Mats Haugen

Mats Haugen — Norwegian guitarist — is a co-founder of Circus Maximus and the author of much of the band's material, alongside his brother Truls Haugen on drums. Circus Maximus formed in Oslo in 2000 and built its identity on a balance rare in progressive metal: structural complexity without sacrificing melody. Haugen is a central piece of that balance — his guitar alternates weighty riffs, two-voice harmonies and cleanly phrased solos, yet almost never takes the foreground at the vocal line's expense. That restraint is an aesthetic choice. On Isolate (2007), the record that carried the band internationally, the best-remembered songs are the wide-chorus ones, and the guitar is at their service. On Havoc (2016) the same band sounds more direct and heavy, which shows the breadth of what the Haugen brothers write. With Michael Eriksen on vocals and Truls on drums, Mats forms the core that has run through all four records and more than two decades of Circus Maximus.