SOEN, the Swedish progressive metal band, has made a landing in Boston. It was with great pleasure that the public came in full to see them live at the Brighton Music Hall on May 17, 2024. Since their creation in 2010, Soen has been touring in many countries, particularly in Europe and South America. However, the current tour is the second one they are doing in North America. The Brighton Music Hall, located in the heart of Brighton Avenue and Harvard Avenue, was nicely packed for the performance.
TROPE
The opening act was Trope, a progressive alternative rock band led by vocalist Diana Studenberg and guitarist Dave Thompson. The band, formed in 2016, has played the main stage at Summerfest. They were also invited on an 18-date European tour with Kings X, and opened for the Cult in Reno, Nevada.
Diana and Dave have played world-renowned venues including the Viper Room, The Whisky and the Hollywood Improv. They were featured as one of HEAVY Mag’s Top 40 Female Rock Acts in their Ladies of Rock Edition in 2019 alongside Lzzy Hale, Lacuna Coil, Jinjer, The Runaways and more.
At the Brighton Music Hall, the duo played a series of energetic songs:
Plateau – Surrogate – Breach – Planes – Seasons Change – Pareidolia, most of them featured in their debut album “Eleutheromania”.
SOEN
It was 9:15 p.m. when Soen entered the stage to the poem “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas. The atmosphere was electric. Hundreds of fans were in a state of excitement to see the band for the second time in Boston. The group consists of vocalist Joel Ekelöf, guitarist Cody Lee Ford, bassist Olekseii Zlatoyar Kodel, drummer Martin Lopez and keyboardist Lars Ahlund. They diligently started the set with Sincere from their latest album “Memorial” released on September 1, 2023. From there, they continued with a list of songs which are part of their six studio albums. Martyrs, Savia, Memorial, Lascivious, Unbreakable, Deceiver, Ideate, Monarch, Illusion, Modesty, Lotus, Antagonist, Jinn/Lunacy, and Violence were all performed.
To open the second part of the show, bassist Oleksii Kobel played a beautiful extended intro on the mellower Salvia. The show progressed with Unbreakable, another highlight of their latest album. It was very exciting during the performance to see the crowd in chorus helping out Joel, the magical singer of Soen. With so many wars in the world, and so many challenges, it was predictable that many decided to join him in singing “I need something to believe/ the world is dark but we are cursing the sun/ we need something to believe/ we’re matching as the army of the unbreakable.” What a nice evening it was. Very popular in Europe and South America, Soen is now conquering North America. Photographs and written review by Joanna Gleason and Jean Senat Fleury.
KEEPING UP WITH SOEN
Soen will be continuing their tour into June, The last scheduled date is set for June 9, 2024 at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Colorado. Key stops along the way include Mexico, Texas, California, and Canada. After they wrap up the US tour, they head back overseas. Their first date will be the Helsinki Metal Festival in Finland. That fest will be taking place August 9-10, 2024. Their final date of the year as of now is November 2, 2024 in Gdansk, Poland. They do have a date announced for next year already as well. March 1, 2025 they will be at the Teatro Coliseo in Santiago, Chile. To keep up on the latest news and announcements, head to the links at the bottom of the page!
SOEN – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – X – INSTAGRAM – YOUTUBE – SPOTIFY – APPLE MUSIC
BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM – X – YOUTUBE
JOANNA GLEASON – INSTAGRAM
DANCE YOUR FACE OFF – WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – X – YOUTUBE