Soen

For the Japanese poet Soen, see Fukuda Chiyo-ni.
Soen
Origin USA, Sweden
Genres Progressive metal, post-metal
Years active 2010−present
Labels Spinefarm
Associated acts Death, Testament, Sadus, Opeth, Amon Amarth, Willowtree
Website https://myspace.com/soenmusic
Members Martin Lopez
Stefan Stenberg
Joel Ekelöf
Kim Platbarzdis
Past members Steve DiGiorgio
Christian Andolf

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

History

Initially formed in 2004,[1] it was only in May 2010 that the formation of Soen was announced. Its lineup consists of former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez, ex-Death, Testament and Sadus bassist Steve DiGiorgio, Willowtree vocalist Joel Ekelöf and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis.[2] The group's first song, "Fraccions", was released on the band's official website on October 2010.[3] Their first video, for the song "Savia", was posted on their Facebook page on 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 to positive critical reception, the members' technical proficiency receiving most praise, 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]

Cognitive

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

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.[6]

Members

Current members
Former members

Discography

References

  1. https://www.facebook.com/SoenMusic?sk=info
  2. 2.0 2.1 May 28, 2010, , Blabbermouth.net, retrieved on February 23rd, 2012.
  3. Oct. 17, 2010, , Blabbermouth.net, retrieved on February 23rd, 2012.
  4. Feb. 2, 2010, , Blabbermouth.net, retrieved on February 23rd, 2012.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Interview with Martin Lopez, by Grande-Rock.com retrieved on March 15th, 2012.
  6. 6.0 6.1 http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-opeth-drummer-martin-lopezs-soen-to-release-tellurian-in-november/
  7. http://finnishcharts.com/search.asp?search=soen&cat=a