The origin behind the man who would become known as “The Cockroach King”.
Introduction:
Welcome to my interpretation of Haken’s phenomenal double album Vector/Virus. I have used music videos, liner notes, lyrics, and my own imagination to help me piece together what each song means within the context of the story. Note that anything in italics has been provided to me lyrically, while my own interpretations are in bold. Although it’s not necessary, I would highly encourage you to read the lyrics alongside the song as it plays, as the tone and themes that pop up may help you visualize/ understand the story.
The concept for this album stems from a song titled “The Cockroach King” on Haken’s 2013 release titled The Mountain. The song tells the tale of a man who, through populist politics, rises to power and then whose own hubris is his downfall. These two albums are intended to tell the whole story, his creation, rise to power, and eventual demise. Is he an actual cockroach? Is it all just a metaphor? I’ll let you decide.
There are two definitions for the term “vector”. One being that of a bug that transmits a disease, the other being a quantity that has both “magnitude (value of seismic energy) and direction”. The title of the album is a reference to both of these. The main character, Patient #21, is both an insect that transmits a disease, for he believes himself to be a cockroach, as well as a force of weight and purpose. His “bite” sets off a chain of events that changes the world and, thus, he is this quantity of magnitude and direction. Confused? Good. Let’s dig in.
Characters:
Dr. E.C. Tobius Rex
Patient #21
The Cockroach
- Chapter One: “Clear”
- Chapter Two: “The Good Doctor”
- Chapter Three: “Puzzle Box”
- Chapter Four: “Veil”
- Chapter Five: “Nil by Mouth”
- Chapter Six: “Host”
- Chapter Seven: “A Cell Divides”
Chapter One: “Clear”
The stage is set. The date is October 26th, 1958. A storm rolls above the roof of a large, ominous building named Mountainview Institution. Thunder shakes the walls as patients wrapped in white straightjackets press against the windows of their cells and beg for release. In the dark of night an alarm sounds, and red light flashes through the hallways. Meanwhile, in the Crystal Wing, nurses walk about a room with a single chair in the middle, ensuring straps are bound tightly to the armrests. Electrodes and other instruments are washed and set aside in preparation for Dr. E.C. Tobius Rex’s treatment plan. The camera moves down a long corridor until coming upon a room where a man sits, blank faced and placid.
The song is titled “Clear” in reference to what a doctor would say before administering a shock. In this case, it is the shock that begins our story. Lightning flashes. A monster is created.
Chapter Two: “The Good Doctor”
Calling Dr. Rex to Cell block 2
The nurses cry
20 inmates scream in their beds, but one
One is silent
An unusual case this one deluded
Psychotic then catatonic
The good doctor looks him up and down and smiles
It’s time for a game
An introduction to our characters. Dr. E.C. Tobius Rex (a reference to a large species of cockroach), is the head of Mountain View Institution, a facility treating (abusing) “mentally ill” patients. All around the facility men and women scream in fear and pain except for one, our main character Patient #21. Noted as “psychotic then catatonic”, Patient #21 has suffered from hallucinations and delusions (possibly of grandeur), before being forced into a catatonic state through medication. Dr. Rex believes that he can destroy this psychotic side of the patient, but does so in a cruel and tortuous way.
Electricity is the prescription he needs
Bring him back to society
Electricity is the cure that he really needs
Bring an empire to its knees
He plans to use electro-shock therapy in an attempt to fix him, and also to destroy this “empire”, this world of delusion that the patient has lived in.
Inside his mind, sparks fly
Vague memories of a caved in broken life
Inside his mind, sparks fly
Vague memories of a caved in broken life
Patient #21 is trapped inside his own mind, perceiving fragments of his life as this electroshock therapy cooks his mind. It’s heavily implied that something has happened in this man’s life before the events of the album that he does not want to remember and he has placed himself in a catatonic state as a result of it. We see in later songs a tendency for violence, and it’s my belief that he may have attempted to rise to power through social or political standings, but did so in a violent way. It’s important to note that, as the patient delves deeper into his subconscious he sees things from the outside world differently. One of those changes being whenever he is electrocuted he sees lightning in the “sky”.
