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Scar Symmetry > Holographic Universe > Reviews
Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe

Should Have Been Trash, Could Have Been Treasure - 70%

TheRomanShitlord, July 4th, 2023

Melodic death metal has some amazing potential that unfortunately goes wasted. In theory you combine the aggression and creativity of death metal with the melody of heavy metal. In reality...95% of bands under the melodic death metal umbrella are either Maiden worship with death growls (can be but not always a bad thing) or Eurovision music with loud guitars (pretty universally shit). It's a real shame that more bands aren't like Intestine Baalism or Arsis, but stuff like that doesn't really sell out Ozzfest. Meanwhile absolute Roadrunner-core shite like Arch Enemy continues to be one of the biggest names in metal. It's frustrating but it ultimately is what it is.

Holographic Universe at first listen seems just like Eurovision music with loud guitars. Those choruses are absolutely ginormous (it puts a lot of genuine pop music to shame), with the riffage barely resembling melodic death metal. It just seems like all a vehicle to carrying along those pop choruses. And it doesn't help that the opener and lead single "Morphogenesis" is exactly that: a paint-by-numbers radio metal song featuring riffing no more complex than standard chugging with an overly clean "everyone sing along" chorus repeated a thousand times that's only considered heavy because the band tunes down to drop fuck.

...So is it kinda weird that I still like this? Let's get this out of the way here: this is death metal in name only, and I recommend you don't view as death metal. Even for the wide genre umbrella that melodic death metal took on, this is definitely one of the lightest bands with the name sake. Luckily this can really safely be viewed as a pop metal album. After all, the song structures are all verse-chorus with the vocals as the main focus of every song. This doesn't mean that there isn't some solid riffage, the chorus of "Quantumleaper" has a very nice riff that ties the entire song together, but the focus is very much on the vocals of Christian Alvestam. Whether he's doing harshes or cleans, he's got a really nice voice that definitely adds to the accessibility level of this release.

I should probably stop damning this with faint praise, because this is actually pretty good. Scar Symmetry has a knack for song-crafting, and unlike 99% of their melodic metal comrades the choruses don't seem super disjointed from the rest of the song. And it's not just choruses, there's a lot of flashy guitar work at hand here too, moreso in the solos. The riffs are fairly basic but still manage to compliment the songs quite well. I already mentioned the "Quantumleaper" chorus riff, but other songs like "The Missing Coordinates" and "Prism and Gate" also have very nice riffage within the songs. It's not uber-heavy but it's all earworm material for sure that still manages to tie everything together. If you're for pure power metal aggression, look no further than "Trapezoid", even if its chorus falls slightly flat it manages to be one hell of an onslaught.

So far this is all standard fare, but when Scar Symmetry bring out their progressive chops, you get some genuine classics. The title track is probably the closest that the album gets to melodeath territories with pretty consistently harsh vocals and overall heavier riffage, with an extremely uplifting chorus that's probably one of the best on the album. The song structure here is also more experimental. And despite being 9 minutes long it doesn't feel stretched in any way, it all works cohesively as probably the album's best track. The Ghost Prototype duology splits its ideas across two tracks but still works wonderfully for it with nice riffage in both and the second part in particular being some of the most pleasantly melodic material of the album, extremely uplifting and poignant. This especially applies when you're listening to the album in full, it's this huge payoff that closes the entire album just about perfectly.

There are duds here. From either choruses falling flat ("Morphogenesis") or just not having enough good ideas ("Fear Catalyst", "The Third-Dimensional Shadow"), some songs in here just don't work, and especially when the music is as poppy as it is, it's easy to fuck it up. Thankfully Scar Symmetry are pretty good songcrafters on the whole so most of the material is at least ok. The material on the whole is a little samey but it's not anything to knock the album on.

The production...ugh. This is your standard Nuclear Blast metal production. Guitars run through a million distortion pedals to make it seem more heavy than it is, drums triggered + quantized to hell and back, vocals processed like a top 40 hit, bass tracks that might as well not exist, and most of all: the album is absolutely brickwalled. It's bad, as to be expected from Nuclear Blast. Combined with its almost hour long runtime, and this could be a genuinely tough listen just on production values alone. The length is a little on the long side but it's not offensively bad. It actually almost flies by when listening to it. Still some tracks could be cut but I've no reason to complain about it.

