Scar Symmetry

Miseration – Black Miracles and Dark Wonders Review

By Holdeneye on April 22, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 36 comments

“When it comes to versatile metal vocalists, few people pop into my head faster than Christian Älvestam. I loved his work with Scar Symmetry, and I followed his career after his departure. I was overjoyed when he joined Jani Stefanović (Renascent and DivineFire) in both Solution .45 and Miseration, and I especially enjoyed the latter’s output. Miseration’s 2006 debut Your Demons – Their Angels didn’t stray too far from Älvestam’s work in Scar Symmetry, opting for a highly melodic death metal sound and utilizing both death vocals and clean singing. I lost track of these guys after that, and I was utterly shocked—and delighted—to find that they were going to be releasing their fourth record here in 2022.” Misery love melodeath.

The Design Abstract – Metemtechnosis Review

By Twelve on November 1, 2021 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 22 comments

“Science fiction in heavy metal has absolutely no business being as cool as it somehow is. What is it about thick, heavy synths and thicker, heavier guitars that feels like such a strong match? I don’t really like science fiction in general, but as a musical concept? It works. I don’t know what to tell you, it just does. The Design Abstract hail from the Canadian province of Ontario, and seem to understand the game, as Metemtechnosis is their third full-length release under this moniker—and their second this year. The group plays melodic death metal to tell their futuristic stories.” Designing the future.

Drops of Heart – Stargazers Review

By Twelve on July 22, 2020 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 11 comments

“Although “melodeath/metalcore” is rarely a good thing around here, the greatest strength of Stargazers is how very well Drops of Heart are able to merge these styles together. Stargazers boasts a unified, cohesive sound in the rough style of Soilwork (whose vocalist guests on “Starlight,” so that’s probably not a coincidence), preferring their metalcore influences over their melodeath ones.” Stargazing into the past.

Buried Realm – Embodiment of the Divine Review

By Twelve on July 20, 2020 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 22 comments

“Buried Realm play an eager, galloping sort of melodeath, with lots of speedy leads, upbeat riffs, synthesizers, and solos everywhere. It’s almost as if Blind Guardian enthusiasm and subject matter met up with Scar Symmetry’s love of ambience and melodic-yet-death-y riffs, while the vocalists from the latter act offered helpful hints here and there.” Melodeath potluck.

Fractal Gates – The Light That Shines Review

By Master of Muppets on May 16, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, French Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Rain Without End records, Reviews, Space Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Space Metal, 99 comments

“Fractal Gates have been on my radar since a certain simian scribe o’ Steel introduced me to Enshine, one of several solid acts featuring Fractal Gates’ Sébastien Pierre. While Enshine sees Sébastien’s screams set to some sweetly soaring and seriously expressive string work, the dudes we’re discussing deal in dirtier, deathier depths of metal. Space-death, as it were, or something to that effect.” Good gates make good neighbors.

Dautha – Brethren of the Black Soil Review

By Ferrous Beuller on March 25, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Van Records, Doom Metal, 35 comments

“”The meaning of life is that it stops.” – Franz Kafka, doom metal luminary. If there’s one genre of our beloved tumult that, above all others, wants nothing more than to ponder death in all of its final implication, it’s, ironically, not death metal. Doom be thy name and death be Dautha’s, a Swedish band plying the same Candlemasstery that incites many a metalhead to rage against the Dying of the Bride.” Doomed to death.

70000 Tons of Metal: One Man’s Journey

By Mark Z. on March 12, 2017 in 2017, Blog Posts, Live Reviews, 39 comments

“My friends ask me what happened, but my ability to verbally communicate has been reduced to moaning and a weeping noise that sounds something like a baby panda crying for milk. I wonder how I’m going to make it through the final day of this floating festival. I wonder when the aching will subside. I wonder where my life went so wrong. How did I end up here, on the 7th annual 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, weak with exhaustion and feeling like my body has been bludgeoned with a sledgehammer? My mind drifts back…” Tales from a 70000 ton heavy thing.

Solution .45 – Nightmares in the Waking State – Part II Review

By Steel Druhm on September 24, 2016 in 2016, AFM Records, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, 22 comments

“Last year Christian Alvestam (ex-Scar Symmetry, Torchbearer) and his Solution .45 project dropped the first installment of a double album that went by the name of Nightmares in the Waking State – Part I. As expected, it was grounded in the same metalcore-tinged melo-death Alvestam’s been associated with throughout his music career. It had a few strong highlights but as a whole it was nothing earth-shaking. Almost a year later he’s back with the second installment of his double creature feature, but should you care?” Caring is sharing.

Solution .45 – Nightmares in the Waking State Pt. I – Review

By Steel Druhm on November 17, 2015 in 2015, AFM Records, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Swedish Metal, 23 comments

“Why is everything in my November promo bin a part I or IV of something bigger? I’m starting to feel like I’m trapped at the Third-Tier Fantasy Fiction Fan Con and I’m dreading what lurks around the next corner. Will it be The Atomic Dragon Bosoms of Gefilte Pt. VII? The Purple Cloak of Chromatic Unicorn Fabulousness Pt. X? Can’t we just do one-off albums again, people?”

The Unguided – Fragile Immortality Review

By Steel Druhm on January 30, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 28 comments

“Lovers of modern metal and Amaranthe groupies, take heed! Rising from the ashes of Sonic Syndicate, The Unguided is the newish project by ex-Syndicate members Richard Sjunnesson and Roland Johansson which strives to answer the immortal question “just how cheesy, poppy and crappy can you make melodic death metal sound?”” If this question has been gnawing at you, The Unguided may have the answer you seek.