Despite an early start to the day, both are in high spirits and visibly proud of the new record. The first single, ‘Primal‘, has already been met with an overwhelmingly positive response, but for the band, its selection had little to do with strategy. “Most importantly, we really like the song,” they say plainly. For SOEN, that enthusiasm is reason enough. With its commanding opening riff and direct energy, ‘Primal‘ felt like the right way to open both the album and its next chapter.

While ‘Reliance‘ may sound darker and heavier at first glance, Joel and Martín stress that there was no deliberate plan to push the band in that direction. Instead, the album came together naturally as their songwriting continued to mature. As Martín explains, the evolution lies in commitment: heavier moments are allowed to be truly heavy, while softer passages are stripped down and unambiguous. Joel sums it up with a characteristic bluntness — if you choose white, go white; if you choose black, go all the way. That decisiveness gives the contrasts more power and makes each extreme hit harder.

Those contrasts are particularly striking on the latter half of the album, where SOEN explore some of their most delicate territory yet. There’s a pure ballad built around strings, with no distortion or drums at all, and other slow, emotionally driven tracks that rely on atmosphere rather than force. Importantly, these songs aren’t framed as metal bands “doing a ballad,” but as sincere expressions that come from the same place as the heavier material. As Joel puts it, when SOEN do something soft, it has to sound true — not like a stylistic exercise.

That philosophy extends to their live shows as well. Even in the middle of intense, rhythm-driven sets, the band value moments of calm. After an hour of double kicks and heavy riffs, giving the audience space to breathe becomes part of the experience. Over the years, SOEN’s acoustic and string-based performances have also shaped how they write, reinforcing the idea that a strong song should work whether it’s played with a full metal setup or a single acoustic guitar.

From a production standpoint, ‘Reliance‘ was made with fewer rules than ever before. The band experimented freely with lower tunings, vocal textures, pads, and atmosphere, guided primarily by instinct. “If it sounds good, it’s going to be there,” Joel says. At the same time, experience has taught them the value of restraint. Layering for the sake of it can obscure meaning, and many ideas — even beautiful ones — were ultimately removed to preserve clarity. For SOEN, sincerity and directness always come first.

Vocally, Joel pushed himself further than before, embracing the full range of his voice without worrying too much about polish. Heavy parts are delivered with full force, while softer moments are intentionally fragile. “I’m much more interested in getting the expression out,” he explains, even if that means sounding raw or imperfect. True heaviness, he adds, isn’t just about aggression — it’s about how vocals lock into rhythm and interact with the music around them.

The album’s artwork sparked a lighter moment in the conversation. Featuring fungal imagery, it has already been described by some fans as SOEN’s “scariest” cover yet. Joel admits he was surprised, though he understands it — mushrooms, after all, carry a certain tension. Martín sees it as a perfect visual counterpart to the music: beautiful, dark, and reflective of the growing unease explored throughout the album.

When the conversation turns to their long-standing partnership, both musicians describe a relationship built on intuition and trust. After fifteen years of working together, they’ve become faster and more aligned, often knowing where a song needs to go without lengthy explanation. Joel compares it to an old married couple, while Martín notes that their shared life experiences naturally feed into the band’s emotional direction. The result is a creative process that feels less like negotiation and more like shared momentum.

That perspective also shapes their advice to younger bands. Let go of ego, Joel urges, and understand that real strength comes from collaboration. Success can be a trap if it feeds self-importance, but lasting bands are built by people willing to step back and create something larger than themselves.

Looking ahead, touring is very much on their minds, and Finland holds a special place in that journey. Finnish audiences, they note, have always been exceptionally open to SOEN’s music, which is why the band often returns there early in an album cycle — sometimes even before playing Sweden itself, where it took nearly eight years for them to perform their first show. Presenting ‘Reliance‘ live in Finland feels less like a test and more like a homecoming.

As the conversation draws to a close, Martín leaves listeners with a simple invitation: check out the new album, give it a few proper listens, and see where it takes you. If ‘Reliance‘ proves anything, it’s that SOEN are still finding new ways to sharpen their contrasts — and in doing so, make their music hit deeper than ever.

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