MEMORIAL

Swedish rockers Soen now have their sixth studio album 'Memorial' out and continue their trend of releasing a new record every couple of years. The band has gained some attention in and outside the world of progressive metal, although their style is mostly a blend of prog and alternative rock, to categorize it in a way. Mixing up their obvious appreciation for Tool with their leanings to Opeth and Katatonia, as one could hear these bands' influence embedded in Soen's output. However, most recently their albums do sound more like the band itself, meaning that a more or less recognizable identity of their own has been forged.

'Memorial' is an average collection of heavier tracks with a stronger leaning towards the alternative side of the band's sound, not necessarily overly satisfying, revolutionary, or imaginative. They do manage to present themselves in a respectable manner, and obviously the production of the album is quite good, but it also signifies to me that all subsequent Soen releases will sound the same and very similar to this one as well as the last two albums. Which takes out of the equation the element of surprise, depending on who you ask.

With this being said, one really has to mention how intricate and playful the drumming is, but Martin Lopez is a well-known and very experienced metal drummer. The guitars also sound very crisp and bright, some of the riffs are quite fine! The bass gets a bit lost in the final mix, which is a pity for a band that has previously released albums as strong and nuanced as 'Lykaia' or 'Tellurian'. I am not particularly fond of the vocals on this one or of how predictable and mostly straightforward and monotonous the songs are. The first couple of tracks are a good example of this. I can't help but feel like I am listening to any alt rock/metal album produced by a major label nowadays. Things do in fact get better around the end, where the band give us the slightly more adventurous tracks like 'Icon', 'Incendiary', or the title track.

'Memorial' is a good album for what it's worth and it does certainly indicate the sonic image that Soen have acquired and built for themselves over the years, also meaning that their future releases could be painfully similar to this one. I could not regard this album as highly as some of the past releases of the band, but most people could like and enjoy this one.