ALBUM REVIEW: SOEN – ‘Reliance’

First review of 2026! Starting off strong with Reliance, the brand new album from Soen, coming back after three years since Memorial with a really well-thought-out piece of work in my opinion, that not only shows once again the range this band has, but also continues to build momentum for them without it feeling like “more of the same”.

Since stumbling upon Soen a few years back, I immediately had an attraction to their sound, something which doesn’t happen often on a first listen and that to this day still continues to captivate me record after record.

Reliance does that in a big way: it demands your attention from the start with Primal and Mercenary, setting the mood of the album with heavier riffs that transition into the more melodic side of Soen they’re known for. As is always the case with them, we instantly find unique guitar and drum work that blend together in a way that still amazes me. Tasty first solo of the album on the second single and (very much expected) powerful work from Joel on vocals, yet again proving why he’s one of the best to do it out there.

That statement doesn’t come out of nowhere and is definitely understandable, I think, if you go on to Discordia, definitely my favourite on the record and for good reason. It surely does hit close to home for many people and, musically, it’s really interesting how Soen go into “new ground” with a heavier tone and lower tuning, as they have admitted themselves.

Next up, with Axis, Huntress and Unbound we get to headbang once again, with faster tempos, great solos and really sweet melodies, everything leading to Indifferent, which is just a masterpiece in my opinion. I couldn’t speak highly enough of this single to present it better than it already does itself, so I won’t waste any more time — just go and enjoy it.

Closing the record with the last three songs — and what a way to do so — with Drifter, Draconian and Vellichor, it’s like the first two prepare you to fully appreciate such an ending. On the last album, Vitals closed things up with a huge, powerful performance by the whole band; this time around, Vellichor takes you on a different journey, a more melodic one, kinda different from what we’re used to hearing from Soen ballads, wrapping things up in a softer way. It almost feels more like a “closing credits” song, and I always love when bands try different ways to close records, as it leaves you with a different taste every time.

You can take a listen below and let us know what you think of it!