Band:	Soen
Album:	Tellurian
Style:	Alternative metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	November 03, 2014
A review by:	R'Vannith

01. Komenco
02. Tabula Rasa
03. Kuraman
04. The Words
05. Pluton
06. Koniskas
07. Ennui
08. Void
09. The Other's Fall

It's a shame what Tool have become; a band no longer able to fulfil a promise. Taking up the reigns are Soen, who are certain to fulfil their own promises when Cognitive comes to Tellurian.

The creative thought processes in mind for the debut have here been excelled and expounded upon, as the appliance of Tool is no longer a preoccupation but an inspirational predilection. The song writing has progressed from a tightly homogenous track-list in Cognitive with a structural basis determined by an overtly technical rhythm section, to a much more organic sound in Tellurian. The album title is perfectly suiting, as the adjective form of the word "tellurian" essentially means "of the earth," and thus "organic." Genius.

The songs are naturally given so much more room to breathe it no longer need concern the listener that the Tool influence could possibly continue to induce any claustrophobia, as the design of each and every track here exhibits an expansion and maturation of Soen's own style to the point of their own stylistic distinction. Intricately crafted, this album is a crowning achievement befitting the high status of the band members. Despite the departure of DiGiorgio, the new and able beast at the bass is Stefan Stenberg, who quite capably demonstrates throughout the record that he'd rather keep to wearing his own shoes than filling those of his predecessor. In fact, the bass performance is more in tow with Kim Platbarzdis at the guitars, and with the rhythm section at large, and not nearly as prominent as DiGiorgio's presence was on the début record, which allows for a more balanced band performance. This line-up change is certainly of no detriment.

If what Soen sold in Cognitive were so comparable to a plateful of tasty Toolisms, Tellurian is more of a delicatessen with plentiful variety in stock. The band's attention to track variation has received a new focus, and elaboration on progressive structure in tracks such as the gradual melodic development of "Pluton" results in a sound situated more comfortably in progressive metal, as opposed to the rather more succinct demonstration of an alternative metal found mix in the début. The two latter tracks of the album, "Void" and "The Other's Fall," represent the band's most ambitious and expansively progressive efforts to date, each clocking in at over eight minutes and taking Soen's song writing to new proportion. There is a tendency for these tracks to lose their hold on the listener, in comparison to those defined by their technical attentiveness, shorter duration and less repetition, yet it's safe to say that these more ambitiously lengthy songs, the softer segments of the seven-and-a-half minute "Pluton" included, are a welcome and broadening change to the band's song writing.

Technical aspects remain a defining characteristic of the Soen sound, with tracks such as "Koniskas" opening with as much delicacy and careful placement as the finest of porcelain, or the precisely crushing and indomitable core of "Kuraman." Instrumentally speaking, the drums, guitars and bass all participate their own aspects to this well represented flair for the precision of a rhythm section that is one of the most formidable in the progressive metal genre today. The level of contrast available is really what's most impressive here, ranging from the heavily technical locus and thorough melodic flurries of the frequently bass flicked "Ennui," to the emotive meaning clearly conveyed in "The Words," a remarkable vocal centrepiece. Such emotion is all presented album wide in the clean vocal arrangements of Joel Ekelöf, who's delivery here has evidently matured at the same pace as the band's music as a whole, with an evocative performance which brings fresh aspects to Soen's voice. Arguably as the band's heart and centre, it would be remiss to overlook what is yet again an inconceivable performance from ex-Opeth drummer Martin Lopez. Frankly, the back-end of the aforementioned "Koniskas" is nothing short of expert as he quite clearly struts his stuff in a deft kit led passage to the track's finale.

With an excellently refined sound and ample mixing and mastering to allow for the audible clarity of each instrument within a cohesive end product, the band's fresh ideas find suitable placement in an album that secures their status, a status now more of their own design.