During the first week of May, Haken kicked off their highly-anticipated North American Fauna Expedition tour, celebrating the recent release of their seventh studio album Fauna. The UK-based band, known for their intricate musicianship and dynamic live performances, stopped by the Opera House in Toronto’s east end to deliver an unforgettable show to an enthusiastic audience. With a setlist that spanned their impressive discography, Haken treated fans to a mesmerizing musical journey that showcased the band’s virtuosity and creative prowess. Bringing the incredible instrumental prog metal band Arch Echo along as support ensured the entire lineup was nothing short of spectacular.

Arch Echo took to the stage and kicked off the evening of progressive metal at 8 pm. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, this quintet consists of guitarists Adam Rafowitz and Adam Bentley, keyboardist Joey Izzo, bassist Joe Calderone, and drummer Richie Martinez, all of whom are top-tier musicians and performers. The band opened their eight-song set with a recent single called Red Letter, which will be included on their upcoming album to be released this summer. This track featured some dazzling solos by Rafowitz and Izzo, an exciting marching snare drum solo by Martinez, as well as an outro section that showcased the band at their heaviest. They performed Immediate Results! and Stella from their 2019 album You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!, as well as Strut from their 2020 EP Story I. They also played two other new tracks, one of which, Aluminosity, features a guest solo from Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess on the recording. Rafowitz and Izzo were in fine form, taking solos on most of the songs, and making it look easy. Drummer Martinez hit hard but still with plenty of speed and precision, and was a ton of fun to watch.

Arch Echo closed their set with two songs from their self-titled debut album, Color Wheel, and Afterburger. During the intro of Color Wheel, keyboardist Izzo rocked out so hard that he accidentally knocked his keyboard right off its stand. Luckily, nothing got broken or unplugged, and he quickly resumed playing from his new position on the floor, because the show must go on, folks. He was able to put the keyboard back in place at his next opportunity, and it was smooth sailing from there. Throughout the set, every member of the band genuinely seemed like they were having a blast up on stage, which was refreshing to see. Guitarists Rafowitz and Bentley were all over the place, jumping on and off of the lighted risers at the front of the stage, and bassist Calderone played the final section of the last song from the rail directly in front of the crowd. It was an incredible set, and the crowd showed their appreciation as the members walked off stage.

Shortly after 9 pm, the house lights dimmed, and Haken took to the stage. All six band members came out wearing matching shirts sporting the Fauna album branding, which was a fun sight. They began with Taurus, from their latest album Fauna, which opened with guitarist Richard Henshall rhythmically playing guitar harmonics before the rest of the band kicked in with some heavy riffing. Vocalist Ross Jennings sounded fantastic right out of the gate, and bassist Conner Green and drummer Raymond Hearne did a great job with the backing vocal layers, on top of the wild parts being performed on their primary instruments. During some of the heavier sections of the song, Hearne had the chance to let his double kick chops shine, and he took full advantage.

Three other songs from the recent Fauna album appeared in the setlist throughout the night: Lovebite, Sempiternal Beings, and Elephants Never Forget. Lovebite was one of their shorter and more accessible songs, which still contained plenty of the trademark Haken idiosyncrasies. Musically, it channeled the 80s vibes from their Affinity album era, with an interesting juxtaposition of much darker lyrics. Who knew a song about the Black Widow spider’s mating ritual, mentioning cannibalism and decapitation, could be so fun? The crowd was even happily singing along toward the end. Sempiternal Beings got a positive reaction from the audience as soon as the intro drum groove started. This song featured a tasteful solo by guitarist Charlie Griffiths, some killer vocals from Jennings, and the band expertly navigated sections with constantly shifting time signatures, making it seem almost effortless. Elephants Never Forget was played towards the end of the set, and was one of the standout performances of the night. With plenty of interesting and complex orchestration, a variety of different sounds and styles, and sections paying homage to earlier bands of the genre such as Gentle Giant, this sprawling 11-minute track was one of the proggier sounding songs of the night, which is saying a lot considering how high that bar had already been set.

Another one of the evening’s highlights was the band’s abridged performance of The Architect, from their album Affinity. You know a song is a lengthy one when you can cut about 5 minutes from it and still have the abridged version clock in at over 10 minutes. With a healthy dose of 80s-drenched sounds from keyboardist Peter Jones, this song featured several instrumental passages with plenty of rhythmic twists and turns, and some heavier sections that caused mosh pits to break out in the crowd. Fun fact about Jones: he was actually one of the band’s original members, but left in 2008 to pursue another career. The departure of longtime Haken keyboardist Diego Tejeida in 2021, who had joined when Jones left, opened the door for Jones’ return, which in turn helped shape the sound of the band’s latest album.

Haken’s set featured some of their older gems, including three songs from their 2013 album The Mountain, and their set closer Celestial Elixir, the final song from their debut studio album Aquarius. With a run time of about 17 minutes, Celestial Elixir is a veritable prog opus and a perpetual fan favorite. This song featured some more great vocal work by Jennings, a beautiful piano solo by Jones, and a crazy dual guitar solo by Henshall and Griffiths. The song also takes a hard left turn around the midway point, and goes into a fun instrumental section with a circusy vibe, before eventually pivoting back to the original feel. It’s definitely got a lot for a progressive rock fan to dig into. Upon wrapping this song up, the members left the stage, but they weren’t done yet.

After a brief break, and some chanting and encouragement from the crowd, the Haken members returned for the encore. They gave the audience their money’s worth by playing not one, not two, but five more songs, as they launched into the five-part song Messiah Complex, from their 2020 album Virus – unfortunately named, as a result of the coinciding global pandemic, but what can you do. This encore displayed some of Haken’s heavier side, with plenty of down-tuned guitar riffs, rhythmic chugs, double kick drumming, as well as some blast beats. Messiah Complex III: Marigold was probably the standout, although the entire 17-minute encore was performed masterfully, and it was a great choice to end the show.

It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the band that seeing Haken at The Opera House equated to an incredible night of music. They seamlessly blend technical proficiency with fantastic songwriting, and each member is a master of their respective instrument. With a set that was nearly two hours long, the band performed flawlessly and demonstrated how they’ve managed to build a large and devoted fanbase. Bringing Arch Echo with them as the supporting act was also an excellent choice, as that young band is incredibly talented, and deserves more widespread recognition. Haken’s North American Fauna Expedition tour continues until the first week of June, so if you’re a fan of progressive music in the US or Canada, don’t miss out! Chances are they’ll be swinging through a city near you.

Photos by Brad Ardley