We had to wait a bit longer this time around. Usually we can expect a new album from these Swedish prog rockers every two years (based purely on unrounded years), but now we had to wait an additional six months. Possibly to keep up the same timing as Imperial, which at the time was also released in the first weeks of January. This brought grist to the mill for Soen, as the album ended up high in all year lists (and even made it to 12th place in our own ZM-year list). The previous album Memorial was also welcomed with open arms and received an honorable mention in the list of lists of 2023, right at the tale of the top 20. That leaves us curious for their newest creation. This time, it has been given the title Reliance, with which the band seems to be telling us that we can rely on them musically with a high degree of familiarity.
And familiarity is perhaps the perfect word to describe the singles which prepared us for the full album. Soen has managed to build a distinctive sound for itself in recent history. This has resulted in some very strong albums, of which Lotus and Imperial are outstanding examples. Memorial showed some signs of wear and tear, but the individual songs were still memorable enough to deliver a strong album. Reliance continues along the same musical path, focusing on heavy yet simple riffs interacting with grand choruses and straightforward song structures. This means that the Soen franchise can now be considered quite formulaic in all respects, and in fact, it has definitively bid farewell to the label of progressive. It took me a few listens before I really got into the album. Unfortunately, the inspiration for writing distinctive songs seems to be lacking in this new work, and the songs don’t immediately stick in your mind. Is it all doom and gloom, then? Perhaps we shouldn’t go that far, because the individual songs undoubtedly elicit some approving nods. On this new work, Soen also occasionally comes out strong and fulfils its own promise not to lose sight of metal.
The album kicks off with the heavy riffs of the previously released Primal, with Joel Ekelöf’s clear vocals providing the perfect accompaniment as always. The chorus is what we’ve come to expect: grand and compelling. Towards the end, the atmospheric bridge sets the stage for the chorus and a return of the (delicious) riffs. Mercenary also gets off to a flying start after a melodic introduction with rolling drums and riffs. Here too, the neck muscles have a mind of their own, but everything we hear here is something we’ve heard before. Discordia is the first time our ears really perk up. Initially, the standard formula is followed, but the heavy djent halfway through the song adds a new flavour to the ingredient list. Fortunately, this returns again towards the end of the song. In the second half of the album, we find the djenty influences again in Drifter, with a set of very heavy riffs halfway through the song. On these two songs, Soen comes across as heavier than perhaps ever been before.
Just like in the philosophy of yin and yang, Soen’s albums also feature sensitive songs that manage to maintain a balance with the heavier tracks. The first example of this can be found in Huntress, which slows down the tempo considerably and relies largely on atmospheric keyboard layers and Ekelöf’s sensitive vocals. At times, however, the guitars swell and provide a small but solid counterbalance. Indifferent, on the other hand, can even be called a real ballad. With the absence of drums and (almost completely) guitars, this is the most sensitive song on the album, but it also lacks the dynamics to be completely convincing. The closing track, Vellichor, does have that dynamic and proves to be an intriguing earworm. Soen‘s progressive character shows here in an old-fashioned way, with the musical composition much better structured and the emotional charge well conveyed.
The attentive reader will have noticed by now that the songs Axis, Unbound and Draconian have not yet been discussed. To avoid repetition, I would like to refer you to the descriptions of the first two songs on the album. These songs largely follow the same formulaic structure and therefore sound very similar. This immediately sets the tone for the conclusion about the album: it is all very much the same and it all sounds just a little too familiar. The band often falls back on familiar guitar lines and simple riffs. This shift did not come out of the blue and has actually been cautiously introduced since Lotus. On Memorial, this was certainly justifiable due to the individual strength of the songs and the album as a whole. On this new Reliance, however, we can no longer turn a blind eye.
Score:
70/100
Label:
Silver Lining Music, 2026
Tracklisting:
- Primal
- Mercenary
- Discordia
- Axis
- Huntress
- Unbound
- Indifferent
- Drifter
- Draconian
- Vellichor
Line-up:
- Joel Ekelöf – Vocals
- Cody Ford – Guitar
- Lard Enok Åhlund – Guitar, keyboard
- Stefan Stenberg – Bass
- Martin Lopez – Drums
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