Review Summary: After their previous comparatively bland and rushed effort, Scar Symmetry deliver a piece that may yet live up to Pitch Black Progress... or surpass it.
Scar Symmetry is a band who has made a name for themselves on the grounds of their consistently solid releases. A brand such as this burdens one with quite a responsibility to fulfill - a responsibility that can and will backfire violently if one falls even a bit short of the elevated expectations everyone has. Such an act of failing to meet the fans' expectations can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, though, as it will discourage many from expecting any good from the band in the future. Oh how pleasantly surprised they'll be.
The fifth effort of Scar Symmetry is called The Unseen Empire, its lyrical themes cover the Illuminati and global domination oriented conspiracies and the music for it was written while the band was on tour. This bold move may seem somewhat rash at first glance, considering the excessive haste with which their previous underwhelming record was released. But let us not forget that one of their finest, Pitch Black Progress, was released only over a year after their no less impressive debut. There can be no assessing Scar Symmetry's prowess in terms of time - the band members bend it.
Long story short: yes, this album is good. This album is what you've been waiting for so anxiously. It abounds in all those delicate tastes and touches that the previous album lacked and that make memorable, inspired music. The songs display the usual variety - if not greater than on any of the previous albums, which makes each spin highly and genuinely enjoyable. The track Illuminoid Dream Sequence for example, contains a brooding techno-like intro (a strong point widely acknowledged by fans listening to the pre-release online stream), while the following Extinction Mantra starts off with what sounds like an excerpt from something Egyptian. The usage of electronics has shifted towards the dark and the sinister, while the riffing has enriched itself to encompass not only polyrhythmic chugging of the previous release, but also simplistic yet infectiously catchy, almost naive sounding melodic riffs, best demonstrated in the uplifting, anthem-like Domination Agenda. The opener The Anomaly is arguably their best album opener to date, blending the groove of Chaosweaver with the melodies reminescent of The Illusionist, while the wondrously progressive "Seers of the Eschaton" shifts through a whole array of moods and instrumentations in just under six minutes.
Very importantly (as it seemed to have been one of primary reasons for dismay regarding the previous album) one can safely establish that the clean singer Lars Palmqvist has grown to fit into the band. And fit he does perfectly - in this reviewer's opinion Christian Älvestam himself couldn't actually replace Lars on this album. He has developed considerable technique and control over his voice, and the lines written for him by Per Nilsson are much better than the ones from Dark Matter Dimensions, going head to head with those written and delivered by Älvestam on the first three albums. The track Extinction Mantra seems to be a weak point in regards to this, though, as some parts are sung in weak, airy falsetto. However, Christian has committed very similar practices to tape on Symmetric in Design as well, so Lars cannot be blamed. Overall, a big kudos to him. Lars' friend, the growler Roberth Karlsson has been favored in the production process more than on Dark Matter Dimensions - his growls sound more raw, aggressive and ferocious, reminding one of Mikael Åkerfeldt or Dan Swanö - they definitely hit the spot and Roberth proves that his esteem as Sweden's finest growler (in his band's minds at least) is well deserved.
The solos of Per Nilsson have developed much in terms of creativity and techniques he uses - his solos are now more unpredictable and erratic, borrowing somehow from his friend Jonas Kjellgren's style. This was probably due to the fact that Jonas broke his arm and I've no idea if it healed in time to record his own parts. Anyway the solos in the songs are just as good as ever, particularly the lead from The Anomaly deserves recognition for its catchiness. An interesting point of the whole blend is the production of drums. On The Unseen Empire the snares have been enriched with an almost techno-like echo effect, which although unused on any previous albums, gives the snares a whole packload of power. In terms of heaviness the album is closest to Pitch Black Progress - the general idea is that what this album lacks in heaviness it makes up for with speed, dynamics and variety. Although the heaviness is generally around the Scar Symmetry average, all the tracks are very positively energetic and uplifting, a trait akin to quality power metal.
The Unseen Empire is a musical journey of epic magnitude, and an actual progression in Scar Symmetry's ever subtly-changing songwriting style. It encompasses many little flavors from any given previous album and more. Each and every track is well thought through - as if the band was trying to adress all the flaws and criticism that Dark Matter Dimensions received. After that comparatively bland and rushed effort, Scar Symmetry deliver a piece that may yet live up to Pitch Black Progress... or surpass it.
Pros:
- Each track is unique. Three listens and you're sucked in.
- The Anomaly - likely a contender for the first place in terms of plays on Last.fm
- Great variety and development, progressive edge and the usual goods amplified with new, fresh ideas. FRESH FRESH!
- Some nice djent riffing on a few tracks
- Lars
Cons:
- Length (only 9 songs and about 10 minutes less than the average of their previous albums). At least you'll see that they've gone for quality not quantity.
- The closer song of the album doesn't fade out, only ends abruptly. Kinda got used to the former.
8,5/10
