SOEN (DECEMBER 11, 2020)

We like to start our interviews with the question that you have been asked too often and are tired of answering. What is that question?

Joel Ekelöf : (Laughs) Well... Some people ask us why we're releasing this album in January. Actually I don't know. It's not my job to take care of it. I don't think about dates and things like that, that's the label's job. That said, I don't mind the question at all. It's not a problem. I just don't know! We're making an album and we hope people will like it!

And we really liked this album!

Joel: Thank you!


In hindsight, how did you apprehend the very positive reception of "Lotus" and the tour that followed?

Joel: When we finished the recording of "Lotus", for the first time, we all felt that the result was up to our expectations. We had found our recipe, which was a good basis for focusing on "Imperial".


The year 2020 has been very special with a tour that has, unless I'm mistaken, stopped until the recording of the album that will be released next month. Did "Imperial" come a little bit as a reaction to these events?

Joel : Not really, because most of the songs were already written before. But I'm sure it must have affected the album in some way. But it's not bad, because there were a lot of albums dealing with the pandemic, so it wouldn't have been necessary to release one more.


Black dominates even more on the cover, this time with a snake that strangely reminds of Metallica's "Black Album". Is "Imperial" your own black album with all the success that comes with it ?

Joel : (Laughs) Yes it's true, the color black is very present and there's a snake, but it wasn't what we were thinking about, actually. When we saw the result, it reminded us of something, but in a way, I don't think that's a problem. There's no other similarity besides this one. It's a minimalist and elegant cover, that's what we wanted to achieve as a result. We wanted something majestic. 


The snake is an animal that comes up a lot in your imagery. We've seen it on some of your logos, now on the cover and in the clip announced for today. What does this animal symbolize for you ?

Joel : The snake has always been a symbol of danger in the history of mankind. But it's also a symbol of health, rebirth, resurrection. It has many meanings, and that goes well with the themes in the album.


Is this new album synonymous with Soen's rebirth?

Joel: (Thinking). I don't know! I wouldn't go that far because I don't think Soen needs a rebirth at this point. "Lotus" had initiated something and I think these two albums are following each other. We're still on the same path of life I would say! (Laughs).


You've got a snake around your neck on the video of 'Monarch'. Weren't you afraid to have it on you ?

Joel : Yes it's a huge snake! Apparently it needs a week to eat a grown man. Hopefully someone would have saved me in time! (Laughs).

If "Lotus" had marked the spirits by its assumed metal side, less progressive, "Imperial" drives the nail in with a metal even more present, harder and it's maybe the first time that we feel no longer an evolution but a continuity between the previous album and this new one. Did you manage to find your sound ?

Joel : Even before "Lotus" we had taken a certain direction. Metal is the core of the music we play. If you look at other progressive metal bands, they are more into pop and jazz than metal. There's no problem with that! But on our side, the metal side has become stronger. That's where we come from, that's where our roots are, and we don't want to break away from it. But maybe it's because the establishment has this disdain for metal. That's the case in Sweden. In any case, we won't abandon our metal roots.


Yes, it's a style that remains tainted by certain prejudices.

Joel: At the same time, some people have an attitude that legitimizes it all. And they can go fuck themselves! (Laughs). Let's speak the truth!


'Illusion' seems to be the direct counterpart of the title 'Lotus' on the previous one, as if these titles have a common basis, which accentuates this feeling of continuity. Is this track coming from the falls of the previous album?

Joel : No, all the songs on this album were written during the writing process of "Imperial". These are new songs. Illusion' is still a typical Soen ballad. But actually you can compare it to 'Lotus' ! I don't like it when bands release albums that are too different, there have to be similarities, but at the same time it has to be new and fresh!


Listening to 'Lotus', even if it had a powerful side, it had a little bit of an optimistic and relatively bright side. "Imperial" seems to be darker like the song 'Antagonist'. Can we see him as his darker brother?

Joel : Yes, I guess so. Maybe it's heavier, and maybe it evokes more serious subjects. But there's always more or less the same message. We say we're going in the wrong direction, but we don't tell people to bury themselves. We tell them to be angry and to do something about it. This message was already present in "Lotus" and it is also found in "Imperial", but the sound is perhaps a little heavier and the themes are darker.


