Four albums into Soen’s career, Martin Lopez’s post-Opeth band have established themselves as a powerhouse in their own right. We gave a pretty enthusiastic review of 2018’s “Lykaia Revisited” (a rerelease of their 2017 album, “Lykaia”) here at MetalAsylum.net, and I’m here to tell you that they’re continuing their strong work into 2019. This is a beautiful overall work, comprised of smaller works of art.

There’s certainly a prog-Metal, Lopez-era Opeth touch to the music, but the mellowness to the overall sound likens them closer to present-day Katatonia. The music ebbs and flows, letting you drift, then pulling you back in, as the elaborate structures transition through the movements of each song. My sole criticism would be the sameness to it all. The similarities of intensity can make one song feel like the next and the next, although the components are distinct. For that reason, I don’t see “Lotus” as a step up from “Lykaia,” but it’s also certainly not a step down.
Highlight tracks: “Lascivious,” “Covenant,” “River,” and “Lunacy.”