SOEN have a deep and strong connection with the greek audience. Their plenty live appearences in Greece are always warmly welcomed.
Few days before we had one more chance to experience SOEN performing Live their album Atlantis, on an excellent event that left us with unique memories, looking forward for the next one hopefully very soon.
Guitarist Cody Lee Ford, answers our questions, sharing his thoughts after their last performance here and his views on what's next for the Swedish progressive metalers who just released their latest album Memorial.
Rockoverdose: Hello and welcome once again to the Rockoverdose family. First of all, congratulations for both albums “Atlantis” and “Memorial”. Your recent show in Athens, for “Atlantis” album was awesome!
Let’s go back to December 10 2021, when you recorded the album live at Atlantis Grammofon Studios, Sweden. It seems to be a quite ambitious project, you recorded some of your best songs with orchestra and extra vocals, how challenging was it for you and what do you remember from those days?
SOEN: It was a crazy experience. We toyed with this idea for a while and when the pandemic hit we knew that we should follow through with it. There were a lot of hurdles that prevented us from being able to follow through with it - such as boarders closing and things shutting down. But finally, at the end of a European tour that was cut short due to covid, we, as well as all the extra musicians were miraculously free one weekend - and the studio was available as well! We had one day to set up and rehearse with the extra musicians, and then one day to record everything. It was intense. We only had enough time to do one or two takes of every song. But Atlantis studio is a place of magic. The vibe is hard to describe. We look fondly upon the whole experience.
Rockoverdose: Whose idea was it to use cello, viola, piano and violin in songs like "Antagonist", "Monarch" or "Lascivious", which made them different compared to the original recordings from the albums?
SOEN: I think the original idea was probably Martin's. Lars is the one with experience in arranging strings though, so we left it to him. He did an incredible job.
Rockoverdose: I noticed the setlist once again. You based your set on “Imperial” and “Lotus”, playing 9 songs from these albums. Who chose these songs and why? Do you think that “Imperial” and “Lotus” are something like a magnus opus for the band?
SOEN: We always like to have 4-5 songs off of the new album that we're promoting. Lotus was definitely a breakthrough record for us though with some of the those songs being our most popular, so we had to include them. It's becoming harder and harder to make set lists that'll please everyone. We only can play so much time in a night!
Rockoverdose: I also found the “Snuff” cover very interesting and that’s why I love bands like Soen. You are not afraid to take risks. You managed to create a nu metal song sounding like Soen. Do you like artists that dare to experiment?
SOEN: Of course! You have to be daring sometimes. But we knew this cover would be a perfect one to take on. It had a lot of elements we like to have in our own ballads. That raw, vulnerability mixed with a sombre intensity. It's a great one to play live.
Rockoverdose: How about the feedback you have received so far for “Atlantis”? Was it what you expected?
SOEN: Beyond what we expected! We thought, "are people really going to come to these shows?" And now we've experienced some of the most memorable shows we've ever played from this set. It's great to know people are really enjoying it.
Rockoverdose: You have released your new LP, “Memorial”. Moreover, the band have also released the hard-hitting first single, “Unbreakable”. Have you received any feedback from your fans?
SOEN: Oh yes. You see the feedback in the comments sections, on our social media, in our inboxes. Mostly great feedback so we're happy! There'll always be haters. This is something we expect with every album. But overall the vibe is fantastic.
Rockoverdose: “Memorial”, as a title, sounds a bit pessimistic, while the cover of the album is almost in total black again. Was it a game of luck or something more?
SOEN: It felt like the appropriate title for the album. It definitely leans into a pessimistic perspective. But the album cover offers a poignant juxtaposition.
Rockoverdose: Do you check out new releases in 2023? Can you make a quick list of the best 5 albums you have heard so far? As a prog fan, I found Yes – “Mirror To The Sky” and The Flower Kings – “Look At You Now” quite interesting…
SOEN: I've barely had time to check anything out this year! I'll give those albums a listen.
For RockOverdose,
Mike Tsolakos
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