For those who have followed Soen’s career thus far, the concepts of journey and exploration are not new. 2012’s Cognitive beat a firmly heavy, progressive metal path. 2014’s Tellurian with its Pink Floyd explorative spirit and Opeth-like forceful power, saw Soen start to stride freely into their own power and unique visions. Their third offering, Lykaia, is a journey into earthier places, their most cohesive, powerful and congruent creative quest yet.
In Lykaia Soen remains fascinated with the shadows and the darker edges of our world, with a particular focus on the various thoughts and concepts behind religion and ritualistic, belief-based behaviour in society.
– There’s a lot of edges in religion which are fascinating, says co-founder and vocalist Joel Ekelöf. It contains darkness as well as light, and of course, those dark sides are intriguing. Some of us were raised in Catholic households, so we’re not afraid of religion at all, but it is something which consistently offers intriguing views on life. We come from perhaps the most atheistic country in the world, Sweden, and one thing I always found rather bizarre was how if you say you believe in God or Satan or any sort of higher power, you’re seen as a bit simple and a feeble-minded person. I always found that strange. Because given the attention these belief systems continue to inspire, there must be something to investigate, right?
– This has never been about genres, it’s always been about the journey we need to take both musically and personally, says founder and drummer Martin Lopez. What we´re working on right now is another adventure, another journey which in some ways is quite different again but also builds upon the experiences we’ve had over the last few years.
Lykaia is released on UDR Music. It is a feast you will gorge yourself on forever.