Holographic Universe shouldn't be good. It has all the hallmarks of a melodic "death" metal release that make me scoff at the album and lament at what potential the genre has wasted in the pursuit of chasing radio success. And despite pretty much everything going against this from the outset, Holographic Universe manages to be an enjoyable if somewhat frustrating listen. These songs are pretty good...but I think it could be better. I like the standard Scar Symmetry shtick, but I adore the more progressive songs on display here. It almost feels like the band is holding themselves back at times, and I think if they went full send into that progressive side that they show this could be a genuine classic. As it stands though, Holographic Universe is a really solid album with decent pop sensibilities that's fit to entertain and a prime entry-level album into the more extreme subgenres of metal.

Originally written for Rate Your Music. https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/TheRomansLord/scar-symmetry/holographic-universe/168424772

Usher in the Era of Modern Metal I (Pretention of Thought) - 45%

Xpyro125, May 7th, 2022

Scar Symmetry, a Swedish melodic death metal band who is famous for having Christian Älvestam. That's about it, if we're being honest. Prior to listening to this album for a review two years ago, I had only heard "Morphogenesis", a couple Solution .45 songs from their debut that I decently enjoyed but can't remember, and "A Ringside Seat to Human Tragedy", a bonus track off Disarmonia Mundi's 2006 album, Mindtricks. Going back to the start of that sentence, I'm listening to this album for the second time front to back now. I won't hide my feelings about it: I wasn't really sold then, and I'm not sold now. This is one of the few times where I'd say the people who gave this album (Their most popular and supposedly best effort) a high rating are on some sort of drug that would probably make me fall back in love with Amaranthe and French kiss a quantum computer. If it wasn't for Älvestam, this band wouldn't have half of their fanbase past or present, and they wouldn't be anything even close to remarkable. I just don't care for this album whatsoever, and it makes me want to apologize to Epsilon (Blood Stain Child) for being so harsh, as the band actually felt like they were being honest with that album. I haven't listened to anything prior to this album or since, but this feels like a more modern, less talented Soilwork taken to the logical, yet somewhat natural extremes. Seriously, the majority of the 'riffing' is just really boring, chugging tech death, yet I'd somehow still say that it all falls more along the lines of melodic metal with growls slapped on. Even the worst Amaranthe album had more riffs than this, and if the album didn't have half the growls it does, I genuinely don't think Metallum would classify it as metal. Would I? Sure, but it's so fucking generically core that it's saddening to think about. The album, and by extension, the band has potential, but they played to their biggest strength and biggest flaw far too often, yet far too safely: Clean choruses that make for easy singles. Unlike Soilwork, which at least had one song on most of their albums (If not all), that isn't the case for even one song here. Holographic Universe is a sterile, saccharine, poppy conclusion to the Gothenburg sound that's representative of the state of melodeath starting in the mid to late 2000s, and I hate saying that because it's not all bad. I'd say that pound for pound, it's just as mid as Omnium Gatherum, if not a bit more. What's truly insulting is that their homepage says that the band is "Progressive Melodic Death Metal since 2004"- There is nothing progressive about Holographic Universe, and the foundation of melodic death metal is somewhat flimsy, but arguably passable. It's formulaic tech death that centers around its clean choruses, even when those clean choruses don't fit the rest of the song. That isn't to say that that's every song, but there are quite a few where that's the case.

Now that I've gotten all of that vitriol out of the way, let's dissect each element.

The guitarwork is mid at best, with only the solos shining amongst a sea of down-tuned metalcore/tech death chugging. Even though Metallum also lists groove metal as a subgenre for them, that style only shines in any meaningful way in three or so songs. The tone is somewhat scratchy and raw, yet it's also far too modern, and I just don't like it aside from when the riffing gets more melodic. The solos are the obvious exception there, sounding like high pitched prog metal solos that are actually, again, pretty damn good. The problem is that even though they're rather technical and all do hit different notes and whatnot each time, fuck me do they sound same-y as all hell. That being said, they're a bright spot for the album. Oh yeah, there's also one song with acoustic parts and one song with clean guitar parts. Normally, I fucking love those and are a sucker for them. I genuinely have nothing to comment on about them. They simply exist.

