ALBUM REVIEW: Tiktaalika – Charlie Griffiths

HAKEN – an exemplary light of the modern era of progressive music and craftsmen of some of the last decade’s most prized examples of going well and truly above and beyond. With their rightful pioneering status, and with each of the sextet proving masters at their respective craft, it’s baffling that it’s taken 12 years for any of them to pursue their own adventures. Nevertheless, 2022 welcomes the arrival of Tiktaalika, the debut escapade from long-time HAKEN string wizard CHARLIE GRIFFITHS. Musically ensconced between Kings both DIAMOND and CRIMSON, Griffiths nobly wears his own crown – propped up by a legion of aids from the houses of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, TEXTURES, DREAM THEATER and DEVIN TOWNSEND. With bold ambition and a mighty arsenal to fulfil it, Tiktaalika is a stunning exploration of sound with no stone of potential left unturned.

One issue that can be innate to such collaborations is a sense of confusion. Tiktaalika features four different vocalists across its nine tracks and the danger of design by committee, despite being led by Griffiths as a whole, was never theoretically off the table. With the LP also being Griffiths’ first project on such a scale, a question mark remained looming overhead as to how this hardened team player would fair as the principal visionary. Fortunately no more than a single listen is needed to quarrel such concerns. Griffiths is ever the deft creator and, most crucially, has ventured far and wide beyond his home territory. This isn’t just HAKEN with some guests chucked in the credits, nor a vain attempt at being so, but a progressive outing that triumphs Griffiths’ beloved eras of 80s thrash metal, 90s tech-metal and alt-rock – the result is a record that just keeps giving. 

Tiktaalika makes a sublime first impression, the first two tracks lacerating through eardrums before you have time to work out what hit you. Prelude tracks aren’t given their due credit for setting an album’s tone but Prehistoric Prelude makes a case for just that. Packing a mere morsel of the LP’s multi-faceted nature, the track opens on layers of delicate acoustics that simmer to a boil of electric wailing before the space erupts into a thrash-riff rampage of immense proportion before, without warning, it morphs yet again into an elaborate but just as deadly tech-metal sparring match of distortion and mayhem. Arctic Cemetery (other than being a cool name) picks up where its predecessor fades out with the first of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME’s vocalist Tommy Rogers’ characteristically volatile performances that have no trouble outshining the efforts of his fellow collaborators. It’s one of the record’s most brutal affairs, leaning its body weight entirely into the heft of tech-metal and prog’s less merciful realms accompanied by nuggets of musical intrigue deep within that slowly unearth themselves as the play button wears on. 

From this moment on the floodgates are open, unleashing the album’s boundless wonder. It helps, of course, that the line-up is peppered with proven icons and their talents are refreshingly crucial to Tiktaalika’s success rather than an added bonus. DREAM THEATER’s Jordan Rudess is predictably brilliant. Keeping the record grounded in its progressive homeland with distinct shimmers and blaring horns, the keymaster creates the perfect backbone alongside Darby Todd on the kit for Griffiths and his vocal pairing to lay down their slice of hell. Griffiths himself is by and large the star of the show. Fronting guitar, bass, keyboard and even his debut vocal efforts – which are as refined as his fingerwork – he takes the mammoth undertaking in stride with iconic riffs and delicious bass licks practically falling from the album’s sleeve. For a full glimpse, the title-track instrumental provides the sonic journey to summarise the record; bold, boisterous and always brilliant. 

There are almost no complaints. The tracklist never feels confused despite its committee of designers, it never feels as though one member tries too hard for the sake of shining brighter and even the finer details like the gorgeous yet poignant album art and lyricism – that tie to the Earth’s geological timeline a la THE OCEAN – fit right at home in this palace of engineered beauty. What perhaps lacks a consistent oomph are the vocals. There’s no doubt that TEXTURES’ Daniel De Jongh, LUNA’S CALL‘s Neil Purdy and ORGANIZED CHAOS’ Vladimir Lalic put in a terrific shift and are integral to the record’s identity, but being encased by Rogers is a tough act to make a case against and the result is a touch of disjointedness. 

That said, there is little that can rob Tiktaalika of what it is: excellent. Above all, this album is a project of care and love and it’s hard to deny that Griffiths is one of modern metal’s finest orchestrators. In both beauty and in chaos, Tiktaalika thrives; the grand vision of a pioneer at the very first step of his potential and with worthy company at his side to execute it. Griffiths‘ heavy lifting was complete years-long gone with HAKEN in proving his worth but here, letting his own name take the limelight, he has blossomed to something even greater. 

Rating: 9/10

Tiktaalika is set for release on June 17th via InsideOut Music.

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