Ranking The Albums: Soen

As I have said many times, Soen is to me the embodiment of what modern metal is supposed to be. No one else has mastered the art of blending heaviness, rhythm, melody, and emotion the way Soen has. What started in my mind as an extension of a different band that made far more sense than what they did, has now become a band with the ability to be intricate and heavy, but also as immediate and memorable as any radio rock band.

The only question Soen has left, at this point, is which album of theirs is the best. That's what I'm going to try to figure out today.

6. Cognitive

When Soen came onto the scene, I was not impressed. This album was criticized for sounding like a Tool clone, and for good reason. Even today, this album feels more like a Tool record than a Soen record. It was clear the band was just finding their way, and they hadn't discovered what their identity was going to be. The music was more derivative of their influences, and Joel's vocals were not as confident. It wasn't a bad record, but it was one that didn't make much of an impact. Looking back, it's almost like an awkward teenage phase you cringe at when you see the evidence.

5. Tellurian

Album number two saw Soen developing more of a personality of their own, but it was still finding their way. They turned their attention to prog, and they couldn't be criticized for being derivative anymore, but the songwriting hadn't been honed quite yet. The riffs lack the crunchy grooves that would come to define their heavy songs, and the melodies were not yet so sharp they lodge in your brain. I would still call this a bit of a disappointment.

4. Lykaia

Still going in order, disappointment was over when "Lykaia" was unleashed. This album floored me when I first heard it, and it remains a metamorphosis of the highest order. Soen took a few elements from the first two albums, but discovered how to wrap them up in strong and sticky songs. Whether the anthemic "Jinn", or the gorgeous semi-doom of "God's Acre", Soen found the magic of songwriting during these sessions, unlocking the full extent of their potential. They were no longer a band with ties to the past, they were an entity writing their own future.

3. Memorial

We're nit-picking now. Soen's latest album continues the trend of being their most accessible yet, and it is amazing how they have been able to streamline their sound without ever sounding like they are dumbing anything down. This record is clearly built from the same elements "Lykaia" created, but with all the fat cut off. Soen masterfully pulled off the transition from being a prog metal band to the world's best radio rock band. Packed with great melodies, Soen is showing they have not reached complacency, or the end of the evolutionary line just yet.

2. Imperial

So why "Imperial" over "Memorial"? It's hard to say, but I think the latter might suffer ever so slightly from the fault of trying to be too big. "Imperial" doesn't aim to be quite as crushing, or quite as melodic, and because of that some of the dynamics and hooks cut through just a bit more. When I think about both records, the bits that pop into my head right away come from "Imperial". They have done very few things that hold me ear the way the "In the waters of sin..." chorus in "Deceiver" does. The sequel always struggles to make the same impact.

1. Lotus

If I have to pick one album that sums of Soen, though, it would be "Lotus". It's the perfect blend of their heavy side, their emotional side, and their undeniable hooks. The ballads are gorgeous, "Lunatic" is one of the most unusual Soen songs that is absolutely killer, and the singles "Martyrs" and "Covenant" are simply amazing. One album might have one heavy track that's better, or another album a ballad that's better, but none of the other records put everything together as well as "Lotus". It's a journey that transitions us from Soen's first chapter to their second, and giving us a little bit of everything is the ultimate ask. That means "Lotus" is still the best Soen album, but maybe that will change next time around.