There’s still an unmistakable sense of incredulity and excitement in the voices of Haken’s Rich Henshall and Charlie Griffiths when recalling the acclamation of their 2013 breakthrough album The Mountain. Granted, it might not have propelled the band into the mainstream arena, but with their audacious musical mix of contemporary progressive elements and a 70s Gentle Giant styling, it became their most successful recording to date. And with the prog glitterati lining up to stack commendations onto Haken and gift them sought-after support slots, it’s a period the band still reflect on with astonishment.
“Honestly, we really weren’t expecting that, or the response we got from it,” says guitarist Griffiths. “It was just one of those lucky breaks you hear about and we managed to get some good contacts from it. People like Mike Portnoy and Jordan Rudess [Dream Theater] giving your band a stamp of approval? You can’t buy that. It was a huge thing. We did a couple of cruises at Cruise To The Edge and Progressive Nation At Sea and it was just incredible. That’s not to suggest we think we’ve made it or anything, as we know it’s still going to be a very hard slog.”
