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Soen: Cognitive

29/03/12 || Smalley

Choosing your next project to join after drumming for one of the best-respected metal bands today seems like a daunting task, before considering you’d also have to play alongside one of the finest metal bassists ever… but enough vagueries, as the-formely-of-Opeth-fame Martin Lopez has joined forces with bass guitar maestro Steve DiGiorgio (as well as some other dudes from bands I’ve never heard of) to create a solid lil’ prog metal debut with Soen’s “Cognitive”.

Not to type prog to imply that “Cognitive” is made up of nothing but multi-part, 20+ minute “compositions” though, as nothing here lasts past the 7 minute mark (kinda like me when wanking), but this still definitely has that prog feel to it… prog, with a lot of Tool influence. And I mean a lot of Tool influence; I can hear touches of subtle, choppy “Schism”-style riffing, “Eulogy”-style vocal distortion, “Ticks & leeches”-style lyrics, and so on, and that’s just on the first song (“Fraccions”)!!! Even the song titles & artwork here are Tool-y, and their singer even sounds like a fusion between Maynard and… Akerfeldt, from the band Lopez just left? Guess originality’s not too high on Soen’s list of priorities, eh?

But unoriginal or not, while Soen can’t lay claim to either one of Toolpeth’s thrones yet, that doesn’t mean “Cognitive” ain’t a good record on its own; unoriginal, yes, but for the most part, not uninspired, as the band does have a good grasp on a sense of drama and dynamics when it comes to song structuring, all executed with a feeling of class and intelligence to the entire affair. DiGiorgio pulls off some cool shit with his bass, Lopez does some energetic, intense, diverse Danny Carey-inspired percussion (more interesting than anything he did in ‘peth, to be honest), and as for their Maynard Akerfeldt vocalist, the guy does have a pleasant, melodious voice. He does stay completely clean, and doesn’t try for either of the harsher styles of his influences, so that’s disappointing, but still, I do enjoy his vocalwork, and he pulls off vocal effects/layering and operatic moments rather well. So, cribbing from the prog metal masters or not, at least Soen’s doing a good job of it so far.

So, if you can deal with constant Tool/Opeth “influences” (let’s just say) here, there really is some effective, heavier, dramatic shit to admire, along with the quieter, more contemplative, trippy moments (bongo drumming ftw!!!), which please my ears as well. Again, there’s nothing here that comes close to the heights of Soen’s main influences, but if you’re a fan of either of those big two groups, I think you could find some enjoyment here, especially when it comes to their singer’s purty voice, as well as the solid instrumental performances. I look forward to them trying something more original next go ‘round, and maybe try making the song lengths more epic, but I’m satisfied with this record as is. Oh yeah, and also check out “Cognitive” if you want to hear an Opeth member who hasn’t given up on metal yet (though Heritage was still pretty good in its own right; luv u Mikael!!!).

Information
Released: 2012
Label: Spinefarm
Website: Soen MySpace
Band
Joel Ekelöf: vocals
Kim Platbarzdis: guitars
Steve DiGiorgio: bass
Martin Lopez: drums

Tracklist
01. Fraktal
02. Fraccions
03. Delenda
04. Last Light
05. Oscillation
06. Canvas
07. Ideate
08. Purpose
09. Slithering
10. Savia

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