The "in a fever dream" EP discourse is beyond ridiculous at this point
Listen, I get being disappointed by the new Haken material's direction. It certainly wasn't a direction I was hoping for or expecting from the band.
However, the songs are still very enjoyable, well-made, and have a cool mood.
The people on here acting like a 5 song EP (which, by the way, we've only heard 3 songs from -- not including a 7 minute closer) is the end of Haken as a prog band is ridiculous.
Haken have always changed their style from release to release, that's really just how they operate. They went in a simpler, more metal oriented direction with Vector and Virus and then reeled it back in for the widdly-widdly prog on Fauna.
These songs are just an honest and blunt representation of what the guys in the band are feeling in the wake of 2 longtime members departing the band, mere months ago. This is just a fun little experiment while we wait for the next full length LP.
That being said, I'm not saying you have to like this release, but it's weird to act like a brief stylistic departure on an unreleased EP from a band that has consistently been among the best in progressive metal for 15 years spells the end of them being "progressive".
To me, the whole point of being "progressive" is PROGRESSING your sound forward. How is staying rooted in a sound that was made popular by other bands 20+ years ago progressive?
Anyway, that's just my rant. I could be totally wrong on this. I'm interested in what others think.
At the end of the day, we're all one big community just looking to support one of the best progressive acts on the planet!