Due to the production and mixing being rather modern, loud, and focused on just boosting the front end, the bass gets lost in the mix. This is probably also the fault of the guitars being standard tuned seven-strings that primarily focused on the bottom three strings, so I can't fault the engineers all too much. They worked with what they could, and for all intents and purposes, I think the production and mixing is bang-on otherwise. Is it a bit cluttered and in your face? Yes, but it works well for the style. When you can hear the bass (Which is generally just when the distorted guitars aren't playing), it sounds pretty fucking good. It has a surprisingly smooth tone, and I wish we could hear it more often. The drumkit sounds fucking fantastic though, with it sounding natural, yet also having a nice piercing punchiness to it. It's weird to think that there isn't seemingly much compression on the kit, yet it sounds more like metal drums than rock drums. The drums are pretty much perfect in terms of sound on the album, and thankfully, the playing is pretty damn good too. I remembered it much more than I remembered the guitarwork.

You would think the vocals would be the make or break on this album: The cleans are extremely poppy, so that's generally a point of contention. I'd say Älvestam did a pretty damn good job here, with the vocals and keyboards easily being what carried the album to decent heights for me. His harsh vocals primarily consist of shout-like growls, though he occasionally goes down to the gurgles of standard death metal. While the latter usually isn't my thing, I'd say it's pretty damn good here. Maybe it's just because I felt like going back to literally anything else about a third of the way through the album, but hey, I enjoyed them here. Meanwhile, yeah, his clean vocals are pretty fucking good and pretty fucking poppy. The higher end of his register is like Strid on crack or Skynet, and for most intents and purposes, it works pretty well. That being said, I prefer the almost operatic and theatric tone of Dave Hunt's more. The lower end of his register has the same tone, and cadence of Lajon Witherspoon from Sevendust, which I actually wish was utilized more, especially since it's the higher end that's always used for the clean choruses in pretty much the same key every time. It has a much-needed timbre that the higher end of his register simply lacks, which only adds to just how 'modern metal' the album feels. The clean choruses are usually pretty good, but starting with the title track, I noticed them not only feeling unnecessary, but that they also didn't link up with the hooks before and verses after well at all. The clean choruses, and clean vocals as a whole, are a massive crutch for the band, and I'd argue that it's even more egregious than Soilwork here.

As for the songs, I quite like the first four. "Morphogenesis" is the best of the bunch, but it's also the most representative of everything that Holographic Universe is. It makes sense why this was chosen as the opener and the lead single: It's the most streamlined, and it's Holographic Universe executed its best. "Timewave Zero" is what happens when you do a Sevendust song in the style of Amaranthe. I'd actually prefer it without the one harsh verse, as it feels completely out of place, but it doesn't ruin the song. "Quantumleaper" actually has does groove well, but it straddles the line of mediocrity. Thankfully, there's more melody and good writing here than on the majority of the album. "Artificial Sun Projection" has an awesome riff, and the chorus has a bit of a power metal flair to it. It's pretty damn good, but that's where the album flatlines into becoming simply passable for a long time. "Prism and Gate" is actually pretty cool too, with the Amaranthe-styled chorus actually being a good thing here.

The title track feels like actual progressive melodic death metal/tech death, but it falls apart with the clean choruses. I wish the beginning was a short instrumental interlude to the two or so minute mark of what we got, where it would then start a new song. That would've been pretty fucking awesome, and it would've shaken things up for a little bit, especially since the first two minutes is pretty goddamn interesting and different. "The Three-Dimensional Shadow" is really fucking cool progressive tech death aside from the clean choruses, though the subdued clean vocals in the hooks are absolutely perfect. Everything else is completely mediocre and sounds the same, and I feel like I like just over half of the album, since I've split on the last two. That being said, I'm still rating this lower than 50% because not only do I find that the rest of the songs add next to nothing, but I find there to be a fundamental flaw with the individual elements themselves as well.

