Tiktaalika – Gods of Pangea
Tiktaalika – Gods Of Pangaea
Inside Out Music
Release Date: 14/03/2025
Review by Beth Morait
8/10
Haken guitarist, Charlie Griffiths, is the master of complex Progressive riffs. And this new solo album, under the guise of Tiktaalika (which was the title of his 2022 solo album), continues where his last album left off. Again, he draws influence from 80s and 90s Thrash and Heavy Metal icons such as Metallica, Judas Priest, Megadeth, and Merciful Fate. And he’s a master of intertwining those influences with ridiculously complex Progressive rhythms and hooks. For this album he’s joined by Devin Townsend’s drummer, Darby Todd, and fellow Haken bandmate, Connor Green on Bass. This mix on paper makes for an absolute stunner of an album. So, does that translate to the music? Well, let’s find out!
The album sets out at a furious pace with ‘Tyrannicide’, a blistering Heavy Metal anthem, with more complex guitar riffs than you can shake a stick at, and punchy vocals, complete with a chant-style chorus. This is a song with multiple sections and ideas all thrown into the melting pot. There are Progressive sections, full on Heavy Metal riffs, screamo and growl vocals, and technical playing across the board! It’s certainly a way to make an entrance with an album! Charlie means business!
The album title track follows, and this couldn’t be any more Prog if it tried! Complex cross-rhythms, and Classic sounding guitars take the lead for a long intro, with almost early Ozzy-like verse vocals appearing after your mind has already been twisted by the rhythms. And then all of a sudden, we’re somewhere between a Metallica ballad, and mainstream Heavy Prog Rock. It’s a far cry from the previous track, which already gives the album a genre-fluid feel. But it’s equally technical.
And that really is how the album continues. Every song is different, but whether it’s going through chugging Sludgy Doom passages, heavy almost Black Metal vocal sections, Progressive rhythmic episodes, or Classic Heavy Metal riffs, it’s all belted together with the technical skill of Charlie Griffiths’ playing, and song-writing skills.
‘Mesozoic Mantras’ is my track of the album. It starts as a stripped back ballad, that still keeps the technicality, and grows as the track progresses. But doesn’t feel quite as schizophrenic and disconnected as some of the other tracks on the album.
For me, this eclectic mix of everything on this album is good, but it does occasionally feel like there are just too many ideas thrown in. Does it highlight the skill of the musicians? Absolutely 100%. These are musicians at the top of their game, and their level of skill is undeniable from the first note, to the fine bar of this album. But is it also fun to listen to? Well… in part. But it hurts my brain too. And, playing devil’s advocate here, that might be a bit of a barrier for a lot of audiences. If you like your Prog with multiple ideas, and experimental compositions, this will float your boat. But if you need something easy to listen to, then you’re probably best taking this album in small doses.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Tyrannicide
02. Gods of Pangaea
03. The Forbidden Zone
04. Mesozoic Mantras
05. Fault Lines
06. Give up the Ghost
07. Lost Continent
08. Chicxulub
LINKS:
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