SOEN Announces Seventh Studio Album 'Reliance'

SOEN will release a new studio album, "Reliance", on January 16, 2026 via Silver Lining Music. The LP was produced, recorded and mixed by Alexander Backlund at Fascination Street Studios, and was mastered by Tony Lindgren.

With "Reliance", SOEN's seventh studio album, the Swedish progressive metal powerhouse, spearheaded by Joel Ekelöf (vocals) and Martin Lopez (drums),continues to find incredible new pathways into the spatial areas between light and dark, loud and calm, heavy and soothing. And with its seamless march across deeply human emotional terrain, SOEN's music continues to explore the human mind, heart, and soul with a visionary duty of care, plus an extra edge of heavy.

With Lars Enok Åhlund (keyboards and guitar),Cody Lee Ford (guitar) and Stefan Stenberg (bass) standing shoulder to shoulder with Ekelöf and Lopez, the lush continual evolution of SOEN's sound soars.

The first single, "Primal", is a provoking, barrel-chested roar detailing the existential fight between the human spirit and our current world, with Ekelöf's incredible vocals leading the heavy charge.

Lopez comments: "'Primal' is a song that came from a place of frustration with the world we're living in. The corruption, the division and the suffocating grip that technology has on all of us. It's heavy and straight to the point, built on riffs and raw energy, but it also opens up into a chorus that feels hopeful, like a reminder that light can still break through the dark."

"For us, it's about more than just aggression," continues Ekelöf. "It's about encouraging people to find that fire again, to reconnect with passion, and to take those steps out of the darkness together."

The official lyric video for "Primal", by Freakshot Film, can be seen below.

With "Reliance", SOEN continues its extraordinarily raw and earnest lifetime exploration of the mental and physical boundaries which challenge humankind as it writhes and wrestles with itself in these challenging times. Thoughtful, provocative, beautiful and brutal, "Reliance" is a journey you need to take.

SOEN show no signs of slowing down and will soon embark on 19 European dates on the "Ultima Ratio Fest 2025" with DARK TRANQUILLITY, EQUILIBRIUM and IOTUNN. The trek kicks off on September 24 in Cologne, Germany.

"Reliance" will be available as a CD, 12-inch vinyl album in black and color variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles.

"Reliance" track listing:

01. Primal
02. Mercenary
03. Discordia
04. Axis
05. Huntress
06. Unbound
07. Indifferent
08. Drifter
09. Draconian
10. Vellichor

SOEN is:

Joel Ekelöf - Vocals
Martin Lopez - Drums
Lars Enok Åhlund - Keyboards and Guitar
Cody Ford - Lead Guitar
Stefan Stenberg - Bass

Photo credit: Linda Florin