Monarch

When Soen first came on the scene, they were derided as a "rip-off of Tool." And they do tend to use complex rhythms, but I thought that was something of miss by anyone who was trying to pull them down. But the new album, which came out in January, doesn't sound much like Tool to me.

I haven't known about Soen very long. They are a Swedish Progressive Metal band I stumbled across a few years back courtesy of one of the music streaming services. I quite like some of their work. I think they sound more like Old-school Progressive Rock on this album. (That is why this isn't in Metal for Mondays.) A lot of stuff gets labeled as Metal, today, because the suits that run the music labels need categories. You think they can think for themselves? They can only repeat what they say 10 minutes ago.

Sweden’s Soen are on strident form with their fifth album, with struggle and overcoming oppression serving as the main themes on Imperial. Musically, the group blends power metal theatrics with slick prog metal flourishes in the vein of Queensrÿche or Fates Warning. [Ref. Louder.]

Here is a link to the lyrics, just in case.

This song is "Monarch" by Soen from their January, 2021 album Imperial.