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By JEFF MAKI
Upon first hearing Scar Symmetry, you'll most likely think of fellow Swedes Soilwork. Scar Symmetry play the same style of melodic death metal with catchy clean vocals and backing keyboards. With Soilwork's last effort leaning more to American influences, maybe Scar Symmetry's time has come with Pitch Black Progress.
The production of Pitch Black Progress is crystal clear and makes for some memorable material. Throughout the entire album you get the sense of impending doom. All the elements you'd expect from Swedish death metal are here and executed to near perfection. "Mind Machine" features clean vocals and lead singer Christian Älvestam actually has a great voice to go along with the standard death metal growls. In fact, the clean vocals are so good here I think they should have been more prominent. However, one listen to the brutal chugging title track and you may think otherwise. Guitars have that "Gothenburg sound" -- a sound that I and legions of other death metal fans love.
"Calculate The Apocalypse" contains blast beats and sheer aggression that would make any death metal fan happy, plus some fancy guitarwork. And it's here that the death metal chorus is unbelievably catchy with it's backing keyboards. This is easily the strongest track of the album. The almost punk rock angst of "Retaliator" and the slower, more melodic "Oscillation Point" are also standout tracks.
Scar Symmetry definitely have strong ideas throughout Pitch Black Progress. Similarities to Soilwork and other Swedish acts are here, but it's done so well that it's not much of an issue. The songs are memorable, catchy and heavy as hell.
Recommended for all fans of Soilwork, In Flames and Swedish death metal.
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