Author: David Sedley

Swedish prog-rockers end Imperial European Tour 2022 with phenomenal Israel gig

Soen, the Swedish supergroup, ended the first leg of their 2022 European tour on May 29 at the Havana Club in Tel Aviv. The band ended in style with a phenomenal show playing to a packed crowd who were clearly hungry for music after a two-year covid drought.

As the lights dimmed, the band walked onstage. Lead guitarist Cody Lee Ford looked like everything Russel Brand dreamed of being; rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Lars Åhlund looked like Thor wielding a Gibson Firebird (except when he switched it for a Flying V); bassist Oleksii Kobel is new to the band, but he fit right in, trading jokes and licks with the others while whipping his incredible dreadlocks. Drummer (and founding member) Martín López began beating out his polyrhythms and the band kicked off with “Monarch.” Vocalist Joel Ekelöf then came onstage looking not unlike Rob Halford (though later he switched the leather jacket for his more traditional dark blazer).

In terms of musical ability there is no question that the five band members are all at the top of their game. The musicians all come from extreme metal backgrounds but their sound is far from being merely fast riffs and growls. Lopez once described their heavy prog-rock sound as, “melodic, heavy, intricate and very different than everything else” and it is difficult to come up with a better description. They appear to have outgrown and evolved from their earlier days when they were dismissed as clones of Tool (in the past, Soen said that, they consider Tool, “not only a band, but a genre.”

This tour is in support of Soen’s latest album, “Imperial” which was released way back in January, 2021. The songs move effortlessly from heavy riffs to hammond keyboard block chords, to shimmering, echo-laden arpeggios to a sound verging on Southern blues rock. There is no screaming from Ekelöf, but rather his vocal style is controlled, versatile, and his range is quite impressive.

“Israel is a land of mystery,” Ekelöf said. “And the biggest mystery is how do you make that hummus so f&@#ing great.”

The hundreds of fans who ventured out on a hot and steamy Tel Aviv night joined in with every line of every song. Almost every song title is a single word, but the lyrics are complex, long and meaningful.

For me, one of the highlights was the opening of “Savia” when Kobel’s bass took the lead. The band as a whole were incredibly tight, the harmonies were perfect, and Åhlund moved seamlessly from the front of the stage to the back as he switched from guitar to keyboards (with a little bit of bongos for good measure).

Even after the encores of Lascivious, Sectarian and Lotus, and even though it was well past midnight, the crowd did not want to leave.

“This is such a wonderful end to our tour,” Ekelöf told the crowd. “There’s going to be more visits in the future. I promise you that.”

And it was clear that Tel Aviv looks forward to seeing the band on their next time through the city.

Before Soen took to the stage, Israeli band Artland kicked things off with their multimedia, melodic shredfest. The three guitarists, bassist and drummer, all originally from the former Soviet Union, showed off their phenomenal technical skills which were the equal of any international band. I look forward to one day seeing them share their melodies and textures, over complex rhythmic structures as a headline act.

The concert was put on by Progstage Productions. Since 2012, Progstage have brought over 120 international artists to Israel. Over the next few months, Progstage will also bring Alestorm, Arch Enemy and Three Days Grace to the Holy Land.

Simon McBride replaces Steve Morse on guitar for this tour. Huge discount on tickets through the Yerushalmi website

I’m currently sitting in the Jerusalem Payis Arena watching a basketball game. But in a few days I’ll be back here for a Deep Purple concert.

I’ve seen Purple twice before in Israel. Once on September 28, 1991 in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park, with Richie Blackmore on guitar, the late Jon Lord on keyboard and Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. And of course, Ian Paice on drums (Ian has always been in the band, from the time they first formed in 1968, and Roger Glover, who was in the band from 1969-73, and then again since 1984). That was the fulfilment of a lifetime dream (and the only time I saw Mr Lord) but objectively, it was not a great show.

Then, in 2016, I saw them again. Deep Purple were touring in support of their album, “Now What?” which at the time I thought might be their last. This time, Turner was gone, replaced by Ian Gillan, who was the vocalist during the band’s halcyon days, as was Richie Blackmore. In his place was Steve Morse, an American guitarist who has now been in the band almost twice as long as Richie was, but will always be considered the “new guitarist” and the veteran Englishman, Don Airey on keyboards. That was a great show — the band looked as though they were actually having fun.

On Monday, May 23rd, Deep Purple are back. This will be the band’s sixth time in Israel. But it will be their first time performing in Jerusalem. The lineup is almost unchanged since last time they were here. Except that Steve Morse is sitting out this tour to care for his wife who is ill. He has been (temporarily) replaced by Irish virtuoso Simon McBride. To be honest, McBride is the main reason I want to go and hear the band this time. Sure, they will play all their greatest hits — the same hits I listened to as a teenager decades ago. But Simon will bring a new voice to the group. I hear hints of Gary Moore in his own music and I love his tone.

Simon McBride has actually played with various individual Deep Purple members over the years, and shares a record label with the band, so he was the natural choice to substitute for this tour.

If you live in Jerusalem and haven’t yet bought your ticket, you can get a massive discount if you go to the Yerushalmi website.

See you there.