Richard "Hen" Henshall is a British Progressive metal multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being the guitarist and keyboardist for the bands To-Mera and Haken. He has released one album, Earthbound, with To-Mera and two, Aquarius and Visions, with Haken.
| Richard Henshall | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hen |
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, Progressive metal, Heavy metal |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Clarinet, Drums, Bass guitar, Composing |
| Years active | 2004-Present |
| Labels | Candlelight Records, Sensory Records |
| Associated acts | Haken, To-Mera |
| Website | To-Mera Home, Haken home |
Contents |
To-Mera formed in 2005 between a few friends, Julie Kiss (vocals), Thomas MacLean (guitar), Lee Barrett (bass), Akos Pirisi (drums), Hugo Sheppard (keyboard).[1] They released a demo, which caught the attention of Candlelight Records. The band's musical style was drastically different from conventional Progressive metal; the band drew upon a plethora of influences such as Jazz, Progressive rock, and others. In 2006, Candlelight released Transcendental. The radical new style opened up slots to open for groups such as Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and Emperor.[1] In 2008, To-Mera released their next album, Delusions, in 2008. In 2009, they parted with Candlelight. Hugo Sheppard left after this, and they recruited Henshall for the post. They then self released the Earthbound EP.
Haken was formed by school friends Ross Jennings (vocals), Matthew Marshall (guitar), and Henshall at first in 2004. The members parted ways for a while to study at university, reuniting in 2007. They current members found Peter Jones on keyboards and Raymond Hearne on drums. Jones left soon after, and was replaced by Diego Tejieda. Charlie Griffiths was found on guitar, and Henshall brought in To-Mera bandmate Tom Maclean on bass. They released two demos in 2007 and 2008, which received excellent reviews. Their music caught the attention of Sensory Records, and the first album, Aquarius, was released in 2010.[2][3]
Henshall has named many influences, such as Jazz and conventional Progressive rock, as well as many notable acts, such as Dream Theater, Alan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, John Petrucci, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Yes, Pain of Salvation, Jethro Tull, Johan Sebastian Bach, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Gomez, Muse, Pink Floyd, Mozart, Aphex Twin, Magnum, Earth Wind and Fire, Jordan Rudess, Prince, Michael Jackson, Queen, Beatles, Ocean Colour Scene, Al di Meola, John Williams, Danny Elfman Ray Charles, Pharcyde, De la Soul, Jeff Beck, Epmd, James Brown, Symphony X, Adagio, Devin Townsend, Knuckledust, Stampin, ELP, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Bob Dylan, Opeth, Curtis Mayfield, RATM, Sikth, Hatebreed, and Mike Oldfield, among others.[4]