Soen - Cognitive
There was a glimmer of hope when I discovered that former Opeth and Amon Amarth drummer Martin Lopez had formed his own brand new project, enlisting the legendary talents of four-stringer-for-hire Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Death, Autopsy, Testament) in the process. I assumed that Lopez, unlike his former iconic frontman, was not ready to succumb to old age and start making glorified Seals and Crofts albums, and that he’d attempt to keep the Death Metal flame alight with his new mates. I temporarily forgot what an ice cold bitch hope is, and couldn’t have been more wrong. While it can be argued that Cognitive does burn brighter with a higher sense of urgency than the sleepy cryonics project that Heritage was, there is no Death Metal here. Arguably no Metal at all. Soen sounds like Tool. I don’t mean that there’s a slight influence or that it’s often reminiscent, I mean Soen sounds exactly like Tool. From the tribal drumbeats to the bass tone to the vocal patterns, Tool could sue this band in court and win easily. And not the really good Tool (Opiate, Undertow), I’m talking about modern day, King Crimson-aping Tool like that found on 10,000 Days (which is ironically how long that album feels). Singer Joel Ekelof does have a great voice. His tone, oddly enough, is not a far cry from Mikael Akerfeldt, but every song here is the same quiet/loud/quiet trick. I have to wonder what he might be capable of when not forced to mimic Maynard James Keenan’s every molecule. Backed by a non-tribute band able to produce authentically emotional music, Ekelof could be something special. As for Soen, I guess if you’re in the mood for Tool, but don’t want to hear the real Tool, and you’re tired of the half-dozen more well-known bands that already sound like Tool, then Cognitive is your extremely pathetic dream come true.
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