Quickies: Third Quarter 2020 Releases included HAKEN, DEEP PURPLE, NAPALM DEATH & DEFTONES

Between July 3rd and September 25th, there were some very decent releases that didn't get a full review but deserved my attention anyway. 

HAKEN Virus (07/24)

Haken are an English progressive metal band formed by multi-instrumentalist Richard Henshall and vocalist Ross Jennings. Upon recruiting other members, They released their first album Aquarius in 2010. Since the release of the debut album, the only lineup change was the arrival of Conner Green (bass) in 2014. Their third album The Mountain (2013) was met with critical acclaim and is considered one of the best prog metal albums of the century so far.  That's exactly when I was introduced to the band and have been a fan ever since. I also like a lot the following two albums: Affinity (2016) and Vector (2018). Now, after some delays, Haken's sixth studio album Virus was released on 24 July 2020. The album is loosely connected to Vector  and is intended to be a metaphor for various negative tropes of society. The band has said the title was actually a coincidence and not related to the corona virus. Musically, the instrumental bridges on the album and each musician proficiency is jaw-dropping. The singing is a bit of acquired taste, it took me some time to get used to Jennings' voice. For a prog album, it's not too long and there's a lot going on so the time actually flies. In terms of songs, "Prosthetic" shows the heavier side of the band as if they had put a mix of Slayer and King Crimson. It's a very powerful opener. The rest of the album took quite some time for me to assimilate. The video single "Canary Yellow" is a powerful image in tandem with the haunting slow song taken influences from Radiohead and Peter Gabriel. But the absolute highlight to me is the over-ten-minute "Carousel". The lyrics feature the album title during a verse 'Sapiens pervade like a virus'. I love when the album title is buried in the lyrics. "Messiah Complex" is a 17 minute song broken into 5 parts (thanks for that!), before the short melancholic closer "Only Stars". Less self indulgent than Dream Theater but still quite similar at times, Haken have developed their own signature sound and are no doubt one of the best prog metal bands in activity today.

DEEP PURPLE Whoosh! (8/7)

Whoosh! is the twenty-first studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 7 August 2020. It's hard to believe that this Mark VIII has been together for 18 years! That's from 2002 when Don Airey took over the keyboards. Steve Morse is on the band since 94 and its his 7th album! So this line-up has worked more together than the classic Mark II with Blackmore and Gillan. At this point the band is ticking like a clock. The sound of Whoosh! is not very different from the last 2 albums. The group collaborated again with producer Bob Ezrin, who had also worked for their previous two albums. The album features 12 relatively short songs and runs for almost 50 minutes. There are some bluesy influences here and there. The higher energy songs such as the single "Throw My Bones" or the almost 70's "No Need to Shout" are the ones that work best for me. The slow songs can get a bit too much and drag the album. Overall a good effort from the veterans of hard rock worth checking. 

MANTICORA To Live to Kill to Live (8/28)

Manticora was formed in 1997 making hard hitting power metal with both epic and thrash elements (Kreator like). Often they sound like early Blind Guardian. They are back with the 9th studio album and second part of a grandiose horror story concept. A concept that started with 2018's To Kill To Live To Kill. They worked once again with Jacob Hansen who made wonders on the production. Running for 63 minutes, the album is a bit too long, but the song writing is great. It's one of the best power  metal albums of 2020 so far. The album opens with the fantastic "Katana - the Moths and the Dragonflies/Katana - Mud". An epic 14-minute journey with lots of energy, hooks, big choruses and fist pumping moments. Not much to complain after that either, so just sit back and enjoy 63 minutes of power metal perfection!

NAPALM DEATH Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism (9/18)

Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism is the sixteenth studio album by UK Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death, released on 18 September 2020. It is the band's first full-length studio album since 2015's Apex Predator – Easy Meat. ToJitJoD is the extreme metal album that impressed me the most so far this year. While brutal and furious, Napalm Death was able to explore other forms of extremity in music and created a very diverse metal without loosing their identity. For example " Invigorating Clutch" is a groovy Black N Roll song and " Amoral" is catchy punk rock. The furious blast beats are still very much present in most tracks, but the exploration of other influences makes the album more fun and not repetitive. The 43 minutes fly just by and your neck will be sored.  

THE OCEAN Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic (9/25)

Founded by guitarist and composer Robin Staps at the dawn of the millennium, The Ocean surfaced as a prominent name within the post-metal movement. The German ensemble have been in a perpetual state of evolution, releasing a steady succession of acclaimed albums. Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic is the eighth studio and the concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey. It was released on September 25, 2020 and is the second part of a concept album series exploring the Phanerozoic geological eon, the first part being Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, released in 2018. This more experimental, more eclectic release impressed me from the get go. The first two tracks "Triassic" and "Jurassic | Cretaceous" each reference a period of the Mesozoic era are big and epic full of changes and exploring several musical influences. They are worth the album and together account for 22 minutes of the albums 51 minutes in total. The remaining six songs each reference a period of the Cenozoic era. Those are shorter songs with a lot of atmospheric passages. Including the instrumental "Oligocene" and the alt rock "Holocene". The Ocean continues to push heavy music forward, embracing heaviness and mood without boarders.

DEFTONES Ohms (9/25)

Ohms is the ninth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on September 25, 2020. The album reunites the group with producer Terry Date (Pantera, Soundgarden), who previously worked on a number of their earlier records. The new effort features 10 songs in 47 minutes, so it's a pretty good and concise package. The album is a perfect blend of atmospheric music and heaviness. The guitars sound great and so does the bass. Chino Moreno is doing some very aggressive vocals all over the album while balancing it with his beautiful clean vocals. Overall, the production and mix are just great. The single and opener song "Genesis" is an invitation to a musical journey, what a fantastic song! And after 9 tracks, we get the title track and closer which is maybe the best song on the album. So apart for a couple of less interesting moments in the middle of the album, Ohms flows great and keeps your attention from beginning to end. For those into this side of alt rock and metal, one of the best albums of the year.