Soen

Soen is a Swedish progressive metal supergroup consisting of various extreme metal musicians. Their debut album Cognitive was released on February 15, 2012.

For the Japanese poet Soen, see Fukuda Chiyo-ni. For the Japanese magazine, see Soen (magazine).
Soen
Background information
OriginSweden
GenresProgressive rock, progressive metal
Years active2010−present
LabelsSpinefarm, Silver Lining Music
Associated actsDeath, Testament, Sadus, Opeth, Amon Amarth, Willowtree, Avatarium
Websitehttp://www.soenmusic.com
MembersMartin Lopez
Joel Ekelöf
Lars Åhlund
Cody Ford
Oleksii 'Zlatoyar' Kobel
Past membersSteve Di Giorgio
Stefan Stenberg
Christian Andolf
Kim Platbarzdis
Marcus Jidell

History

Initially formed in 2004,[1] it was in May 2010 that the formation of Soen was announced. The original lineup consisted of former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez, ex-Death, Testament and Sadus bassist Steve Di Giorgio, Willowtree vocalist Joel Ekelöf and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis.[2] The group's first song, "Fraccions", was released on the band's official website in October 2010.[3] Their first video, for the song "Savia", was posted on their Facebook page in February 2012.[4] Their second video is a moody acoustic version of the song "Ideate". The band's third video is for the song "Delenda".

Music

Drummer Martin Lopez has described Soen's music as "melodic, heavy, intricate and very different than everything else."[2] Their debut, Cognitive, was released in February 2012 receiving positive critical reception. The members' technical proficiency was praised the most, though many reviewers noted extreme stylistic similarities to the music of Tool.

Martin Lopez commented on the Tool similarity: "We are inspired by Tool but I consider them not only a band but a genre. Besides that, I really don’t think there’s anything to argue about, we make good music whoever it would remind you of. Some people tend to dislike rather than like and are looking for faults instead of seeing music for what it is, good or bad".[5]

History

Cognitive was released on Spinefarm records on February 15, 2012. The album was mixed by David Bottrill (Tool, Coheed and Cambria, Silverchair, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, etc.) and mastered by João Carvalho. There's also a bonus track on the Japanese edition called “Writhen”.[5] Tellurian is the second album released by Soen on November 4, 2014. The album was produced by Platbarzdis, mixed again by David Bottrill and mastered at Bob Ludwig's Gateway setup in the U.S. by Adam Ayan. Lykaia is the third album released by Soen on February 3, 2017. The whole album was recorded using analog equipment.

Lotus is the fourth album released by Soen on February 1, 2019.

Their fifth album, Imperial, was released on January 29th, 2021. [6]

Members

Current members

  • Martin Lopez – drums, percussion
  • Joel Ekelöf – vocals
  • Lars Åhlund – keyboards
  • Cody Ford – guitars
  • Oleksii 'Zlatoyar' Kobel – bass guitar

Former members

  • Steve Di Giorgio – bass
  • Inti Oyarzún - bass
  • Stefan Stenberg – bass
  • Christian Andolf – bass
  • Joakim Platbarzdis – guitars
  • Marcus Jidell – guitars

Discography
Year Title Peak chart positions
AUT
[7]		 BEL
(WA)
[8]		 FIN
[9]		 GER
[10]		 NLD
[11]		 SWI
[12]		 US Heat
[13]
2012 Cognitive — — 32 — — — —
2014 Tellurian — — — — — — —
2017 Lykaia 52 — — 72 — 66 18
2019 Lotus 48 166 — 22 185 37 13
2021 Imperial — 123 17
[14]		 16 71 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles and music videos
  • "Savia" (2012)
  • "Delenda" (2012)
  • "Tabula Rasa" (2014)
  • "The Words" (2014)
  • "Lucidity" (2017)
  • "Opal" (2017)
  • "Rival" (2018)
  • "Martyrs" (2018)
  • "Lotus" (2019)
  • "Covenant" (2019)
  • "Antagonist" (2020)
  • "Monarch" (2020)
  • "Illusion" (2021)

References
  1. "Soen". Facebook.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. "Former OPETH Drummer Joins Forces With SADUS Bassist - May 28, 2010". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020.
  3. "SOEN Featuring MARTIN LOPEZ, STEVE DIGIORGIO: New Song Posted Online - Oct. 17, 2010". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020.
  4. "Former OPETH Drummer's SOEN: 'Savia' Video Released - Feb. 2, 2012". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020.
  5. Interview with Martin Lopez, by Grande-Rock.com retrieved on March 15th, 2012.
  6. "Soen debut new song". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. "Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  8. "Ultratop / Soen" (in French).
  9. "Finnish charts portal". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  10. "Discographie Soen". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  11. Steffen Hung. "Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  12. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  13. "Soen Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  14. "Albumit 5/2021". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 8 February 2021.

Official website

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