INTERVIEW: SOEN IN CONVERSATION WITH MARTIN LÓPEZ
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
The Swedish metal band SOEN is revered in the world of progressive metal. The band, renowned for their cinematic soundscapes, will be bringing their intricate musicianship, emotionally charged lyricism, and intense musical performance to the Crowbar.
Martin López stands grounded in the same principles that have shaped his entire musical journey: honesty, connection, and an unwavering commitment to the craft of music and songwriting. He spoke with clarity about SOEN and how they are looking ahead to touring Australia and the future steps of making music.
“It’s going to be magical,” stated Martin López, the drummer and songwriter for SOEN. “We want to share our music with fans. So, come to the show. We are going to have three fun nights in Australia.”
SOEN has released a string of critically acclaimed albums since the band’s creation over fifteen years ago. From their first album ‘Cognitive’ through to ‘Lotus’, ‘Imperial’ and ‘Reliance’, the band has progressed. But as Martin López stated, the band has always approached songwriting and instrumentation with a rare blend of accuracy, emotion, and modesty.
“We want our songs to be songs with impact,” he said. “They are not just a bag of instrumentation. We are a vocal-centred band. There are messages in our songs we want to share, and we do not want to sacrifice them to noise. We feel like we have entered a new chapter with the release of ‘Reliance’,and now we want to share it with people and hope they like it. We have tried to balance that beautiful melodic sound against the heavy, and the melancholy lyricism against Joel Ekelöf’s lovely voice.”
SOEN was built around ex-Opeth and ex-Amon Amarth drummer Martin Lopez, one of the most musical heavy drummers alive. His Latin groove and jazz sensibility lives underneath every song. Vocalist Joel Ekelöf came from indie rock band Willowtree and he has a beautifully melodic voice.The rest of the band comprises of guitarist Cody Lee Ford, multi-instrumentalist Lars Åhlund on keyboardand guitar, with returning bassist Stefan Stenberg, who had taken a break and last played on ‘Lotus’in 2019.
“We created an album of songs and we wanted those melodic riffs,” explained Martin López. “When I write a song, I start on guitar or keyboard as I want to have that melody. I don’t even think about the drum patterns until near the end. I want SOEN songs to be deep – not shallow – they channel emotion. And, I hope that our fans get something out of listening to them. We all go through the same bad and good points in life.”
“Our band is not a factory,” exclaimed Martin López as he reflected on SOEN’s progression, the values that drive their music, and the journey that brought him from Uruguay to Sweden. “I was born in Sweden. My parents had fled the authoritarian dictatorship of President Juan María Bordaberry in Uruguay. We returned to Uruguay when I was eight years old. But I left and returned to Sweden when I was 17. When I got back to Sweden, I couldn’t speak Swedish or English. I only spoke Spanish. I knew what I wanted to do – I followed my heart and I made a band and we make good music”.
“I want to protect that,” Martin López explained. “We love playing live. We love that connection with the audience. We like seeing how people react to our songs. Because of the progression or the evolution we have made, there are, of course, people who want us to go back, and there are people who only want to listen to the new stuff. It’s always interesting to hear what people feel. But since we have not been to Australia for a while, we will try to cover every key song from every album.”
For SOEN, sincerity and directness always come first. The band are still finding new ways to sharpen their contrasts while embracing the new.
SOEN and OMNIFIC will tour Australia in October on their Reliance Tour. The dates are:
Friday 16th October at 170 Russell Street in Melbourne
Saturday 17th October at Manning Bar in Sydney
Monday 19th October at the Crowbar in Brisbane
