- "The Point of No Return"
- "The Point of No Return"
Tracks
| # | Name | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Point of No Return | 11:28 |
| 2 | Streams | 10:16 |
| 3 | Aquarium | 10:45 |
| 4 | Eternal Rain | 6:38 |
| 5 | Drowning in the Flood | 9:28 |
| 6 | Sun | 7:20 |
| 7 | Celestial Elixir | 17:01 |
| 72:56 |
Three Recommended Songs
- The Point of No Return
- Streams
- Aquarium
Thoughts
Aquarius is my third Haken album but it's the one that really sold me on the band as a whole. I listened to "Aquarium" on its own and the song wormed itself into my head. After that, I bought the album and gave it a listen and... wow. The word that most comes to mind when I think on the album is: beautiful. It's gorgeous. It sounds amazing and dances along its musical mish-mash with ease. Ross' voice is absolutely heart-rending and lends itself well to Haken's idea of The Little Mermaid for a new era. It really does capture that fairy tale feel, especially with its more carnival leanings on songs like "Celestia Elixir." Those first three songs are about the most perfect half-hour in music I can think of. While I wouldn't call every song here an absolute winner ("Eternal Rain" is a bit underwhelming to be honest), the album never really drags despite its length. Most songs flow through their movements like fish through water, making the time fly by. And it has hooks for days, both lyrical and musical.
If you love progressive metal, especially the more operatic stylings of Dream Theater and their ilk, I 100% recommend this album. "Aquarium" is a good testing point (honestly I thought it was the opening track when I heard it on its own) if you're unsure. Like other concept albums, I recommend you listen to it end-to-end at least once!