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"With "Lykaia", Soen reaches a first peak and establishes itself as a progressive metal band of the first rank."
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4/5
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From their first album "Cognitive", Soen showed qualities to become a future essential progressive metal band. The doubts regarding the particularly strong influences began to dissipate with the very good "Tellurian". Following a high rhythm of composition, the third album of the Swedes arrives at the beginning of this year. The new additions to the album are keyboardist Lars Åhlund and guitarist Marcus Jidell, recently heard on Astrakhan's excellent second album.
Marcus Jidell has made a big appearance into Soen line-up, leaving his mark on the outcome of the record as producer of "Lykaia". His influence is undoubtedly not unrelated to the very organic and raw orientation of the album in opposition to a certain sophistication of means used in the two previous records. No digital artifice comes to temper the wild and tribal instinct of the master of Soen ('Sectarian', 'Orison', 'Opal', 'Sister'), powerful blacksmith of riffs à la Tool and genius weaver of polyphonic arabesques à la Opeth, nor to soften the very natural sound of the vintage and analogical keyboards or the guitars (the splendid soli of 'Paragon' and 'Lucidity').
The second striking element of "Lykaia" lies in the emotions that it conveys. Carried by the myth of the lykaia, these cannibal and satanist rites which took place in ancient times on the mountain of the wolf (Lylaion) in Arcadia, the esoteric atmospheres and the bewitching interpretations of Joel Ekelöf are so many moments of eternity which dig the depth of the reliefs and bring to the listening experience all its spiritual dimension ('Paragon'). Soen's creative maturity is measured by this capacity to put in coherence its progressive metal appétences with the most advanced expression of sensitivity ('Orison', 'Lucidity', 'Stray') and rises to the level of excellence of a Riverside in this field ('Jinn', 'Sister').
In three albums, Soen has evolved by affirming each time a little more his own identity and his writing qualities as far as to propose relevant harmonic associations in "Tellurian". With "Lykaia" he carries on his emancipating ascension and manages to put his inspiration at the service of his most fluid work, the most complete conceptually and the most accomplished in terms of melodic qualities, constructions and variety. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Sectarian
02. Orison
03. Lucidity
04. Opal
05. Jinn
06. Sister
07. Stray
08. Paragon
LINEUP:
Joel Ekelof: Chant
Lars Åhlund: Guitares / Claviers
Marcus Jidell: Guitares
Martin Lopez: Batterie
Stefan Stenberg: Basse
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4/5 (4 view(s))
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STAFF:
4.2/5 (6 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH SOEN
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LAST INTERVIEW
SOEN (DECEMBER 11, 2020)
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Without Martin Lopez, his usual sidekick, Joel Ekelöf, singer of Soen, came to present "Imperial", the new production of the Swedes, just for Music Waves!
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT SOEN
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