Make sure his arms are bound
And all his pills go down
Make all his secrets drown
Render his mind unsound
Dr. Rex pins him to the table and begins his horrendous “treatment”. Patient #21 is being sedated heavily to keep his violent behavior at bay and to essentially turn his brain off (think of the purpose of lobotomies). The destruction of his past identity is the doctor’s purpose.
Chapter Three: “Puzzle Box”
No escape, I navigate through my cave
(Latent memories forming deep inside of me)
Beneath the skin, they keep us in night and day
(Dormant barren visceral senses now subdued)
The album shifts to the perspective of Patient #21. It is my impression that the reason for his comatose existence is because he is schizophrenic. His mind contains two personalities, Patient #21 and the Beast (later referred to as the Cockroach), the latter being the personality that made him act violently. Here we see the main character, locked inside his own head, imagining his mind as a series of caves and spends his time exploring them and the fragmented memories that lurk within.
Parasite, leech upon the guilt from all my wrongs
Lead me on the pathway to the core
Paralyzed, staring through the shadows on the wall
Unable to solve this puzzle box
As he walks in the caves of his mind he feels a presence with him, whispering in his ear, guiding him further and further. This entity reminds Patient #21 of all the horrible things he did when “he” was in control. He continues deeper and deeper, believing that the center of this maze holds the answers for him. While doing so he sees shadows on the wall, (a reference to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave) and he understands that the life he lived, and is currently “living” inside of his mind is not reality. He is given glimpses of his previous existence, and the things happening around him, before they are ripped away.
The journey’s long, the shadows dance around
The answer lies beyond the fourth wall
My future days are etched into my skull
Hanging ever by a tethered body, mind and soul
Patient #21 knows that to find the truth he must leave this reality, this fourth wall. He must take control of the narrative. He sees drawings on the walls, premonitions he believes he is set upon some predetermined path, that something will lead him out if only he can find the truth buried within the maze. There is some sort of destiny for him, some sort of purpose binding his being to its predetermined path.
Truth or deception?
I lose all perception inside
The Patient continues to lose grip on reality. Everything he thought he knew about himself is shattered as he reflects on more of his past wrong-doings and shortcomings. Inside the caverns of his mind he begins to slip into madness.
A fleeting sense of self-worth (self-worth)
Evaporates into nothingness
A tepid grip on myself (myself)
Melts away to oblivion
The Patient has a brief moment of clarity of who he was and what he has left behind since his mental breakdown. He sees a family, and particularly a daughter. He sees a job, and the power tied to it. He believes he is worth something, that he can still achieve something great. This is then interrupted by a string of thoughts, skittering across his consciousness. It’s important to note that these words are repeated to show their falsehood. His self-worth is non-existent because he has no identity. He has no grip on himself because he is, and maybe has been, controlled by this darker personality the whole time.
A string of revelations come to him (this section is also a fun slew of throwbacks to previous albums).
Shadows on the wall dance around
Reflections in the amber to be found
A reference to Rorschach ink blots, memories he interprets freely despite their intended meaning. He sees himself as encased in amber, as he has been forced to see the world from this static existence.
A puppet on a string soon unwound
The truth inside the cave soon to be unbound
Some part of him knows he is being used by the entity that came before him, but he hopes that by loosening this entity within himself he might also find freedom.
The path beyond the mountain led me here
The answer crystallized in history
“The Mountain” referring to their 2013 album about life. It addresses the truths of our existence, the rise of man and the ego that can cause him to fall. He sees himself as having surpassed “The Mountain” in some ways, growing above and beyond the capacity of what it means to be human. The answer to his escape has been experienced by many in history strong enough to grasp the means to do so. He must learn from his past mistakes in order to grow into who he is destined to be.
But now the cracks of time begin to show
We lift the veil on what the future holds
Premonitions of the future shine through the cracks in his mind. His wants and desires are laid before him.
