Cognitive

This band will be compared to Tool. There is no defending them from such a comparison. However, I have to ask, is that really such a bad thing? The basslines are amazingly intricate and drive the rhythms excellently, the guitarwork is very good and the drumming is exactly what you'd expect qualitywise from an ex-Opeth member. Musically I find the song Slithering to be fascinating, for instance. Its intro sounds like a thick Meshuggah style riff minus the "djent" sound, then for the verses and bridge it sounds like Tool, and then for the chorus and soft fill parts it sounds like Opeth. You can say this band lacks an identity if you want, but I find the mix of influences on this to make for an amazingly well crafted album with a distinctive sound despite basing its influences in 3 bands mainly. The composition makes the album flow from song to song with nice dynamics. If you are done waiting for the next Tool album, this is a very worthy purchase

The similarities to Tool are obvious. This isn't a bad thing, especially since lately it takes Tool 5-6 years to release a new album. Might as well have a surrogate in between Tool records. And imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say. As a fan of Tool for 2 decades, I can honestly say there are a few things that I like better about Soen: namely the lack of Tool's self-indulgent meandering 10-12 minute progressive tracks that don't really develop into anything concrete and don't really go anywhere. Also, Soen's rhythm guitar is a bit tighter and the guitarist avoids the noodling guitar solos that are far too frequent on Tool records. I know Tool's die-hard fans will disagree with this sentiment, but that's fine. It's possible to equally appreciate the original and the next generation. I also really like the drumming and percussion on this album (but what else would one expect with Martin Lopez behind the kit?). Some of the percussion is lifted from early Black Sabbath, but updated and more technically proficient, which is excellent. The percussion on "Last Light" (a beautiful tune), in particular, is exceptional. "Oscillation", another track with slick drumming & percussion, deftly mixes both heavy and mellower elements. Other notable tracks include "Fraccions", "Delenda", "Canvas", and "Ideate", but honestly all of the songs are tight. Overall a top-notch record. Check it out.

Fantastic, beautiful, haunting, and not what you think it is. Soen has been branded by some as a 'Tool Clone' and this is far from true and is unfair. This group of artists that have been labeled 'extreme metal musicians' step out of the metal mold that they are known for and give to the listener a musical treat. The Drummer Martin Lopez (of Opeth fame and others) commented that the group sees Tool (of whom I am a personal fan) as more than just a sound, but a genre, and this is clearly evident by anyone who gives this more than just a cursory listen to. Technically perfect, beautifluly produces, wonderfully layered with melodic and harmonious music blended with at times very satisfying metalic and bombastic sounds, this is an offering that is awating multiple listenings to in order to allow you to discover and rediscover the myriad of delights this recording gives you.

Everyone feels compelled to compare Soen to Tool. Yes, this album sounds like Tool. But I think it’s also comparable in terms of quality, not an irritating rip off. Look up the video for Fraccions on YouTube, and see if you agree with me. By the way, I like Cognitive better than than their two more recent albums. I wish they’d bring back this sound, but I’m guessing they got tired of all the Tool comparisons. It’s a shame, because I love this album. It even made me toss aside the new APC album.

So yes, chances are you might be here because someone mentioned to you that a new band exists which has similarities to Tool and features the ex-drummer from Opeth. This is very true on both accounts. The drumming is spectacular and the music does bring to mind Tool on first listen. But as one delves further into the music one finds the similarities between Soen and Tool to be less and less. What makes this sound like Tool is the combination of a similar vocals style mixed with interlocking instrumental rhythmic patterns often with little or no harmonic movement. In other words a noticeable lack of chord progressions for large stretches of time. In the positive perspective then Soen actually wins out by not having as much of a static harmonic vocabulary as Tool does. On the negative Soen's vocalist though clearly inspired by Maynard of Tool, just doesn't seem to have the ability to sometimes just break the smoothness and let it rip. Some have criticized Soen for their obvious Tool vibe but their ability to create similar music cannot be denied. This isn't "Tool light" or a "Tool rip-off" but a band making new music very close to if not completely comparable to Tool itself. One could maybe argue that Tool did it first, but for Tool fans out there I'd just say buy the album and listen for yourself. With this being Soen's first album my guess would be the greater things are yet to come and with Tool taking often 4 to 5 years between their own albums this release by Soen can fill the void exceptionally well.

I have although a regular shopper with amazon never felt the urge or need to leave a review of an album until now. After reading many reviews of this album where overemphasis is put on the tool similarity, I would endorse many of the other opinions on amazon that one should simply enjoy this excellent album for what it is, simply an excellently played, produced and enjoyable collection. Enjoy.

This was the first of SOEN's two disc's to date and it stands head and shoulders above the second disc. That is not to denigrate the second disc at all as it also is a fine piece of Hard Rock but if you were to listen to the pair back to back the first one as shown to the left would be picked 8 times out of ten as being the better of the two. Cognitive is as good as a Heavy Rock CD can possibly get, it has ballads on it as well as the hard driving tracks which every heavy metal fan loves. While it is necessary to order this from Europe and therefore the wait time is usually longer than it is for discs ordered from sellers in North America it is in this case well worth the wait. Songs like FRAKTAL, & LAST LIGHT and quite a few more on this disc are top notch and well worth the cost of the disc all on their own put together they create a collection that is a truly spectacular collection of songs...Spigomars

Banda de rock progresivo sueca 🇸🇪 con mucha influencia de tool

Ocorreu tudo dentro do esperado. Obrigado

Après la découverte de Soen par Lotus j'ai plongé dans toute la diso. Ce Cognitive doit être l'étape où le groupe a été taxé de copieur de TOOL. C'est criant sur Fraccions, en tous cas sur les couplets. Sur Delenda aussi mais je trouve que Soen montre un vrai savoir-faire mélodique qu'on n'a pas forcément de manière aussi directe chez TOOL, lequel est de fait moins facilement accessible que Soen. Soen, le TOOL du pauvre? Certainement pas! La structure des morceaux chez Soen reste très classique : alternance couplet/refrain quand TOOL me semble plus expérimental. Je dirais presque que les 2 groupes n'ont rien à voir ensemble. Et sur Oscillation Soen y est très personnel : riff complexe et hypnotique des couplets où le chanteur pose une mélodie quasi new wave façon eigties pour un mélange très original. On trouve des titres faibles par rapport à Likaia ou Lotus ( Last Night, Ideate, Purpose, Savia malgré un refrain superbe), mais ça n'enlève pas pour autant d'étoiles car le reste est excellent.