Sold Date: December 3, 2014
Start Date: December 1, 2014
Final Price: $50.99 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 468
Buyer Feedback: 22

Up for a bidding is the extremely rare and out of print edition of the amazing HAKEN - RESTORATION E.P. released this year through Inside Out / Century Media Records. This is a copy of the 100 pressing in ORANGE VINYL and it is impossible to find nowadays. It also includes a CD of the album inside, shown in the last auction picture. You can search eBay up and down and you won't find another copy. The one for sale here is sealed, the vinyl and CD depicted in the pictures are only for illustrative purposes of the color and came from my personal copy. There is a super slight seam split in the top of the cover, which is barely noticeable, but I take pride in my accurate description and it is worth to mention.
We are fast and professional sellers with many years combined experience on eBay. All items are shipped within one business day of receiving payment. Our packaging is done with the collector in mind. All LP records will correctly packaged to minimize damage. Thanks for looking at my auctions and HAPPY BIDDING!
Restoration is Haken’s way of introducing us to new bassist Conner Green, by re-imagining tracks from their 2007-08 demos. At three tracks and 35 minutes long, including a 19-minute epic featuring guitarist Pete Rinaldi from Headspace and legendary drummer Mike Portnoy, this is an ambitious and quite challenging EP, but it really is phenomenal. Interspersing music from the demos with freshly written material, it feels like these songs combine the best of all the Haken eras, with Aquarius-style discordance being set alongside the hurried, urgent electronic drums first used on last album The Mountain.
The EP opens with the brilliantly erratic ‘Darkest Light’, which seems to change its mood, tempo and time signature every few seconds yet never feels disjointed. The powerful and heavy intro and first verse drop off suddenly into an short and subtle electronic verse, which builds back up to a rhythmic and darkly beautiful chorus. The rhythm section of Green and drummer Ray Hearne shine on this track, providing a confusing and impressive backbone to the intense lead lines.
‘Darkest Light’ is naturally quite a dark song, and this theme is continued with ‘Earthlings’. While the former is immediate, ‘Earthlings’ is a much more subtle song that takes a few listens to fully appreciate. The whole song has a very sinister sound and the lyrics – “I watch my friends bleed, I break down, I cannot see” – add to this feeling. The first half builds up into a chorus that feels like a foreboding chant through verses that make the 5/4 timing feel quite natural. The lyrics of the second half (“Life, endless paradise”) contrast against the music to create a strange effect that works rather excellently. A slow burner, but an intriguing and quite unique song if you give it the chance.
Although the first two tracks are brilliant, they don’t quite reach the lofty peaks of The Mountain, but luckily that all changes with the masterpiece that is ‘Crystallised’, a song that holds its own against any in their back catalogue and comes close to surpassing the lot.
After a relaxing intro, the band burst straight into classic epic Haken territory, with the powerful intro riff foreshadowed in the intro synths giving way to a fun verse. One thing I’ve always loved about Haken is their tendency to add some fun to their music on tracks like ‘Cockroach King’ and ‘Celestial Elixir’, a 17-minute song which has an incredible instrumental section based around circus music.
It’s hard to describe every facet of this song as it changes so often, but it’s safe to say that every second is absolutely fantastic. In this song, it’s easy to see bits which come from every point in their career, like during an instrumental where the frenzied electronic drums from The Mountain follow a discordant melody which sounds lifted from the instrumental in ‘Celestial Elixir’, which is then followed by a down-tuned guitar riff straight from Visions. That is not to say, however, that this is just a best-of thrown together from discarded bits – it all feels fresh and the band even throws in some totally new influences, best evidenced in a section in the middle of the song. An a cappella breakdown gives way to a folk melody, a move which is a bit startling yet works unbelievably well. This whole section has a medieval feel which shows the band embrace folk-rock influences, with some amazing vocalising from singer Ross Jennings making for one the most beautiful and joyous pieces of music I’ve ever heard.
This rivals anything Haken have ever written and despite the sheer brilliance that is that section, the quality doesn’t dip for the end. A hurried and intense replay of the first verse and a majestic last chorus make for a deservedly great finale to this masterpiece, but as soon as you think it’s about to end, then comes the standout moment of the EP and maybe of Haken’s recording history – the final chorus in ‘Celestial Elixir’ is the only thing which rivals it . The beautiful lyrics (“The moon will rise, the night will fall, I hold your hand, but you let go. The sun will shine, the snow will thaw, all things must pass, into the unknown”) which accompany the majesty that is the ending of ‘Crystallised’ fit wonderfully with the triumphant music. A final acoustic outro rounds the song off perfectly, and the final words “Escaping the past by embracing the future” resonate perfectly with both the song and the context surrounding the EP.
This collection of songs is another triumph from Haken showing once again the band’s growth and ridiculous skill in both songwriting and musicianship – Green does a superb job in making his mark on the songs too. It’s probably too early to say, but I have the feeling that ‘Crystallised’ will soon be making its way into my top ten songs ever. If this band don’t become as big as Dream Theater, it would be a huge injustice.
Please note: I strongly suggest to ship the vinyl out of the cover to prevent seam splits and further damages as warping. I would slit the cellophane through the entrance and would package the vinyl outside the cover in a protective sleeve. It is the right way to do. If you choose to receive the vinyl sealed AS IT IS NOW, I won't be responsible if it arrives to you with cover issues. The mail carriers are careless nowadays. This is a collector's item and you don't want it with flaws.