"A super tight rhythm section combined with great soloing and a diverse front man make Scar Symmetry a force to be reckoned with."

Follow up:

8.5/10

1. "Morphogenesis" − 3:54 Watch the video!
2. "Timewave Zero" − 5:13
3. "Quantumleaper" − 4:09
4. "Artificial Sun Projection" − 4:00
5. "The Missing Coordinates" − 4:37
6. "Ghost Prototype I (Measurement of Thought)" − 4:35
7. "Fear Catalyst" − 5:03
8. "Trapezoid" − 4:17
9. "Prism and Gate" − 3:46
10. "Holographic Universe" − 9:05
11. "The Three-Dimensional Shadow" − 3:57
12. "Ghost Prototype II (Deus Ex Machina)" − 6:03

"Holographic Universe" is the third album from the Swedish Melodic Death metallers, SCAR SYMMETRY. I enjoyed their previous two efforts, "Symmetric in Design" and "Pitch Black Progress" quite thoroughly. I was pleasantly surprised to see this one sitting on the shelf at a music store in Florida a few weeks ago and decided to pick it up.

First off I'll say that the production on this album is great. The mix is generous to the bottom end without ever being muddy, even in some of the more speedy riffs. It also just sounds big. The guitars have such a nice sound to them. They're not rounded off like a tube rig but not fully flat like a solid state rig either. Every instrument can be heard properly which is good because there is a lot going on with this album.

Scar Symmetry have taken the "scream and sing" pattern that so many modern metal bands are using and amplifies it in both directions. The songs are full of catchy choruses, awesome solos and some interesting chord progressions. Keyboards are used to a tasteful degree. They pop up when appropriate and the sweeping pads conjure images similar to those of the album's artwork. To my ears there's no real balladesque song on the album however. Those are usually the more memorable songs on an album and it's a bit of a shame that one is missing here.

The vocals, as said before, go farther in both ways than on previous albums. The Death vox are more brutal and the clean vocals are more compelling and actually more abundant, which in my opinion is a good thing. Harsh vocals convey a feeling but people like to sing along to something too. The harmonies he lays down are very good as well. The musicianship here is top notch. A super tight rhythm section combined with great soloing and a diverse front man make Scar Symmetry a force to be reckoned with.

If I had to pick out some standout tracks from this album they would be the opener "Morphogenesis", "Measurement of Thought" and the long running title track "Holographic Universe". Every song on this album is great though and these guys have made some good strides since they started out on "Symmetric in Design".

Links

Scar Symmetry on Myspace
Scar Symmetry's official website
Buy the album

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