[SOON] – End Isolation

Thanks to a distinctive blend of hard and soft elements, the German four-piece band [soon] have the potential to appeal to listeners from multiple audiences, including the Heavy Rock/Metal and Alternative/Goth crowds. Their debut album, End Isolation, presents ten dark and heavy cuts that boast a large guitar sound, charismatic choruses, and melancholy vocals that all add up to a winning combination.

On nearly every song, the part that consistently stands out above all others are the choruses, and their seductiveness. What makes them so engaging is their largeness and epic quality. The verses pale in comparison. Apparently their intention was to create contrast between low-profile verses and livelier choruses, but, unfortunately, the verses often suffer from virtually no profile; i.e., they lack form and substance. Thankfully the choruses make the songs.

The general mood is dark and somber. To achieve this, [soon] employ some nice textures, such as chorusing on the guitars and vocals, various reverbs, and touching piano intros and outros. The spirit carried by the heavy edge on the guitars usually keeps things from sounding irrevocably grief-stricken. Some sense of anguish is usually present, but not at the wrist-slitting level. Each listener will obviously judge according to his own taste.

In contrast to the heavy guitars are the delicate vocals, which are primarily responsible for the music’s dreary coloring. They have a mellowness and melodic flavor in the vein typically associated with other genres, such as the one referred to by that nondescript term, “Alternative.” Coincidentally, the vocals on this album do sometimes suffer (usually in the verse) from lack of melody, or at least a lack of melodic variety. The listener may experience a languishing mood not from the presence of a melody sad in nature, but from the absence of any well-defined melody at all, leaving him beside himself in an empty vacuum. To some who seek a kind of solace in a depressed state, perhaps it doesn’t matter how they get there.

For Metal listeners, at least, the vocals are likely to be the pivotal aspect of the music. The style may not be agreeable to those with a penchant for the aggressive. The abjectly stereotypical, male Metal consumers — you know the ones … new tattoo every week, wardrobe consisting exclusively of black t-shirts — tend to deride vocal styles like [soon]‘s as being “gay,” in the pejorative sense. However unwarranted such an arbitrary characterization of “gay” may truly be, it is referred to here solely for its relative usefulness in anticipating one opinion of the music in question. End of disclaimer.

[soon]‘s strength lies in their powerful guitars and seductive choruses, which make End Isolation worthy of recommending to Metal fans and beyond. Lenny (guitars, keyboards), 7even (drums), Robin (bass), and Eric (vocals, keyboards) have a distinctive style that will stand out on any radio playlist. Despite a lack of melodic variety and guitar solos, [soon] have an impressive debut release and will undoubtedly find a doting audience.