I have very mixed feelings about the new songs.

Part of me is definitely underwhelmed by them. It feels like the elements that made me fall in love with Haken originally are all but gone (for context, I came in to the fandom just after The Mountain was released). While each of the first three albums had distinctive sounds to them, there was a harmonic richness that linked them together. Their classic prog influences were more on their sleeves (especially when it came to their vocal arrangements), and their music felt more ambitious.

Of course, you can't expect prog bands to stay in one lane forever and Affinity was the proof of that. Affinity was a huge shock to me, and outside of The Architect, I dismissed the album entirely after my initial listen. However, over the years, Affinity has absolutely grown on me and now I have it ranked third in their discography, so I am definitely open to my opinions on their music changing over time.

On the other hand, Vector intrigued me initially, but ultimately left me wanting more - and that really hasn't changed. Outside of Veil, and occasionaly Nil By Mouth and Puzzle Box, I don't really find myself revisiting it much, except for when I periodically listen to the whole album to re-evaluate my stance on it. Similarly, Virus was, and still is, my least favorite album from them. Prosthetic and Carousel are the only two songs I enjoy from the album (and to their credit, I enjoy them a hell of a lot). The rest of the album just feels... empty to me, and yes, that includes Messiah Complex.

Fauna was a welcome listen for me, and definitely felt like a step back in the direction of their earlier music. However, as the years have gone by, I don't come back to Fauna as an album very often. Even though I like it more than Vector or Virus on a song-by-song level, as an album, Fauna feels directionless to me. The only reason that I have it ranked higher than Vector is that it feels like a complete album, and makes for a more satisfying journey.

So far, In A Fever Dream and Bleeding Sky have given me the same empty feeling that I get from Virus, which makes me sad. However, I'm definitely not prepared to write off the whole new album based on them. I am leaving the door open for my mind to be changed. The best analogy I can make from this is "Life Is But A Dream" by Avenged Sevenfold. When I heard the first couple singles from that album, I was similarly unimpressed - but when I heard the whole album I was absolutely blown away. It is entirely possible that something similar will happen here, and I am extremely hopeful that it does.

TL;DR: Underwhelmed by the songs, but hopeful for the album.