SOEN - Antagonist (Official Lyric Video)

𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓 is the first single from IMPERIAL, SOEN's fifth studio album; IMPERIAL available now: https://smarturl.it/SOENIMPERIAL 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐒

Staring Brendan McGowan; special FX make-up by Beatrice Sniper.

𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐒:
With the rejects and lonely I blend
With the beggars and junkies I welcome the pain
Of a life as the target of blame.
For the outcast who wouldn’t align
With the ruthless unfairness that rules on our time
For the wolves driven out by the lambs.

You’re mistaking the crook for the honest
While you’re building your homes far away from us
Raising walls to keep us on the outside
Of your meaningless life

Fire up your guns, to honor the ones
Who walk on the edge of the light to follow their cause
Fire up your guns, defying the kings
For the word that they preach
Is the wound that is making us bleed

I break my bread with the thieves
I share my wine with the villain you fear
To be cursed by the ones you revere

The weak and the bullied we are,
The tyrant is feeding us crumbs from its hand,
Celebrate a disheartening life

Dishonesty cracks in the light
Necessity forces the proud to be humble
Failure in life purifies

Dependency dampens the wild
Inequity weighs down the motion of progress
Life isn’t just to survive

Fire up the guns, light up the flame and they will hear
Let anger be the voice that speaks

Born, as a shade in the dark
Like a stain of shame on the flag of our cultural pride
Are we all unaware of our loss?
For a part of our kin we refuse to relieve
And condemn to exile

Fire up your guns, to honor the ones
Who walk on the edge of the light to follow their cause
Fire up your guns, defying the kings
For the word that they preach is the wound that is making us bleed
Fire up your guns.

The provocative, imperious and engaging Swedish-based metal group SOEN will unveil their fifth album, IMPERIAL, via Silver Lining Music on January 29th 2021. Founder members Joel Ekelöf (vocals) and Martin Lopez (drums), along with Lars Enok Åhlund (keyboards and guitar), Oleksii “Zlatoyar” Kobel (bass) and Cody Ford (lead guitar) have never shied away from challenging our perceptions of life and humanity, and IMPERIAL continues SOEN’s unique journey through the psyche of our species and the conundrum of our times. Eight crisp, sharp, and supremely constructed songs spanning frustration, reflection and hope, IMPERIAL is the most direct fierce? and dynamic release of SOEN’s journey, one which continues to be deeply therapeutic for both the group’s dedicated followers and the band themselves.

Produced by Iñaki Marconi and the band, IMPERIAL was mixed and mastered by Kane Churko, who has worked with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Dylan, giving songs such as ‘Illusion’, ‘Modesty’ and the epic closer ‘Fortune’ a dimension and richness which will reach yet more ears and minds. The sheer power and poetry of SOEN’s dynamics are more completely executed and honed than ever before, something which is perversely a product of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lead single ‘Antagonist’ storms through the gates with a massive heavy riff of intent, followed by an epic blend of strength, beauty and defiance of all the world’s darkest powermongers, captured in the lyrics ‘Dependency dampens the wild / Inequity weighs down the motion of progress / Life isn’t just to survive.’

“We will always be a band that has the old will to fight for freedom and all the important things in life, the people, the underdog,” furthers Lopez “You have to take on the big question marks such as what the fuck are we doing with our lives and where’s the empathy. Why do we keep on testing and crushing ourselves as a species?”

“As we continue, we find inspiration in the sad fact that the world is getting more and more polarized, that it’s more complex and it’s not consensus or people getting along.” says Ekelöf “We continue to try and understand why and how that will affect us all.”

SOEN are an undeniable cypher for all which swirls around us, something which will continue to set them apart from their peers for years to come, and IMPERIAL is the latest potent, unmissable commentary from their journey.

IMPERIAL Track Listing:
1. Lumerian
2. Deceiver
3. Monarch
4. Illusion
5. Antagonist
6. Modesty
7. Dissident
8. Fortune

IMPERIAL CREDITS:
All songs written by SOEN
Produced and recorded by Iñaki Marconi
Vocal editing by Ricardo Borges
Vocals on track 1 to 5 and drums recorded and produced by David Castillo
Mixed and mastered by Kane Churko
Cover design by Enrique Zabala
Art Design by Wriliya
Cover photo by Mark Laita

SOEN - Official YouTube Channel

SOEN:
Joel Ekelöf - Vocals
Martin Lopez - Drums
Lars Enok Åhlund – Keyboards and Guitar
Oleksii “Zlatoyar” Kobel - Bass
Cody Ford - Lead Guitar

FOLLOW SOEN:
www.facebook.com/SOENMusic
www.twitter.com/SOENmusic
www.instagram.com/SOENmusic
www.SOENmusic.com