SOEN Shares 'Mercenary' Single From Upcoming Album 'Reliance'

SOEN has released "Mercenary", the second single from the band's upcoming studio album, "Reliance", due 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),continue to find incredible new pathways into the spatial areas between light and dark, loud and calm, heavy and soothing.

Honesty is what runs through the album's writing, where emotional gravity and raw power coexist without compromise. It's a duality that defines SOEN's sound — the willingness to confront darkness not for spectacle, but for truth. Nowhere is that balance more evident than on "Mercenary", a track that channels the weight of inherited violence and the personal cost of conviction with unflinching clarity.

"'Mercenary' is about the violence we inherit, which then sees hatred seeping into lives — and life — which in turn shapes generations," comments Ekelöf. "It also addresses betrayal, about how that can see us 'crowning vultures into kings," furthers Lopez. "At its heart, 'Mercenary' speaks to the cost of belief," Ekelöf adds before Lopez affirms that "musically, it carries the essence of SOEN — heavy yet melodic and built on power and precision."

The recently released 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.

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.

Lopez previously stated about "Primal": "'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.

"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