Imperial (Soen album)

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Imperial
Studio album by
Soen
Released29 January 2021
Genre
Length42:04
LabelSilver Lining
Producer
  • David Castillo
  • Iñaki Marconi
Soen chronology
Lotus
(2019) 		Imperial
(2021) 		Memorial
(2023)
Singles from Imperial
  1. "Antagonist"
    Released: 23 October 2020[1]
  2. "Monarch"
    Released: 11 December 2020[2]
  3. "Illusion"
    Released: 22 January 2021[3]

Imperial is the fifth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Soen. The album was released on 29 January 2021 through Silver Lining Music. It was produced by David Castillo and Iñaki Marconi. It is the band's first album with bassist Oleksii 'Zlatoyar' Kobel.[4][5][6][7]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Injection8.5/10[8]
Metal Storm8/10[9]
Outburn9/10[10]
Ultimate Guitar8/10[11]

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Metal Injection rated the album 8.5 out of 10 and stated, "Imperial is a major achievement by the Swedish group and easily their best record yet."[8] Kelley Simms of Outburn rated the album 9 out of 10 and said: "Imperial isn't as proggy as Soen's previous releases, but the music is more straightforward and accessible. The record will have no problem fitting in with their previous records, yet this is the tightest and most cohesive Soen has sounded to date. Imperial is pure magic!"[10] Ultimate Guitar gave the album a positive review and stated: "Soen's Imperial is simply a no-brainer of a recommendation - you're going to love this record. They know the audience they're targeting, and it works beautifully in that context. However, it would be nice to see their evolution take them even further into a sound that's more distinctly their own in the future."[11]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Soen

Imperial track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lumerian"5:31
2."Deceiver"4:33
3."Monarch"4:52
4."Illusion"5:10
5."Antagonist"6:02
6."Modesty"4:34
7."Dissident"5:37
8."Fortune"5:42
Total length:42:04

Personnel[edit]

Soen
  • Joel Ekelöf – lead vocals
  • Cody Ford – guitar, backing vocals
  • Oleksii 'Zlatoyar' Kobel – bass
  • Lars Åhlund – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
  • Martin Lopez – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
  • Emeli Jeremias – cello
  • Katarina Dennis – viola
  • Karin Hellqvist and Lina Söderholtz – violin
Additional personnel
  • David Castillo – production
  • Iñaki Marconi – production
  • Kane Churko – mixing, mastering
  • Ricardo Borges – vocal editing
  • Wriliya – artwork, design
  • Mark Laita – cover, photography
  • Ola Lewitschnik – photography, image editing
  • Enrique Zabala – design

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Imperial
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 123
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 9

References[edit]

  1. ^ "SOEN Announce New Album "Imperial", Debut "Antagonist" Lyric Video". ThePRP. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Soen Release "Monarch" Music Video". ThePRP. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Soen Debut "Illusion" Music Video, Postpone European/UK Touring". ThePRP. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Soen release video for new single Antagonist". Prog. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ "SOEN TO RELEASE IMPERIAL ALBUM IN JANUARY; "ANTAGONIST" LYRIC VIDEO POSTED". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Soen Unveil "Antagonist," Announce Fifth Album, Imperial". MetalSucks. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ^ "SOEN (Ex-OPETH) Streams New Single "Antagonist"". Metal Injection. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b Morin, Max (28 January 2021). "Album Review: SOEN Imperial". Metal Injection. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Soen - Imperial review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Simms, Kelley (27 January 2021). "SOEN: Imperial". Outburn. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Imperial review by Soen". Ultimate Guitar. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soen – Imperial" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soen – Imperial" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soen – Imperial" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soen – Imperial" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soen – Imperial". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
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