Holographic Universe

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.