Soen - "Memorial"
Prog Metal with strong statements on society and politics
Soen is back with their sixth studio album, and they’ve had a really consistent rhythm for the last several releases, reliably dropping a new album every other year since 2017. They have, since Lotus in 2019, become one of my Prog Metal mainstays due to a blend of incredible musicality, strong lyrics, and progressive themes and messaging.
Memorial maintains all of these strengths, and it has, thankfully, managed not to disappoint. It feels like a direct follow-up to 2021’s Imperial1 in many ways. Lotus included social commentary and statements, but the lyrics were a bit more poetic, and the statements were partially veiled. With Imperial, and now Memorial, Soen pulled the veil off entirely. These two albums are also more aggressive musically, with harsher guitar riffs and higher tempos than Lotus.
And Memorial feels like a step up from Imperial on that front, as well. There are many points throughout the album where it feels a bit sludgy, especially in the heavier sections.
And there are plenty of heavy sections. Memorial is on the attack more often than not, with only three tracks (“Hollowed”, “Tragedian”, and closing track “Vitals”) dropping the pace down. Title track “Memorial” is especially aggressive with its chuggy riffs and the tendency for guitar, bass, and percussion to stack on the same rhythmic line through the verses, the only exception to that being a bit of cymbal to keep time.
And this attack mode really starts with the album’s initial fade-in, and then continues until the end of track 4, taking only a brief break for “Hollowed”. It’s harder, and harsher, than I have come to expect from Soen. Their heaviest sections on Lotus were still somehow soothing; it was this weird dichotomy where they somehow crafted songs that I could both jam and sleep to. There was a bit less of that with Imperial, and now it’s completely gone on Memorial.
But I’m not mad about it. The whole album is good. Again, Memorial has, blessedly, not disappointed. After Kamelot’s release this year, I needed somebody to meet expectations.2
However, there is certainly some stratification. Some tracks are clearly head-and-shoulders above the rest. For example, the first two tracks, “Sincere” and “Unbreakable” are good enough, but they’re missing some spark of something. And then “Violence” follows them up and underscores that by completely blowing them out of the water. And I can’t put my finger on what or why, but it’s just a more complete track. It’s the shortest track on the album, but it’s one of the best.
The album largely improves as it goes on, with more tracks reaching that level after “Violence” establishes it, though few can truly measure up against it directly (“Hollowed”, “Memorial”, and “Vital” are the other three that are truly elite; “Fortress”, “Tragedian”, and “Icon” all come very close).
The last individual track that I really need to discuss is the album’s closer, “Vitals”.3 It’s the most pared-down track on the album, starting out with barely-there percussion and soft, jazzy piano which is enhanced by a few quiet chords from the guitar to finish each musical phrase. On the back half of the first verse, additional strings (violin) come into play, and then the song explodes into full sound with the chorus, shifting into full-scale rock ballad mode. The blues and jazz influences remain, and then take over the song again for a brief piano/guitar duet and the second verse.
It’s remarkable because it’s very unlike anything Soen has done before. It’s also perfect, tonally, for closing out this album.
Because, thematically, Memorial leans heavily on three key themes4 and how they interplay:
War
Class Solidarity
Revolution
As of the time of this writing, lyrics are not currently available on Spotify. Genius has the lyrics in full, however, and some of the songs have been annotated with excerpts of interviews where the band have explained the meaning behind the lyrics.
Not that the lyrics are difficult to decipher, however. Much of the poetry present in Lotus had been traded for more accessible, point-blank statements.
Ultimately, “Violence”, “Fortress”, and “Incendiary” are the key tracks which truly tie the album together.
The first stresses that “violence”, as a concept, can embody things that don’t necessarily draw blood; violence can be subtle. Being priced out of a home, being denied cost-of-living wage increases, being overlooked for opportunities due to inherent traits (sex, gender, race, ethnicity, etc); all of these things count as violence, and can rob a person of their livelihood, which has far-reaching implications. And that doesn’t even begin to include subtle political messaging or actions which indirectly, but purposefully impact minority communities.
“Fortress” states pretty plainly that part of the problem with why things are the way they are is that everybody keeps waiting on other people to solve the problems.
The last is, point-blank, a warning shot to the Oligarchs and a call to action for the rest of us. “Incendiary” is also the least poetic track. I mean, there are metaphors in use, but there is no real attempt to cover up what’s being said. It’s clear as day.
These three songs, together, form a defining lens for the rest of the album.
“Memorial” is a song that discusses the tragedies of war and how badly PTSD affects people — when they have to be sent off to fight at the whims of those in power.
“Unbreakable” is about the political divisions that keep us all fighting with one-another — at the whims and direction of those in power…and just maybe we should do something about that.
And then, of course, “Vitals” ends the album with this incredible low-to-high, passion-filled ballad which spells out the inevitable sorrow of loss. Regardless of whether it’s because the oligarchs send us to war or because we ultimately fight against them, the poor will suffer and die and leave loved ones behind.
Ultimately, Soen’s final statement with this song is that if the poor are destined for rough lives and tragic deaths, it should count for something. At least, something more than a few extra bucks in a billionaire’s accounts.
Thematically, the album is very tight. Musically, it’s good - if a few steps behind each of their last two albums overall.
Rating: Blue
Imperial won AOTY honors in my rankings in 2021.
I should specify: Metal. I needed a metal act not to disappoint following that. Because, I mean, Hozier exceeded expectations. By a LOT.
I want to note that I have sent this one off to a friend as well. Somebody a with a little more understanding of the piano and its various uses and styles. I may update this with his notes on this track later.
Okay, yes, I know that these are technically “motifs”, as presented, but I’m still exploring this album and its deeper meaning, so I’m not expanding these into full themes at this time.