The torture of entrapment ever grows
And now I’m waiting for the afterglow
He seems to have many regrets in life, and is tortured by feelings of lost time caused by this entrapment. Another string of electroshocks jolt through his system. It gets worse as the doctor increases the amount of voltage and the duration to which he must endure it. It seems that he gains “clarity” from these electroshocks, from this pain. By enduring pain, he sees what he has to do.
A beast inside of me awakening
Alas the consequences of my sins
Something awful is growing inside him. It seems to be his body’s natural reaction to this pain, a defense mechanism to protect him. Again, this other persona seems to have arisen from past events, sins of his. This further suggests that whatever he has done is a darker, more violent, personality of his.
(Parasites as thick as thieves
Paralyzed my golden wings)
The Beast talks to him, referring to everyone in his past life as parasites. Family, friends, business partners, everyone turned against him when he went psychotic/ became corrupt/ hungered for power. This stopped his ascent to greatness, and this is where we begin to see the extent of his madness.
Bouncing off the walls
Latent memories (erupting)
Pulling at the cord
Earth beneath my feet (is trembling)
Lightning cracks the sky
Wakening the beast (inside me)
Rawness in his eyes
Reeking stench of fear (and regret)
Patient #21 takes off running through the caverns within his mind as the kaleidoscope of shadows, voices, pain, and memories grows and grows. Something is awakening inside of him, a power or a consciousness he has not felt in a long time. It is a beast, ravenous and hungry for revenge. The lightning in the sky (electroshock therapy) is what he sees in his mind every time the pain returns (he doesn’t see his actual torture). It is something that triggers his metamorphosis and his need to develop a new, violent personality. Think of it almost as a werewolf’s reaction to the moon.
(Cause and consequence
Show me reverence) -The Beast
(Fate or circumstance?
I feel severance
Lightning cracks the sky
Eyes intensify)-Patient #21
(I will stay trapped inside
Until the cells divide)-The Beast
This is where the song gets bonkers, because these lines are spoken UNDERNEATH the bridge repeated, giving us an idea of the subliminal messaging going on in Patient #21’s mind. This split personality of his grows as he endures more and more pain (think of it as a psychological defense mechanism). It demands his subservience and relinquishment of control and as lightning rolls above and pain jolts through his body Patient #21 understands that he will never be able to escape this maze unless he fully gives control to this being.
How can truth set us free when lies are all we have?
How can time heal us when our days are running out?
How can truth set us free when lies are all we have?
How can time heal us when our days are running out?
His final questions rise to the Beast stalking him from the shadows. In a world of lies, after a life left unfulfilled, how can he escape this maze to come back to reality before it’s too late?
Chapter Four: “Veil”
Save me
Lift the veil that shades this somber sleep
Patient #21 submits himself to whatever this being is. He begs it to help him escape from this comatose state he has been placed in, and the medication used to suppress his psychosis.
I disintegrate with all the things you say
A blame I can not take
Neither can you
This second personality tells Patient #21 that its power comes from strength and confidence. If Patient #21 tries to blame himself or this entity for his past problems (lacking compassion and general human traits) it will cease to be as powerful as it is. It feeds on his narcissism.
Digging through the dirt
Crawling on my knees
Lying by my grave of self-esteem
Our hero reaches the center of the maze where the core of his psyche can be found. It is truly a grave, as the man does not believe in himself or who he is anymore. He searches for what remains of his past self, but it isn’t there.
From your beams of light
There’s no place to hide
In the witching hour I’ll stay
Patient #21 feels vulnerable and truly exposed, but awaits the commands of this mysterious voice that has guided him to the very center of his being. In the moonlight of his mind, he remains in this grave, understanding that this being sees him for who he truly is.
Now there’s a glint within the darkness
A tainted ancient auras grave
Concealed, the remnants of a carcass
I hear your voice and I lose control again
The moonlight shifts, and he finds himself standing in front of a large tomb. He knows that, within it lies the remains of his second personality, a massive cockroach, and when the entity speaks he feels this dominating personality trying to take the reins after years of sedation.
