On May 28, 2010, the formation of Soen was announced, its lineup consisting of former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez, ex-Death, Testament and Sadus bassist Steve DiGiorgio, Willowtree vocalist Joel Ekelöf and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis. The group's first song, "Fraccions", was released on the band's official website on October 2010. Their first video, for the song "Savia", was posted on their Facebook page on February 2012. Their second video is a moody acoustic version of the song "Ideate". The band's third video is for the song "Delenda".
Drummer Martin Lopez has described Soen's music as "melodic, heavy, intricate and very different than everything else." Their debut, Cognitive, was released in February 2012 to positive critical reception, the members' technical proficiency receiving most praise, though many reviewers noted extreme stylistic similarities to the music of Tool.
Martin Lopez commented on the Tool similarity: "We are inspired by Tool but I consider them not only a band but a genre. Besides that, I really don’t think there’s anything to argue about, we make good music whoever it would remind you of. Some people tend to dislike rather than like and are looking for faults instead of seeing music for what it is, good or bad".
Cognitive was released on Spinefarm records on February 15, 2012. The album was mixed by David Bottrill (Tool, Coheed and Cambria, Silverchair, The Smashing Pumpkins, Muse etc.) and mastered by João Carvalho. There's also a bonus track on the Japanese edition called “Writhen”.
As of their fifth album "Imperial", released in 2021, the band members are:
Oleksii "Zlatoyar" Kobel – Bass
Cody Ford – Guitar
Lars Åhlund – Keys, guitar
Joel Ekelöf – Vocals
Martin Lopez – Drums, percussion
Kuraman
Soen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
pattern it in play.
Stop the drift from drowning your heart in it,
just to waste away.
You don't even need them, you're your own you say;
bridges light your way.
I could only screen you from your window,
no more than delay.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
I can't make you stand your ground.
Oh, do it for the truth you found.
It is notwithstanding how,
oh, all of us confide in you.
When you trust, your words are one.
You never gave your troubled mind
voice of instinct.
I will lie to you the way you did to have your say
in good company.
Turn the game around and make it work my way,
second you to me.
We will find a way to put our strife to end,
stronger than we were.
I will mend the circles we lost in the sand,
to what we defer.
You want it to reach an end.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
I can't make you stand your ground.
Oh, do it for the truth you found.
It is notwithstanding how,
oh, all of us confide in you.
When we trust, our words are one.
You never gave your troubled mind
voice of instinct.
Trust, our words are one
let you know the faith you won,
heard your instincts.
You want it to reach an end.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
The lyrics of "Kuraman" by Soen are introspective and profound, providing an insight into the struggles of the human mind. The song urges the listener to trust their intuition and act on it, instead of being drowned by the constant drift of life. The lines "Listen to the eye of intuition, pattern it in play" highlight the importance of following one's instincts and creating a path in life based on those instincts. The idea of being one's own self and not needing anyone else is also emphasized in the lyrics "You don't even need them, you're your own you say; bridges light your way."
The song then delves into the struggle of saving oneself from the troubles within, without succumbing to them. The lines "You want it to reach an end. You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you from you giving in" highlight the internal turmoil of fighting one's own demons. However, the song reminds the listener that they are not alone in their struggle, as the lines "oh, all of us confide in you. When we trust, our words are one" suggests a sense of community and collective support in the journey of self-discovery.
Overall, "Kuraman" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that prompts the listener to introspect and trust their intuition, while also acknowledging the struggles that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the eye of intuition,
pattern it in play.
Pay attention to your instincts, and incorporate them into your actions.
Stop the drift from drowning your heart in it,
just to waste away.
Don't let yourself get lost in thought and miss out on living in the present.
You don't even need them, you're your own you say;
bridges light your way.
You don't rely on external validation, and you find your own path through life.
I could only screen you from your window,
no more than delay.
I can offer advice and support, but ultimately it's up to you to take action.
You want it to reach an end.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
You want to overcome your own self-doubt and self-criticism, but sometimes it feels impossible.
I can't make you stand your ground.
Oh, do it for the truth you found.
I can't force you to believe in yourself, but I hope you will do it because you know it's the right thing to do.
It is notwithstanding how,
oh, all of us confide in you.
Despite your struggles, you are still a source of support for those around you.
When you trust, your words are one.
You never gave your troubled mind
voice of instinct.
When you believe in yourself, you speak with conviction, but sometimes you let self-doubt silence your instincts.
Trust, our words are one
let you know the faith you won,
heard your instincts.
When we both trust in ourselves and each other, our words become powerful and we can achieve great things.
We will find a way to put our strife to end,
stronger than we were.
Together, we will overcome our challenges and emerge stronger on the other side.
I will mend the circles we lost in the sand,
to what we defer.
I will work to repair our past mistakes and rebuild our relationship.
You want it to reach an end.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
You want to overcome your own self-doubt and self-criticism, but sometimes it feels impossible.
I can't make you stand your ground.
Oh, do it for the truth you found.
I can't force you to believe in yourself, but I hope you will do it because you know it's the right thing to do.
It is notwithstanding how,
oh, all of us confide in you.
Despite your struggles, you are still a source of support for those around you.
When we trust, our words are one.
You never gave your troubled mind
voice of instinct.
When we both trust in ourselves and each other, our words become powerful and we can achieve great things.
You want it to reach an end.
You would like it over when you cannot save that someone in you
from you giving in.
You want to overcome your own self-doubt and self-criticism, but sometimes it feels impossible.
Contributed by Nathan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@CrimsonIris_1226
For the longest time I neglected this entire album in favor of Soen's newer songs. Over this past summer, I corrected that mistake. From start to finish, Tellurian is just incredible.
@pgrove
Lopez is a fucking god, oh wait someone already posted that.
@Novocaine69
"they sound like this band.. they sound like that band" WHO CARES they sound great and thats the only thing of importance.
@bloodylynx4035
This was 3 years ago but it still holds up.
@different2261
Personnaly I care about the fact Soen grooves like Meshuggah :D (nah, i didn't even talked about Tool..aw shi' here we go again)
With a pure hint of best drummer Opeth knew in my opinion (and I freakin admire Axenrot aka Legolas tho)
It make this band perfect in it own way, that's what matter
@ozgun6611
they sound like a band..really...
@dvrds
No, the fact that ppl keep bitching means that the band is in reality stealing in a lazy way their influences. How easily can you tell what influenced Tool or Katatonia or Anathema? Really hard to trace their influences because they actually made something creative. Of course you could argue that they all stole from 70s prog, but their sound was actually very refreshing and metal influenced. These genres have sadly reached their peak years ago and now its a downfall of mediocre bands. Check my band if you want a to hear a second chance for rock, it’s called Thus Unspoken.
@krishnangshuguha4099
@Novocaine I gave the 100th like to your comment 😂
@jordanthomas7822
This band become more and more well-known and they deserve it by far !
@noctivagoth
Best Soen song so far! \m/ ! Greetings from Brazil!