Symmetric in Design

It is a funny thing how so many steadfast Scar Symmetry defenders guide curious ears toward the front half of the band's catalogue. I mean, I totally get that the loss of Älvestam was of grave concern; dude's got a spectacular set of pipes on him. Regardless, after Solution .45 let out the stinker that was For Aeons Past in 2010, it was time to look elsewhere. That elsewhere ended up being Scar Symmetry themselves, who have at the very least been able to hold my fucking attention with Dark Matter Dimensions and The Unseen Empire. Neither album is anything more than a fair listen, but I respect the band for trying to cut and run from under Älvestam's imposing shadow. And then looking at the supposed masterpiece that is Holographic Universe; it only has three truly great songs. Can you believe those are far and away better than anything the band released beforehand? "The Illusionist" comes closest, but Symmetric in Design takes the cake for being the most featureless, stale romp the band has committed to disc to date.

For '05 this can be granted some measure of leniency, as can the fact that it is the band's debut. These exonerations aside, there just isn't a whole lot going on here. Most staggering is the near-complete dearth of inventive and uplifting synth arrangements. Although the band has never forced this facet to the point of active irritation, it has served as a memorable outlier on some of Scar Symmetry's best songs. Save for "The Eleventh Sphere," most of these tracks prefer operating within a flippant melodic death/groove mold that simply deflates on impact. Unless I'm mistaken, most Scar Symmetry fans turn to the band for majestic and nebular leadwork. While this is certainly present on the opener "Chaosweaver," most songs rely on lurching, modern groove intervals alongside Älvestam's tenor to sell the appeal.

While Älvestam can always be relied on for functional grunts, his cleans just aren't that amazing here either. He passes muster on a technical level, but the vocal melodies simply aren't that enterprising or well-integrated to begin with. "Chaosweaver" (incidentally the best track here) features the best vocal patterns, so I find no problem in stating that Symmetric in Design opens nicely. On other outings like "Hybrid Cult" the vocals feel plopped on like a spare tire though, and the higher-pitched shrieking occasionally interspersed within is highly unwelcome and disorienting. He was obviously still coming into his own at this juncture.

The band pulls it together on a few occasions, as "Underneath the Surface" features a solo section laced in synthetic bliss and driven home by the throbbing synth line underneath. The band usually falls flat on their collective face when they try to play up the groove aspect, but "The Obscure Alliance" is really quite smashing. The dual lead that opens up the song is definitely a highlight, and many a neck will get a workout from the main riff. Irrefutably simple, but undeniably more effective than most of what's here. Holographic Universe suffered from the exact same lack of memorability on the waning half, and as such Symmetric in Design portends many of the band's coming deficiencies. I can find a use for two or three of these tracks, and this is coming from someone with a Ph.D in melodic death.

So in an atypical twist, earlier is not better, at least not in Scar Symmetry's case. Despite perking up during a couple of the aforementioned tracks, Symmetric in Design is seriously lacking in glorious earworms like "Morphogenesis" and "The Illusionist," and as such is relegated to a status reserved for the countless capable, yet uninventive acts that have come and gone over the years. As stated earlier, I cut these guys something of a break considering the release date and scene at the time, but even for that this is just mediocre. It hints at some greatness, but we know now that this greatness never fully materialized.