The sound moreover gives more importance to the rhythm with the drums put forward (a lot of double pedal) as well as the bass. One has the impression that with each album you evolve and experiment a lot this analogical sound work from now on?

Joel: Well I don't know! Do you think so? Maybe... I don't know. We've put aside all the dogmas, if you know what I mean. We don't have any rules about how things should sound, what instruments we should use and so on. What's important to us is how it's going to sound and how it's going to make you feel. Is it good, or is it not good? Whether it's analogous or not, it doesn't really matter. We're still a live band, so all the music we play, we have to feel it to play it on stage afterwards, and the experience is the same on stage for the audience.


You're also making forays into other styles, especially with the greater presence of keyboards and the symphonic aspect of your compositions, especially in the beautiful title 'Fortune'. What does this facet bring to you and is it a direction you would like to go in the future?

Joel: Well, we have nothing against it. The arrangements of this style are very beautiful and go well with our music. There's also Lars (Åhlund, the keyboard player, editor's note) in the band. He is a very talented musician. He does a lot of arrangements. We have very good musicians, so these arrangements, we can reproduce them on stage. I think it's very important that the music remains rooted in metal. If we go more in that direction, it shouldn't interfere with the metal side. But it's possible, it's totally possible I would say! It just depends on our state of mind!

You do not hesitate to address very current, almost societal themes, such as the growing inequalities, the exploitation that makes some people survive, which takes on its full meaning in this pandemic period. Is it this vision that you want to share in this album and make you a group concerned by society?

Joel : (Thinking). Maybe what you mean is that people are polarized, they're divided and they're moving away from each other. Yes, I agree, and that's something we talk about. I think it's something dangerous. It can have bad consequences. We have to talk to each other, initiate dialogue, we must not maintain hatred, because that's what causes division. We are not afraid to deliver these kinds of messages. But we are not an activist group. We don't tell people what to think, and we never bring solutions to problems. We don't have a political approach. But we do have things to say and we want to make our voice heard.


Cody is doing an amazing job on this album. Did he have more say in the writing process?

Joel: He was able to get involved in this album from the beginning. He was able to write beautiful solos. But normally Martin writes the structures of the songs, I put down ideas for vocals. That's where we start. I find that the solos he proposes evolve. They are fantastic on this album! They're probably the best solos Soen has ever had.


Yes I agree! And to talk about you, I love your voice! It's even more affirmed in this album in the expressivity of the words you sing. How do you work on this aspect so that you are not overwhelmed by your own emotions, because we feel that you are a sensitive person ?

Joel : I've always been fascinated by very emotional music and singing that contains emotion. So it's not something new to me. My voice is not the kind of voice you would expect in this style of music. It's a bit unusual, but it works! I don't know how it works, I'm just glad it works!

As 2021 looms on the horizon, many uncertainties remain. How are you preparing for this new year? Are you rather optimistic or rather pessimistic?

Joel: I am optimistic. That's my nature, that's the way I am. We have a tour planned in Europe at the beginning of April. We may have to postpone it but we have to stay optimistic, we have to keep moving forward. These are tours that we plan a long time in advance, so we'll see! Maybe 2021 will be an extraordinary year because 2020 was a very bad year. Maybe a light will come after the darkness. Let's hope so!


We hope so! Maybe hope for a DVD and a live CD?

Joel: You never know! It's a matter of time, I think. But the circumstances have to be right. We're very detail-oriented. If we release a DVD, the quality has to be good. There are a lot of parameters to work on. But that would be great!


Yes, of course it would! And what do you expect from this album?

Joel: We hope people will like it as much as we do. It would be fantastic! We're really looking forward to playing it on stage. I'm very excited about playing it live.


We started the interview with the question that you've been asked too many times. What would be the one you would have liked to be asked ?

Joel : It's hard, I don't know!


So keep it in mind for the next interview, and we'll start with that question!

Joel: Great, let's do that! (Laughs).


Joel, thank you very much, we love Soen and we hope to see you in Paris next year.

Joel: Oh thank you! I'm glad to hear that. We're very excited about coming to Paris. Maybe next time it would be even better! With a little bit of luck we might play Hellfest! We hope so!