Album Review: Soen Cognitive

Certain musical mash-ups sound fantastic on paper. In the case of Soen's debut, take Tool, one of the most beloved, influential heavy bands of the past two decades, and combine with a dash of Opeth, who have risen to unprecedented heights of popularity lately. A winner seems inevitable; a wet dream for prog-metal aficionados.

Soen's intriguing rhythm section pairs ex-Opeth drummer Martin Lopez with Steve DiGiorgio (ex-Death, Testament). What is unexpected is how shamelessly derivative the vast majority of Cognitive is. They add a few different flavours (Last Light's tribal percussion; crunchy, yet ambient Slithering features the record's heaviest riffing) throughout the psychedelic-tinged groove of their melancholic hard rock. The musicianship is also nigh on impeccable and its production slick. But the shortage of fresh ideas robs them of anything close to a proper identity. Vocalist Joel Ekelöf's harmonising bears an uncanny resemblance to Maynard James Keenan, while the prominent (and admittedly hypnotic) basslines are often straight from the Justin Chancellor school. Fraccions nabs Tool riffs and even the artwork mimics their influences. The select few songs offering a breather from such tendencies channel Mikael Akerfeldt and his Opeth cohorts instead; numerous mournful passages could have slotted neatly on to their Damnation record. There are a handful of worthwhile hooks scattered throughout, but you've got to work hard and endure several listens to locate them. 

Picasso remarked that good artists borrow, great artists steal; Quentin Tarantino has built a career on that very ideal. Soen are great musicians, but need to take these familiar elements to new or alternative heights if they're to craft their own masterpieces.