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[Review] Soen ‘Cognitive’

Published

14 years ago

on

soencognitivecover

When word came that Martin Lopez quit Swedish prog-metal band Opeth, I was stunned. After all, he brought a certain sound and inventiveness that I had come to appreciate and deeply enjoy. But when I heard of his new project Soen, I immediately had high hopes. The description and influences cited were more than enough to pique my interest. This sounded like a project where Lopez could take his skills and only expand on them. And with their debut release Cognitive, Soen aims to enter the progressive metal genre in a huge way.  

Opening with Fraktal, a lead-in track, which begins in reverse, the first thing I noticed was the heavy use of bass guitar as the lead. Aside from some textural ambient sounds and vocals, the bass has the spotlight with a very unique tone. Speaking of the vocals, the immediate impression I had was that singer Joel Ekelöf had spent a great deal of time listening to all of Maynard James Keenan’s works. It’s a comparison that cannot be denied or argued. There are just far too many similarities. 
Entering into the second track, Fraccions, the Tool-influence continued to shine forth. Sounding like something off of Opiate or Undertow, it’s a track with wonderful interaction between the instruments and very clever drumming. 
The production of the album is interesting in that it’s obvious that a great deal of imagination and creativity went into the album. Guitars range in tones and effects, the same with the bass. There are wonderful mixes of standard drum kits with ethnic drumming, sometimes almost resulting in what might be described as a conversation between the two. A downside is that the vocals can often times overpower the music. The album also has a feel of an early 90’s mix. 
Cognitive is a musical journey, one that will require some participation from the listener. It’s the small moments, the ones that can go by unnoticed if you’re not paying attention, that make this album something so fascinating. 
The Final Word: Sounding like the result of a passionate night between Tool and Porcupine Tree, Soen’s Cognitive might be considered derivative or even a “rip-off”. But at the end of the day, those two bands are so unique that another entry into the field should be embraced and welcomed. Simply put, this album kicks ass.
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Music

GUNSHIP Debuts ‘Time After Time’ Music Video Featuring Unseen ‘Whistle’ Footage

Published

1 day ago

on

July 29, 2026

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Whistle Gunship video "Time After Time"

Synthwave outfit GUNSHIP has released a new official music video this morning for their cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” featured on the soundtrack to Corin Hardy’s (The Nun, The Hallow) supernatural horror film Whistle.

To bring it full circle, Corin Hardy directs the music video himself, incorporating previously unseen footage from Whistle. More specifically, the new music video features an extended sequence from the film.

This collaboration builds on GUNSHIP’s longstanding relationship with Hardy, who previously contributed vocals to the band’s track “Cthulhu.”

“Working with Corin is a total dream,” said GUNSHIP. “He’s an old friend who we bonded with over our love for cinema and music, and we were honored to have our song featured in the film. After the Whistle premiere, we were chatting over a pint, and he told us about a beautiful pseudo ‘one shot’ sequence he was heartbroken to lose in the final film. We suggested resurrecting it and using it as a music video. Corin got it immediately, and the result is perfect. It’s heartbreaking, haunting and pure 80s noir soaked.”

Corin Hardy added: “I wanted Whistle to feel like a horror movie I might have watched around the late 1980s, alongside films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Lost Boys, and The Breakfast Club. Films steeped in teen-angst and heightened feelings. Music was such a huge part of creating the romance of those cinematic worlds. Gunship’s synth-drenched cover of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ was always top of my list. Their unique heart-on-your-sleeve sound was the perfect choice for a key moment in the movie. To come together post-release and create this extended music video is simply the cherry on top. Dan, Al & Al (Gunship) have provided the film a real companion piece in the world of Whistle… it makes me want my MTV again!”

It’s a fitting collaboration, as music serves a narrative purpose in Whistle. Music, the director told Bloody Disgusting, was a means of immersing viewers in this world and its characters’ perspectives. Hardy even touched on this particular track: “So in a way, the music you’ll listen to is effectively what Chrys is listening to, which is her dad’s record collection. Then there are other songs like the Gunship track, which is a Cyndi Lauper cover, which is more like Rel’s [Sky Yang] music. It comes in when we have a sequence in Rel’s romantic heartbreak moment. So yeah, I made a character list of who might be listening to what.”

Whistle sees a misfit group of unwitting high school students confronted with mortality when they blow a cursed Aztec Death Whistle, setting a terrifying chain of events in motion.

Dafne Keen (Logan, “The Acolyte“), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Jhaleil Swaby (“Supergirl”), Ali Skovbye (Grizzly Night, “Firefly Lane”), Percy Hynes White (“Wednesday”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead).

The supernatural teen horror movie is available to stream on Shudder now.

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