Soen – Memorial Review

The new Soen is way less progressive and more commercially oriented, focusing on sentimental songs written well enough but which don’t go any further. Both singer Joel Ekelöf and the band distances themselves from Keenan/Åkerfeldt and Tool/Opeth, with a more screamed and touching vocal technique, and just hints of the mentioned bands rather than a mere carbon copy.

Nevertheless, while Memorial fits as a title because of some catchy ballads, it doesn’t with the music, which feels more simplistic and lacks diversity. Production-wise the tracks are less detailed than in previous endeavours and unfortunately, too loud.