The cover of HAIDEN‘s new album II shows a glacier, and when you hit play on the first track, “Alba,” it feels like a glacier is slowly sliding over your mind, flattening the textures and curves of your brain. And then the real heavy kicks in, and it’s clear you’ve supplicated yourself before a sludge masterpiece, and there’s no point of return. But once I dug into II, I didn’t need to return anyway – return where? To the unbridled chaos of my virtual reality? Instead, I’ll take comfort in the melodic dissonance that Haiden has created on this epic album. I’ll let them crush my mind, and I’ll revel in the pleasure I feel in my soul! II comes out today on CD format (get it here), and we’re honored to be sharing the full album with you right here and now:
Haiden’s music thrives on contrast: spacious and deep, erupting from the lowest depths of sludge, yet crystal clear and sharp, grooving with a weirdly counter-intuitive approach to rhythm.