Unfortunately, this album is simply pretentious, especially with the barebones application of a science-fiction type of theme. The coolest thing you'll get from it is the album's artwork, which is admittedly awesome. That being said, I'm not giving them any brownie points for a nice cover. That being said, I call Holographic Universe pretentious because it pretends to do a lot and isn't nearly as technical or varied as it wants you to think it is. Everything follows a set structure, even moreso than the worst Soilwork album. At least something like Sworn to a Great Divide tried different sounds with "The Pittsburgh Syndrome" and "Light Discovering Darkness". Holographic Universe follows the same general sound for every song, with every song also having the same clean chorus over and over (Occasionally the verses have clean vocals instead of harsh vocals, but that's the most variety there is), and after two verses and two choruses, they change key(?) rather abruptly without much cohesion to make you think that the song's veered off in a different direction, when it's really just going into a high-pitched solo that's in the same key every time, only to then transition back just as choppily as before with a verse and a chorus before ending the song with a chord that's sustained for a bar. There's never a fadeout, there's never any sort of different. There's never a song that starts with a slow build, save for the title track. That isn't progressive. I would argue that Periphery is more along the lines of true progressive metal than Scar Symmetry (Though in fairness, I quite like Periphery- I'm willing to admit my bias). Every song on this album is cookie cutter and formulaic, and aside from Älvestam's vocals, it completely lacks personality. It feels like Skynet writing an album about the dangers of Skynet, but not really. While the keyboards are pretty good, they don't see much use outside of "Morphogenesis" and the title track. Even Soilwork, Blood Stain Child, and Dark Tranquillity used their keyboardists to their fullest extent. Aside from "Morphogenesis", I doubt I'll ever be listening to any of this again.

It all ends with me asking myself: "Why listen to Scar Symmetry?". I could listen to Soilwork if I want that type of structure or melodic death metal- They even have good groove metal here and there. I could listen to Devildriver, Pantera, or even Hellyeah if I wanted better groove metal too. Then again, I'd argue that even Five Finger Death Punch does groove metal better, and they're fucking awful. I could listen to Sevendust, as the hard rock style and timbre of Witherspoon's vocals feel more warm and authentic. I could listen to Amaranthe if I want more variety and cheesiness. Would I? No, not really, but I could. I could listen to Anaal Nathrakh if I wanted the soaring highs of Hunts vocals along with absolutely insane harsh vocals with an incredible range. I could listen to Epsilon by Blood Stain Child, as it does melodic metal-styled melodeath much more honestly and pleasantly, as the majority of it isn't so saccharine. All of these examples feel far more genuine and identifiable than Holographic Universe. Holographic Universe is representative of every detractor of melodeath's view of the downfall and modernization of the melodic death metal and Gothenburg sounds. If you like this, that's fine. I wish I could, as melodic death metal is my favorite subgenre. I wish I could celebrate all the different facets of it. But this just sounds like a calculated amalgamation of every facet of melodic death metal without any of the soul, and unlike something like Nickelback where I can respect the unfortunately soulless and corporate genius of it, this isn't anything that's even close to interesting or noteworthy. Chad Kroeger at least developed an understanding of the industry and mainstream audience and wrote the band's music to pander to it. Scar Symmetry just mashed together the standard melodeath fare. It's unsurprising that it never even blew up all too much in the melodic death metal circles either- Unremarkable is the very best adjective I can describe Holographic Universe as. Does the band have potential? Sure, but it's fucking wasted, as any good or interesting ideas are thrown out for the same repetitive formula. So this review ends with me asking you: "Why listen to Scar Symmetry?". If you find any satisfactory answers, then good for you- And I mean that. Because if nothing else, that means you did what I couldn't, and I can be happy for you for enjoying something that I find little enjoyment in.

Songs To Recommend: "Morphogenesis", "Timewave Zero", "Artificial Sun Projection", "Prism and Gate", "Holographic Universe"
Songs To Avoid: "The Missing Coordinates", "Ghost Prototype I (Measurement of Thought)", "Fear Catalyst", "Trapezoid", "Ghost Prototype II (Deus Ex Machina)"

We are done with world views mechanical. - 45%

Diamhea, January 25th, 2014

Holographic Universe proves that Scar Symmetry had great potential, but it ends up crumbling under the weight of its own pretense by virtue of bloated, directionless compositions. Älvestam is still the trump card here, however, and his saccharine clean vocals end up being the major drawing point. Regardless, this just accentuates the vapid nature of the stock melodic death posturing and throbbing keyboard lines. There is such a wide quality margin it is almost as if a different band shows up during the more impressive songs.

