Soen has today announced their forthcoming new studio album, Reliance, set for release on January 16, 2026, via Silver Lining Music.
With Reliance, their seventh studio album, the Swedish progressive metal powerhouse, spearheaded by Joel Ekelöf on vocals and Martin Lopez on drums, continue 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 on keyboards and guitar, Cody Lee Ford on guitar, and Stefan Stenberg on bass, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ekelöf and Lopez, the lush continual evolution of Soen‘s sound soars.
The first single, “Primal,” released today, 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.
Founding member and drummer Martin 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.”
With Reliance, Soen continue their extraordinarily raw and earnest lifetime exploration of the mental and physical boundaries that 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.
Reliance will be available as a CD, 12” Vinyl Album in Black and color variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles. For pre-orders, go here.
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 tour kicks off on September 24 in Cologne, Germany. For more information and tickets, visit here.
Ultima Ratio Fest 2025 Dates:
24.09.2025 – Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria (DE)
25.09.2025 – Pratteln, Z7 (CH)
26.09.2025 – Munich, Tonhalle (DE)
27.09.2025 – Trezzo sull’Adda, Metalitalia.com Fest (IT)
28.09.2025 – Stuttgart, LKA Longhorn (DE)
29.09.2025 – Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg (NL)
30.09.2025 – Paris, Bataclan (FR)
01.10.2025 – Langen, Neue Stadthalle (DE)
02.10.2025 – Antwerp, Trix (BE)
03.10.2025 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller (DE)
04.10.2025 – Osnabrück, Die Botschaft (DE)
05.10.2025 – Berlin, Astra Kulturhaus (DE)
06.10.2025 – Prague, SaSazu (CZ)
07.10.2025 – Budapest, Barba Negra (DE)
08.10.2025 – Wrocław, A2 – Centrum Koncertowe (PL)
09.10.2025 – Linz, Posthof (AT)
10.10.2025 – Saarbrücken, Garage (DE)
11.10.2025 – Geiselwind, Eventzentrum (DE)
12.10.2025 – Hannover, Capitol (DE)
