aquarius

Studio album by Haken

Released	30 March 2010
Recorded	2009-2010
Genre	Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, Progressive Rock
Length	72:56
Label	Sensory Records

Haken Chronology

Enter the 5th Dimension
(2008)

Aquarius
(2010)

Visions
(2011)