Soen - Lykaia

This release came as a pleasant surprise to me last month, because I have enjoyed Soen’s first two albums since they came out in 2012 and 2014 and I didn’t know that they were working on a new album. So when I saw that there was a follow-up to Tellurian, I preemptively felt the year get better immediately, and I’ve surely needed it with the amount of work I’ve been doing these days. From the first listen I gave Cognitive when it came out, I rejoiced over finally hearing a band take such distinct inspiration from Tool, sonically and lyrically, with musical prowess and songwriting capabilities strong enough to not fall into the cheap imitation territory that another band notoriously fell into with their Korn-sy Deftones mimicry this year. Soen accomplishes their embodiment of their influences neatly and professionally, however.

I really can’t describe them better than as a baby fathered by Tool, mothered by Opeth, who looks a lot like dad.

The only thing that weakens Soen’s image is that, as they are, they are set to be compared endlessly to their parents, but considering how well they have channeled Opeth’s and Tool’s energies (which others have handled improperly on countless occasions) into two sweet, cohesive projects, the comparisons are flattering. And with Tool continuing to procrastinate their 5^th studio album into what is now more than a decade of absence, Soen, for me (and probably many others), is doing a stellar job of filling the void their neglect/laziness/disorganization has left.

I learned later after Cognitive came out that Soen is actually a supergroup consisting of Martin Lopez (formerly of Opeth, which may explain all the little Opeth-isms that show up on their records) and a few other lesser known names, one of which is that of the shining star on the microphone, Joel Ekelöf, who sounds sometimes like Mikael Åkerfeldt, sometimes like Maynard, and sometimes like both. I was amazed by the chemistry these musicians seemed to have on their very first release (which was stunning) and the consistency, but not lack of creativity, they displayed on its follow-up so, needless to say, now that Tool’s and Opeth’s baby is more grown-up, I had both high hopes and high expectations for Lykaia.

I mention all the band’s previous work and the sound they have cultivated because Lykaia doesn’t exactly continue a stylistic trajectory for Soen so much as it does expand on and perfect what they had carved out with Cognitive and Tellurian. Yes, they certainly have perfected it!

They have taken the excellent mood-setting ability that Cognitive had and applied some of the unpredictability that made Tellurian an interesting listen (despite its glaring production issues). For these reasons, there’s not much to say that doesn’t feel like it would be spoiling the fun of this album.

Like their previous albums, it sticks exclusively to written, composed songs and leaves the quirks of tracks like “Message to Harry Manback” and “(-) Ions” to Maynard and company, likely for the better, as the compositions Soen puts together already have a natural flow and an atmosphere they sustain in their uninterrupted order, and throwing in weird Tool-isms would probably come off as disingenuous. Lykaia, even more than both of its predecessors, turns up the catchiness of the song-writing and the dial on the Opeth/Tool infuser. They somehow sound more like their counterparts than ever before, but in such a masterfully amalgamated way that they give themselves an even more hardened sense of identity.

Songs like “Stray” and “Lucidity” really bring forward some heavy moments beyond either Tool or Opeth (as of late) and “Orison” shows Soen challenging the “Schism”-type moments on Lateralus at their own match. The songs altogether play a wonderful game of shifting moods within themselves and in the context of the album’s 58-minute experience. The only downsides to Lykaia, which are the case for the previous two albums as well, are that the songs do seem to blend together to form a somewhat homogenous experience, and they demand substantial attention (which is why this is coming out a month after the album’s release) to be fully appreciated as more than just an hour-long Tooly Opeth project, which I know I keep describing it as, but it has its nuances that set it apart from both of those bands and I want to emphasize that that those nuances are worth the reward of looking for.

Lykaia is an album that really steps up Soen’s game and reflects very nicely on them and their previous work. To think that just one more album from them would equal that of Tool’s discography (in terms of the number of studio LP’s) perhaps poses the question of whether we should even be pestering Tool anymore for an album that they seem to be reluctant to make and, with the amount of time it’s taken, will have a hard time living up to any hype it gets once it is announced to be released. I think Soen can improve, though, and expand into more experimental and conceptual territory, with this album proving that they have a firm foundation on which they can build upwards to perhaps making something truly masterful and truly challenging of Tool’s status as kings of their niche, which may be the kick in the ass Tool needs to stop teasing the metal world with their ostensible new album, which would just mean more great music from two great bands for all of us.