Supergroups are always a double edged sword. On the one hand you have a number of highly talented, experienced musicians coming together to bring a common vision. On the other hand you have clashing egos, and bombastic press release blurbs showing off pedigree but no substance or originality. This is why I never understood this label being applied to Soen. This is a band formed by ex-Opeth drummer Martin Lopez, Joel Ekelöf, former singer of Willowtree (who? – actually a pop-rock band from Sweden with 2 released LPs), and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis. Ok, Steve Di-Giorgio played bass on their first album (Cognitive). Still, I don’t know where the supergroup thing is coming from.
Leaving labeling issues aside, 2017 finds Soen releasing a new record, their third one, Lykaia. As with the previous one, Tellurian (where Stefan Stenberg joined on bass), we see some lineup changes, namely the addition of keyboardist Lars Åhlund and guitarist Marcus Jidell. For the ones of you following Candlemass, this name will ring a bell, as a long-time collaborator of Leif Edling, and current guitarist of Avatarium. So what does bringing a top-tier axe-man change in Soen? Let’s just say that the riffs have finally caught up to the awesome rhythm section and the soaring vocals.
From the album’s press release we learn that in Ancient Greece the Lykaia (Greek: Λυκαί) was an archaic festival with a secret ritual on the slopes of the tallest peak in rustic Arcadia; Mount Lykaion, Wolf Mountain. The rituals and myths of this primitive rite of passage centered upon an ancient threat of cannibalism and the possibility of a werewolf transformation for the participating epheboi (adolescent males). Honestly, this sounds like something Rotting Christ would write an album about, but then again, Soen are no strangers to weird and exotic concepts (see Kuraman, Koniskas or Delenda as examples from previous albums).
Starting the album off on a strong but safe note is Sectarian, which was also the first advance track off the album. This song brings absolutely nothing new to the table, but rather picks up right where Tellurian left off. Love or hate it, all that Soen stands for can be found in this track. When I first heard this one, I was actually worried that the evolution has stopped and we will get another Tellurian. That would, by no means, be a disappointment, but this band has never been one to stagnate too much on the same ideas, even on the same album. Also it doesn’t really help that the bridge of this song could have just as well been on Ghost Reveries.
With Orison, we can start to see what Lykaia is all about. Even though the song starts with powerful vocals by Joel Ekelöf setting the stage, Jidell‘s guitars quickly grab the spot light, and during the choruses, the Hammond organs of Åhlund boost the atmosphere to new heights. So essentially they took what they do best, and cranked it up to 11. Of course the drums are bass are astounding, this is Soen after all.
The next song, Lucidity, is another surprise change of style. Here we find Soen trying something completely new, going almost fully into blues territory. For those following the band, this was the second advance track, and it is surely the one bringing new fans to their shows. Again we see the vocals, guitars and keyboards driving the song, which is not something we should expect from these guys. I’ve never seen this level of restraint from Martin Lopez on any of his other songs. But it works beautifully, both as a single song, and also, surprisingly, in the context of the album. Another important aspect that becomes apparent here is the production. Soen have tried a full analogic recording with Lykaia, and here this shows in spades, as the vintage feel would have been lost otherwise.
Across the rest of the album we see the same three tendencies revisited with excellent results. I don’t want to spoil the whole album, but we have “classic-Soen” on Stray, Opal and bonus track God’s acre, “riffy-Soen” on Sister and Jinn (with some cool oriental influences and finally a reference to the album title), and “blues-Soen” on closer Paragon. As a whole this comes together extremely well, the album ebbing and flowing between styles, but never getting tiresome or boring. This is the type of expert arrangement I wished the previous albums had, and is a clear improvement for the band.
I’ve mentioned the analog-vintage production used on the album. The band/label have been advertising this continuously and indeed it’s something that is obvious. But it’s not all sunshine and Mellotrons. Firstly, Lykaia has the lowest Dynamic Range of all Soen albums, coming in at DR 5, with no particular peaks. One would expect at least 10 or higher on Lucidity and Paragon, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Also the whole analog recording makes the guitars sound clipped on the higher frequencies, especially during busier moments, and when you also have the keyboard roaring in the backend, it just becomes messy. Sorry but lo-fi is not the way you make this type of music shine, no matter how much of a purist you are. Also, on a personal note, I miss the vocal overdubs used especially on Tellurian. Sure now the other guys provide backing vocals, and there are no more studio tricks, but still Ekelöf has something special, just listen carefully to the chorus of Tabula Rasa.
Soen is pretty much known for weird artwork, but I would say that with Lykaia, it’s hit or miss, and as much as I like wolves, this is a miss for me. It reflects the concept of the ancient lupine festival well enough, but it doesn’t really speak for the rest of the album. Your mileage may vary here.
In conclusion, I don’t want to sound overly harsh. I personally love this album and band, but I just can’t help thinking that they can do so much more, especially in the current formula. I would love to get my hands on a vinyl version of this, maybe the production is better in those editions. That would sort out my main issue with Lykaia. It’s sad to see such good music held back by production decisions, especially when the guitarist is part of the production process… Still, if you’re into the more progressive side of metal, you owe it to yourself to give this album at least one full listen. The composition truly is something special.
(Released 01.02.2017; Label: UDR)
Complete credits and special thanks go to my dear old friend Mihai Scutaru for writing this review.
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