Alvestam..Not Needed

--Three records already to Scar Symmetry's repertoire, 2009 came and a new record Dark Matter Dimensions, was at hand for the legions of melodic death metal fans. Although Scar has many fans, they took a big risk involving one key member.

A big part of the atmosphere of the album is the fact that their vocalist for the past 3 albums (Christian Alvestam) was fired, due to "creative differences". Thousands of fans were utterly disappointed and were unsure, upset about the bands future. Some thought it would bring them to their demise and things would fall apart quickly. The replacements were two vocalists named Roberth Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist. I'll admit at the first listen of this album, I was a bit upset at the lack of Alvestam. I, then saw them in concert last year and was blown away by their vocal abilities and showmanship. Foolish of me to think these guys were "nothing compared to Alvestam", they were excellent replacements. Roberth took over the "Harsh" vocals on the album and Lars with the "clean" and sometimes "harsh" vocals, on DMD.

Lars-Clean and sometimes harsh vocals

Roberth Harsh Vocals


Lyrics/Vocals: Their lyrics deal with space and destruction, similar to their previous releases and the words seem to flow effortlessly, despite the complexity of some of the intriguing word choices, for these two singers.
Roberth's harsh vocals are as low and almost as powerful s Christian's. Lars is not as great as Alvestam, but it's phenomenal and worth listening to with no doubt in question.

Guitars: Jonas strikes again with some of the most ferocious, melodic riffs you wish you could play. On tracks like "Noumenon and Phenomenon" and "The Iconoclast"

Drums: Henrik's drumming is quite superb, I don't drum so I'm no expert, yet his fills are enchanting and extreme.

Standout Tracks: Noted by bold.

1.The Iconoclast--5:07
2.The Consciousness Eaters--4:42
3.Noumenon and Phenomenon--4:13
4.Ascension Chamber--3:48
5.Mechanical Soul Cybernetics--3:27
6.Non-Human Era--4:45
7.Dark Matter Dimensions--4:12
8.Sculptor Void--5:23
9.A Parenthesis in Eternity--4:43
10.Frequencyshifter--3:15
11.Radiant Strain--4:15
12.Pariah (limited-edition digipak bonus track--5:22

Overall This album is easily a top contender for "best album" of 2009. It will be an iconic album in the future among the melodic death metal masses and people..go listen to it.

Rating: 8.9/10


9/10