Naturally, the opener and single "Morphogenesis" is the real gem here. It is such an obvious attempt at a single it should be offensive, but the chorus is its saving grace. Älvestam's voice soars high and mighty, but it is actually the subtle keyboard line lurking in the background of the chorus that serves as the final piece that ties the whole thing together into a cohesive whole. It begins to lose steam during the solo section but wisely rushes to the final chorus to save face. "Ghost Prototype I (Measurement of Thought)" is loaded with hooks and is probably my favorite track here. The electronic stabbing of the synths accentuates the otherwise fetid stop-start riffs effectively. "Trapezoid" is the last true keeper here, the main melody is infectious and the band gathers a decent amount of speed during some of the verses.

Nearly everything else adds to the nebulous mass of filler that makes up the majority of Holographic Universe. "Fear Catalyst" and "Artificial Sun Projection" have some enterprising individual moments but while enjoyable to listen to in the moment, they are quickly forgotten. Some of the most boring moments manifest themselves when the band tries to accentuate their melodic death side, such as on "Prism and Gate". It comes off as forced and insincere. Älvestam's death growls are potent, but it just doesn't play to Scar Symmetry's strength here, which whether or not fans want to admit it are the poppy choruses and catchy keyboards. Other than some cool moments near the end of "The Three-Dimensional Shadow", all tracks not already mentioned are complete throwaways.

I have to make special mention of the title track, which is an overlong, plodding affair with embarrassing ambient keyboard effects that add to the growing laundry list of problems present here. The lyrics come off as haughty, yet are at the same time cliche and say virtually nothing we haven't already heard from other, better extreme acts. To go positive for a change, Kjellgren's production is professional, as per the album's more mainstream sensibilities. The guitars have a decent bite to them, and the keyboards and bass ebb and flow effectively throughout the proceedings.

It took Scar Symmetry three tries with Älvestam, but they finally pulled a few awe inspiring performances out of him on here, as per the aforementioned killer tracks. Sadly, Älvestam bailed after this album, so move along, nothing more to see here.

The Universe is Both Expanding and Shrinking... - 70%

metal22, February 27th, 2013

'Holographic Universe' is the final chapter of what I like to call the Christian Alvestam trilogy. The band did in no way 'lose it' after he left, but lets face it: he had some serious vocal talent. Now what can be said about this album you ask? Its definitely bigger and more diverse than the others, but not necessarily for the better. Don't get me wrong though, this is still a very well crafted album with spotless production values. There are some instant classics on this CD, but as a whole it just doesn't seem to match their magnificent first two albums.

Firstly, the band have clearly branched out further into the ideas of space and time, as is highlighted in the lyrical themes. Song titles like 'Morphogenesis' and 'Artificial Sun Projection' are appropriately named due to their spacey, futuristic riffs. This albums predecessor, 'Pitch Black Progress', took ideas from the debut and made them bigger and bolder. Once again we have that here but it would seem that it is TOO over the top sometimes. For example the choirs in the pre-chorus to 'Quantumleaper' sound almost a bit silly and out of place in an otherwise solid track. There are some jaw-dropping melodies on this record though, like the epic title track which takes the biscuit for the albums finest song. It combines death metal brutality with a beautiful melodic chorus, and some guitar solos that are almost reminiscent of Brian May (seriously!). But they seem to fit well with the song and it works. Songs like 'Trapezoid' have barely any growling at all, and it is nice to have a mixture of diverse sounding songs.

The major flaws on this record are that Scar Symmetry tried to be overly ambitious, and while certain elements work, some don't. The guitar work is sensational on some tracks and downright bizarre on others, which is a shame. 'Prism and Gate' is a shambles of a track, as it constantly changes from brutally harsh to very un-metal indeed, and the result is a song that sounds like two jumbled into one, almost contradicting itself. The drums are pretty solid on this record all the way through, as are the vocals. In fact the vocals steal the show, soaring to dizzying heights in places. The only real problem is that Christian's growling to clean ratio seems strangely placed in some parts. The exception comes with the awesome finale of the album. This is a song that has it all, and he really times it all perfectly here.

Overall this album is by no means 'bad'. There are some truly unforgettable tracks that match, or even surpass some of those on the old albums. However it is let down by some sickly, OTT melodies that strain so hard to be epic and 'out of this world' that they just sound odd and lifeless. I have a feeling that this is the last possible half decent album they could have made in this manner, before voyaging into all out absurdity. Buy it if you already follow Scar Symmetry as there is gold to be found here, but if you are just getting into them maybe start from the beginning. The Christian Alvestam Trilogy is the metal equivalent to the Godfather trilogy.