So many years behind
So many times I lied
There are many things I regret-Patient #21
So many years will pass
So many times you’ll lie
There are many things you’ll regret-The Cockroach
This stanza is repeated twice, the first time from the perspective of Patient #21, reflecting back on the terrible person he was in life. The second is the Cockroach taunting him, telling Patient #21 that he has wasted his life, while also informing him that, if it is going to help him, he will hurt many more people in the future.
Save me
Take away the pain inside and
Teach me
How to keep those stone cold eyes
Hold me
Tell me how the phantoms die
Guide me
Lift the veil that shades this somber sleep
Patient #21 submits himself to this being, this ancient cockroach, begging him to help him take away the pain of his past, to help him learn how to see things cold and calculated, and how to get rid of his past regrets that force him into this catatonic state he had self-imposed.
Keep our tainted kingdom flawless
(Tried to deny what I always confined
I have to be frank
To be looked in the eye
I must try to defy what once made me fright
And I cannot comply
The greed needs supplies
And I tried to rely on who I left behind
The stakes were too high)
There are two voices in this section. The first one is the voice of the Cockroach, informing him that, if he wishes to escape, he must not try to subdue their “tainted kingdom”, their violent and narcissistic personality. Let this horrible thing be horrible. While this mantra is repeated over and over a second voice, Patient #21’s thoughts are heard underneath it. He acknowledges that he had attempted to subdue this part of his personality in the past but that, facing it now in his mind, he is not as frightened by it as he once was. He acknowledges that this personality is hungry for power, and if he is to allow it to take control this time he can’t allow family or friends to hold him back. Nothing must stop him on his ascent to power.
Stay under my cozy wings
There’s no danger sleeping next to me
Foe, or maybe a loyal friend?
Let desire set the course to take
The Cockroach seduces him. He acknowledges that he could be seen as a foe, in a certain light, but if the patient wishes to escape he must trust it completely, and that the man might hate the things he does, but that The Cockroach will ultimately help him achieve his goals. .
Save me
Take away the pain inside
Heal me
Tell me if I’ve gone completely blind
Patient #21 puts his full trust in the voice and begs the Voice, should he ever lose his course in this, that it will set him on the correct path.
Save me
Take away the pain inside and
Teach me
How to use those compound eyes
Compound eyes are referred to often in this concept album. There are many ways to interpret it, but the way I see it is the ability to see all outcomes of an event, and to see the world for what it really is/ to know what must be done to take control.
Hold me
Tell me how the phantoms die and
Guide me
Lift the veil that shades this somber sleep
Patient #21 begs the Voice one last time to show him the way out. And he does.
Note: On this page in the notes in the liner notes it says “Toxicity levels high, trial affinity study”. Affinity is a reference to the strength of the bond between an antigen and an antibody. This could possibly be alluding to the growing relationship between the Cockroach personality (the antigen) and Patient #21’s last defense against it, his human self.
Author’s Note:
Patient #21’s second personality is a cockroach because it is a creature that cannot be killed. Dr. Rex has tried to subdue (kill) this persona, but it persists. We will also see later, once Patient #21 is reincarnated as The Cockroach, how this comes into play with his future actions.
Chapter Five: “Nil by Mouth”
In medical speak this is a reference to not eating or drinking anything before a surgery. Although completely instrumental, the music seems to represent many different sounds: the hum of a machine as it charges for electro-shock therapy, the insectile noises (found on the song “The Cockroach King”), among other things. My thinking is that this song is the beginning of the patient’s transformation into the Cockroach. He secretly stops taking his meds for his psychosis (nil by mouth as per the Cockroach’s instructions) and, as his electro-shock therapy intensifies, his transition into his violent, narcissistic, psychopathic personality grows.
