The Unseen Empire

While Scar Symmetry's previous release, Dark Matter Dimensions, saw criticism for the instrumental section ("too technical", "not enough melody", etc), their newest release is very much in a different direction from the perceived general opinion on the previous album. The Unseen Empire offers plenty of melodic, heavy, and experimental musicianship, as typical of any Scar Symmetry release. Lars and Roberth offer top-notch vocals (arguably better than "that one guy" in some sections), and the instrumentation is very well coordinated. Every drum beat, every bass line, every guitar riff, and every guitar solo are coldly calculated to sound whatever the occasion may call for; discordance, smooth jazz-esque rhythms, chaos, even horror...there's plenty of "feeling" to be offered here.

Stylistically, this album was, surprisingly, a bit different than past Scar Symmetry releases, as omnipotent and varied as the band's music is known to be. There are some songs that embrace a rock theme (The Anomaly, Domination Agenda, the latter having a very interesting and melodious solo), while others go for the more experimental sound Scar Symmetry has a tendency to shoot for; namely, Illuminoid Dream Sequence (the album's sole carrier of blast beats) offers an odd but interesting chorus riff, while Extinction Mantra goes from slower paced heavy sections to melodic passages, to fast paced solos and bridges. Want a heavy song? Seers of the Eschaton, enough said. This song is loaded with double-bass, dual guitar solos, and even a most peculiar fusion between death metal and the thrashier elements of hardcore music, as heard in the verse riff and the bass interlude between the first chorus and the third verse. There's even a nice jazz-fusion solo in the middle (courtesy of Per Nilsson) to help make an atmosphere of hope and uncertainty amongst the chaotic and dark themes created by the heavier instrumental sections that dominate the majority of the song.

Then you have some songs that comprise of the style Scar Symmetry is generally known for: death metal fused with rock-like elements. Such songs (Astronomicon, Rise of the Reptilian Regime) are not as hard-hitting as the above-mentioned songs (in my opinion, atleast), but offer enough fight to render them a good listen. Unique to this album, however, are tracks that pursue a melodic edge while going for a horror theme (The Draconian Arrival). This is s sound never striven for by the band, but they pulled it off properly, as expected from a band of such omnipotence. Lastly, the album closes with "Alpha and Omega", which I'm not sure how to describe in words, but I will say it's not what you would expect from a closing track. The chorus features some soaring vocals from Lars, and the growls on Roberth's part are typical of his style.

All in all, this is a great album and I highly recommend it for fans of both the "old" Scar Symmetry (ie; when Christian Alvestam was in the band) and the "new" Scar Symmetry. The musicianship is far different from those who disliked the past album, but still retains the same essential principals of the entirety of the band's discography. My only complaint about this album is...I wish it had more than nine tracks.