A marmite album for sure.

Over-rated, predictable tosh - 42%

EndlessTorment, July 11th, 2009

I really liked Scar Symmetry's previous effort "Pitch Black Progress" so I was eager to see what their new album would bring. The metal press had already started falling over themselves in their praise of this new melodic death metal masterpiece, and while they aren't always correct, rarely have they been so wrong.

I'm going to go against the grain of most of the reviews here (and most other places) and say that I really don't agree that this was a great album.

For a start, "Holographic Universe" isn't death metal. It's melodic metal with some death metal growls. And while the melodies ARE huge, the problem is that they are all the same one! Don't even start me on the riffs, most of which are shapeless and totally formulaic. Sometimes they're not even whole riffs, just big half-chuggy things that some deathcore band left laying around some place. I'm not kidding. After making one of the better melodeath albums of 2006, Scar Symmetry has completely dropped the ball and made one of the most disappointing releases of 2008.


"Morphogenesis" gets things underway OK, like every lead-off track should, but foreshadows what the rest of "Holographic Universe" is going to sound like. Just like Soilwork, Scar Symmetry saves all the melody for the choruses, and then lays them on with a trowel. Christian Älvestam has perhaps the most harmonious clean vocal style in Swedish metal. It's like honey. I kept thinking they'd brought in a boy band to do this choruses; so saccharine they are, it's almost sickening. But the worst part is that he recycles the same melody in every single song. It's like he doesn't know how to sing another way. To top it off, there just aren't any hooks. In fact, these songs are so not-catchy that by the time I'd heard the entire album I had to go back and listen to what the first few songs sounded like because I'd almost forgotten!

Unlike some albums, "Holographic Universe" didn't get any better the second time around. This made me even more disappointed. If there is one redeeming feature, however, it is that in a genre where lead guitar is fast disappearing, Jonas Kjellgren and Per Nilsson really cut loose with some classic metal soloing that goes far beyond the hackneyed collection of trills and sweeps that pose for guitar solos these days. Even so, this isn't much of a recommendation, because the success of an album rides with the strength of its songs, and the songs here are weak.

"Timewave Zero" is just a lame pop song with some heavy bits. Other songs completely misfire and I found still others simply annoying. The totally misnamed "Fear Catalyst" started out like it was going to rip my head off, but Ävestam started up with his boyband routine within seconds, ruining everything! "Prism and Gate" sounded like it was heading in some interesting industrial direction for about a heartbeat, but then -- you guessed it -- that same goddamn melody line appeared. After a brief moment when I thought Scar Symmetry was going to get interesting again, they went straight back to what they'd been doing for the previous 35 minutes. Even the solo was predictable.

The title track offered a slim ray of hope. The first three minutes of this is the best part of the whole album: the synths and guitars working in perfect unison to build a heavy, epic-sounding, almost grand atmosphere, a really powerful section like the build up to the greatest climactic battle scene ever filmed. If the whole thing had been like this, "Holographic Universe" would have not just been the album of the year, it would have been one of the best metal albums ever. But then at precisely the three-minute mark that same poppy vocal line comes back, as if someone decided that one-third of the way into a nine-minute track was simply long enough to wait. The cool bit returned for a while as Kjellgren and Nilsson unleashed some monster soloing, but then after that the whole song just runs completely out of steam, a complete waste of four and a half minutes. Indeed, "Holographic Universe" seems to epitomise the failings of the entire album: so much promise but too few ideas.

If I was enough of a fan of this band to be crushed, I would be pulverised. Because I'm not, I don't care that much. There's plenty of other bands around. But there is a bunch of people out there who actually think this is pretty good, and that makes me very afraid indeed.

Originally written for Pyromusic.net

Christian Älvestam will be sorely missed - 90%

barrage, February 2nd, 2009

Holographic Universe is the third studio album of the melodic death metal band from Avesta, Sweden. And it is quite unfortunate that Christian Älvestam is no longer their vocalist. Termed a death metal band, Scar Symmetry and Christian Älvestam in particular, did extremely well in incorporating clean vocals in amongst the systematic din of the guitars. The first two albums were good, but Holographic Universe is their magnum opus. In this album, we see more of Christian Älvestam’s clean vocal which is extremely good and suits Scar Symmetry’s sound. Though not many bands can pull this off as well as these guys do, it is indeed a pity that Christian Älvestam has left the band. Don’t get me wrong, as some people may think I listen to pop and love clean vocals, but the barrage of death metal riffs and the stream of death metal bands that I have heard over the years, has opened my ears to that fact that clean vocals can be incorporated if done properly. Opeth is the best example.

