They used to rock, and their ‘Pitch Black Progress’ totally destroyed me a few years ago. Even today it's one of these records that sends shivers down my spine. Later, with their ‘Holographic Universe’ Scar Symmetry entered the grounds occupied by the bands who play the most boring stuff on this planet. Unfortunately.
But that shit situation changes now, with the release of their new ‘Dark Matter Dimensions’. What's changed? Well, there is no awesome Christian Alvestam (who, when working in the studio is one of the most talented singers on the metal scene I've encountered. That changes live a bit, as two or three times I've seen Christian performing on stage, his vocals - especially clean ones - were not outstanding, but oh well...). Scar Symmetry parted ways with one of my favourite growlers and employed two dudes, Roberth Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist to sing and growl on the new CD. I have to say - that this worked out really well for them. Surprisingly, the combination of both singers creates a vibe similar to that of Alvestam but because there's two of them, creative ways of laying out the vocal parts is more expandable. They scream, shriek, sing and scream again in a very controlled manner, it’s all perfectly synchronized, so no fuckups on this album. Vocally - good stuff. Lyrics, well let's forget the lyrics. It's metal genre. 99% percent of lyrics are just pure fun.
And the music changed as well, just a bit, but still. ‘Dark Matter Dimensions’ is heavier that its predecessor, and also way better recorded. ‘Holographic Universe’ was just too quiet, so the monumental wall of sound created during the history of the band had gone somewhere. Now we're back to old, good, heavy Scar Symmetry. In all it's glory, but powered by five engines instead of four.
No more sleepy ballads. Rock on.
http://www.scarsymmetry.com
http://www.myspace.com/scarsymmetry
