Music

[Review] Soen ‘Cognitive’

Published

12 years ago

February 9, 2012

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.

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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Music

John Carpenter’s New Album ‘Lost Themes IV: Noir’ NOW AVAILABLE!

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

John Squires

John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter are back with Lost Themes IV: Noir, a brand new album from Sacred Bones Records that was released today, May 3.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

The new ten song collection was loosely inspired by the noir genre and marks new territory for John Carpenter and his cohorts, imbibing their trademark synth hooks and pulsing drum machine with propulsive post punk basslines and smoldering guitar solos.

Here’s the full Lost Themes IV: Noir track list:

My Name is Death (video below)
Machine Fear
Last Rites
The Burning Door
He Walks By Night (video below)
Beyond The Gallows
Kiss The Blood Off My Fingers
Guillotine
The Demon’s Shadow
Shadows Have A Thousand Eyes

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can listen to Lost Themes IV: Noir right now!