Chapter Six: “Host”
Through the fog
The scent of myrrh prevails
Cleansing all our sins
Still trapped within the confines of his mind, Patient #21 realizes that in order to truly complete this transformation, to give complete control to the Cockroach, he must “die”. He allows himself to be bitten by the Vector. Encompassed by the scent of myrrh, an ointment used to heal bites and to draw on “protective energy” (again, tying into the fact that he sees the Cockroach as a protective entity). It is also an ointment used for the anointing of kings…
Through the clod
The worms caress my head
Take me to the fifth sun
Lying on the ground, he prepares for his death, “Take me to the fifth sun” in reference to ancient Aztec myth. In it, Quetzacoatl went to the underworld to save his people from destruction and, dipping their blood in his own, was able to resurrect them. The Aztecs believed that the 5th sun, our current sun, would disappear if it was not nourished with human sacrifice. He very much believes that his own “life” (existance outside his catatonic state) will end if he does not sacrifice himself to The Cockroach. There are also two ways that this relates to later events in the story, one being that when Patient #21 becomes The Cockroach he believes that the only way to save the human race is to immerse them in immense pain (his blood) to make them stronger (and this ties into his cult beliefs in later songs). The other being that, as he rises to power, thousands of humans must be sacrificed/ die in his war.
Curtain call
My scene is ending
All I hear is silence
Patient#21 understands that he is “dying” (a figurative death as the new persona takes control).
Where I end you’ll begin
When I fall you will stand
But in dying, he will be giving birth to something else. It’s important to note this mantra, as it gives us an idea that he and his dual identity, the Cockroach, are very much linked. Where Patient #21’s human nature (empathy, love, etc.) ends, The Cockroach personality (narcissism, power, sociopathic tendencies) begins. And vice-versa. When he (Patient #21) is gone, the only personality that will remain is that of the Cockroach.
Sail away, goodbye
I’ve been left down here to die
Never mind what’s near
There’s nothing left to fear
I’m fading, I dissolve into the ghost
I’m waiting for the earth to be my host
Save me, teach me
Hold me, guide me
Leave me fading, dying
Pretty self-explanatory. Patient #21 is “dying”, and welcomes it.
Elevate
Transcend
Leave my grasping human bones
Every vein yields rain
Satiates the ground below
Elevate
Transcend
I disperse into the loam
Every vein yields pain
I’ve been left out here to rot
It’s important to note that, when he dies he thinks he will literally be reborn as a cockroach. This transformation tears him apart, and as he “dies” (in his mind) his blood spills from his human form and into the dirt. Whatever remains of Patient #21 will be left laying in the maze, to rot for all eternity.
Curtain call
My scene is ending
All I hear is silence
Where I end you’ll begin
When I fall you will stand
Chapter Seven: “A Cell Divides”
Preserved in time
The insect comes alive
The amber falls away
The vector strikes
How can such a tiny wound
Cause me so much pain?
Patient #21 awakens fully five years later in 1963 (established in the liner notes). The first line “preserved in time” is sung using the same phrasing as the first line of the song “The Cockroach King”. This symbolizes that he has completed his transformation, and has become the Cockroach. This preserving agent, his comatose state (the amber), dissolves and he becomes complete.
It’s the beauty in the flaw
The grace of imperfection
Now I’m twisted out of form
By unnatural selection
A horrifying violation
Of a human form
A cell divides and multiplies
A strange mutation overrides
And carbon-copies into four
When the Cockroach looks in the mirror he sees a man-sized cockroach that walks on two legs. If you want to get more grotesque, imagine a human that has been frankensteined together with the parts of a large cockroach. It’s key to understand that he no longer sees himself as human, although my interpretation of the events that follow is that, despite his delusion, he is still a man.
“Alien impostor
Pretender
I’ll keep you safe now
Close to my heart”- The Cockroach
The Cockroach refers to Patient #21 as the true infestation, a leach of a personality designed to hinder his power and arrogance. He will keep the personality around, but locked inside without full control.
Author Note: At this point that I don’t believe that The Cockroach character is actually a giant cockroach walking around among humans. Rather this is how the character SEES himself. I know there are a lot of Haken fans who want to believe that an actual Cockroach started a nuclear war and rose to power that way, but if we see their initial song, “The Cockroach King” as an allegory and a metaphor for populist politicians/cult leaders, than it makes more sense to me that you have an actual human doing monstrous things because he doesn’t see himself as man anymore.
To Be Continued…
What do you think? Am I close? Do you have a different take? Leave your comments below!
The Word and The Song 
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