Another aspect of Scar Symmetry’s that has improved is the guitar solos. The solos are quite brilliant and eloquent, with clear melodies being shredded out courtesy Jonas Kjellgren. His guitar playing has improved since the “Symmetric In Design” and “Pitch Black Progress” days, with better solos and pummelling riffage. “Timewave Zero,” “Quantumleaper,” and “Prism and Gate” are excellent songs with breathtaking solos. “Morphogenesis” contains a superb clean vocal which isn’t a rarity on this album, as Christian does not cease to prove how good his clean vocal is. “Fear Catalyst” starts of quite heavy but like most songs on this album, has its part where Christian Älvestam’s clean vocal shines. “Artificial Sun Projection” is another brilliant song with some spectacular guitar work and a brilliant solo.

The thing with Christian Älvestam’s vocal is that his clean vocal is extremely good unlike bands that attempt to sing clean, and he has good range. From a partially high pitch to devastating growls to outstanding clean, Christian Älvestam has an enviable array of vocal styles at his disposal. Some Scar Symmetry fans from 2004 and the fans that supported them well before 2004 may think that the growls should be more prominent as they are a death metal band, but there are those who think that the clean vocals are quite decent.

Jonas Kjellgren has unfortunately retained his title of being an underrated guitarist. His guitar work contains battering heavy riffs and blistering solos which are often taken for granted as people seem to ignore the talent that this band has. Perhaps lacking are the sweeps that used to dominate a substantial number of solos from the “Symmetric In Design” and “Pitch Black Progress” albums. In spite of that, the solos are still above par, blistering and relentless as are most of Jonas’s solos and it would be pleasing to see Scar Symmetry continue with the same tenacity and ferocity that they are know for, in spite of of Christian Älvestam’s departure.

Gothenburg Gold - 91%

GuntherTheUndying, October 16th, 2008

Scar Symmetry has often been the scapegoat of an obviously-failing scene of Swedish melodic death metal bands that look up at one-step-ahead Gothenburg factions and wish they could be like those dreamy cool-cats. “Holographic Universe,” however, is more than another dull record our community wouldn’t embrace; instead, it’s a wonderful glimpse into Scar Symmetry’s finest mindset, not a previous infatuation brightening pathetic mirages like half-rate melodic death metal. As a whole, the band is musically bent on a modernized Gothenburg-like stance, but that small truth should not scare you away, for the mixture of these entities is outstanding when brought together under Scar Symmetry’s fancy sun. In this universe built from illusions, only “Holographic Universe” can connect computerized wires into absolute excellence.

Setting fake images aside, Scar Symmetry’s approach is equally balanced between their traditional tampers and a mild edge of pop. Surely, some might find it a little overblown or perhaps unnecessary, yet the band’s combo can only create greatness evolving with slick riffs in the melodic sense alongside catchy choruses that avoid mass repetition and one-layered musicianship; plus, every member keeps this touch alive while riffing and drumming on remarkable wires. Also, all these tracks are written in total direction towards their modernized-Gothenburg stint without driving astray; indeed, they keep the melody and the catchiness in masterful chains. When you view the melodic death facility in general, “Holographic Universe” has it all: spellbinding instrumentation, unforgettable anthems, solos that make Mr. Fantastic stand in awe, and some sweet surprises everyone enjoys.

No matter how magical or futuristic our friends at Scar Symmetry appear, Christian Älvestam stands alone, showered in his blissful larynx. For those that have ignored or never heard of this gentle lad, please grab your headphones and analyze; this is the voice of an underground idol, with more talent and charisma than any namable vocalist of similar niches. The vocalist has a rare gift to sing and growl perfectly on both levels, so let’s just say singers on all spectrums better be worried. His true charm, however, shines amongst cleaner sections in which Christian’s voice reaches into wonderful pitch control and remarkable abilities that could induce rabid love in seconds. If Scar Symmetry is a body, Älvestam is the soul, and I’ll bet he can easily beat up Jesus, no question.

