Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (Nuclear Blast Records) - Back
Scar Symmetry, a Swedish melodic death metal band; have been making great strides in the metal world, releasing a well-received debut album, 2005's 'Symmetric in Design', before following it up a year later with Pitch Black Progress. Their second release was a positive step ahead for the five-piece, as they added more of a balance between clean vocals and death growls that was reminiscent of Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell vocal delivery. And with utilizing keyboards for a more progressive, symphonic sound that suited the band for the better. For their third release, Scar Symmetry shifted the balance yet again and brought the clean vocals more upfront, keeping the band's core sound while adjusting it to create an album that is similar, yet diverse, to any of Scar Symmetry's previous releases. "Morphogenesis" is the single that has been making its rounds around the metal community. Another possible single is "Artificial Sun Projection," with its heavy use of keyboards, a crazy solo section and high vocals by Älvestam. Älvestam takes a lot of chances with his vocals, employing more clean vocals that are soaring and opera-like at times. "Timewave Zero" is split right down the middle, with the first half being melodic and draws influence from power metal, while the second half breaks down into a death metal assault.

'Holographic Universe' surprises the listener with a few moments of brief clarity and tranquility. "The Missing Coordinates" is one of the fastest songs on the album, yet comes out of nowhere with a clean electric guitar passage, with some bluesy licks to boot, and a piano outro that has a soothing, yet creepy, vibe behind it. "Fear Catalyst" brings out the acoustic guitars for an all-too-brief section that leads into a dueling solo that has Nilsson and Kjellgren trading off each other. "Ghost Prototype" is a two part song that deals with being trapped by the machine and trying to break free. The song, when put together, goes all over the place, with Älvestam giving a harsh and powerful vocal performance. The guitar work is phenomenal, the drum work is varied & powerful, and the keyboard work is prominent, but sits too much in the background. While it doesn't match the title track, the song has a philosophical message behind it; one that takes multiple listens to digest.

Most of the lyrical content on Holographic Universe is very complex and takes a few listens to absorb. Dealing with science and philosophy, the album is based on the concept that the government is controlling the citizens of Earth and that the citizens fight back and open their minds to find the hidden truth behind their situation. A story like this has to be backed by innovative and thought-provoking lyrics, something that drummer/lyricist Henrik Ohlsson brings to the table. It's nice to see a metal band take a chance like this, what with the over usage of the angry/tough guy lyrics that many modern bands throw out. Holographic Universe is a good album that had a lot to live up to, following the fantastic Pitch Black Progress. While it doesn't quite reach that level, with some filler tracks, such as The Three-Dimensional Shadow & Trapezoid and a similar tempo & feel to each track. None of these flaws ruined my experience with Holographic Universe in any way and it is one of the stronger metal albums to be released this year. The band has a chance to make it big with this release and I hope that they are able to do that. Fans of the band's previous releases will find another solid release from Scar Symmetry.

While not as consistent as Pitch Black Progress, Holographic Universe is another solid release from the Swedish foursome. The band has progressed to a more melodic sound that should attract more fans.

Rating: 80

Reviewed By: Cameron Edney - http://www.myspace.com/insideout666ints