Having acquired that-one-group status, I honestly can’t see why anyone would find “Holographic Universe” an obsolete program for the Gothenburg system. After all, Scar Symmetry has written material beyond their expectations, even despite its poppy spines or semi-generic wallops. It’s really too bad Älvestam exiled from the Scar Symmetry camp, but I guess that’s how time works; always mysterious, and certainly unpredictable. Still, one can only gloat over the mystic production “Holographic Universe” has left for Gothenburg fans, so give it a shot, if you wish. I can’t guarantee you’ll love the release, yet you’ll certainly find at least a few instances otherworldly in a sense of symmetrical wonders.

This review was written for: www.leviatan-magazine.com

Melody much? - 80%

ConquerTheBaphomet, August 21st, 2008

Here we have the follow up to Pitch Black Progress. I must say, Scar Symmetry is a Melodic Death Metal band that surely doesn't bring anything new to this tried and true subgenre but they do it so well. With 3 albums and 1 consistent lineup, who knows what this band is capable of?

Christian Alvestam is definitely one of the best singers in music. Not just Metal but music. His tenor voice almost doesn't even fit this band's music but it almost seems like they wrote all the songs on this album around his amazing voice. In songs like, "Timewave Zero" and "Ghost Prototype II (Deus Ex Machina)", the melodies are the best part of the songs. Every time the hook comes up, I prepare myself for an auditory melodic barrage. My one and only problem with the vocals on this album is that during the harsh vocals parts, the growls are not as prominent nor powerful as on previous work. It seems they focused the majority of their songwriting on these vocals melodies.

The riffing is ok. On most of the album, they seemed to focus more on rhythm then on actual riffage. Nonetheless, I enjoy what they've done in the songwriting even if the guitars are not quite as heavy as on their previous albums. The Death Metal part of this band is almost completely gone on this album. Maybe they figured they could ride on the coattails of In Flames and Soilwork with their super melodic guitar work. If that's the case, at least it still works for Scar Symmetry.

Overall, I would say I really enjoy this album namely for the melodic choruses. On standout tracks like "Timewave Zero" and their grand opus, "Holographic Universe", you'll find yourself singing boldly along. Go ahead. It won't hurt. Much.

Gothenburger and fries to go. - 60%

chaxster, June 3rd, 2008

The Gothenburg sound has been big for a couple of years now, and to their credit, Scar Symmetry have been one of the recent passengers on that wagon that have made a sort of impression. Using the 'heading for the bigtime' pop-metal formula of two-tone vocals (growled verses/clean harmonised choruses, for those not in the know), they've put out two albums which, while far from being essential, were a fun distraction and decent showcase for some impressive fretwork.


'Yeah sure, they're Svedes. They're supposed to be tight, what else is new?' Ah, hang on, this isn't just a matter of being tight – the guitarists, Per Nilsson in particular, have an extraordinary talent for leads. Far from being a flurry of sweeps and alternate picked madness, some of their solo spots are packed with snaking lines, crazy usage of string skipping and you end up feeling that the notes are coming at you from all over the place. The effect is a bit dampened thanks to an almost keyboard-like tone, but even so, it's hard to ignore the skill.


When you factor the guitar wizardry out, things don't look all that rosy. Christian Älvestam's got a decent voice and that makes for some catchy singalong choruses, but those tend to lose their sheen after a few spins if the song's not strong enough to house it. And unfortunately, third time hasn't been a charm in the songwriting department. While the earlier albums had some tight numbers bordering fillersville, this one doesn't really get that far off the ground. Morphogenesis is probably their tv single, the title track has some cool stuff happening here and there, and the second Ghost Prototype song has this nice pop vibe going for it. There's a few changes to the sound, but nothing to suggest that these guys may be covering new and exciting ground in the future. Even the leads don't seem as impressive as they were before. Some come off a bit hurried and messy, though there are still some sublime runs that could knock you onto your ass. Knowing life's penchant for irony, it's probable that these guys are going to be more popular after this album than the last one.


If you're a big fan of their previous efforts, this one's not going to rub you the wrong way. It's tolerable enough when it's spinning, but doesn't scream to be played when you're going through your options. I think that they just might have painted themselves into a corner with no way to go but down unless they reinvent themselves. However guitarist Jonas Kjellgren's other band, World Below, is a fantastic underrated doom outfit that comes highly recommended.

http://kvltsite.com