Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress

*=Staff's pick	The Illusionist* Slaves To The Subliminal* Mind Machine* Pitch Black Progress Calculate The Apocalypse Dreaming 24/7 Abstracted The Kaleidoscopic God Retaliator Osciliation Point The Path Of Least Resistance

Genre	Melodic Death Metal	Christian Älvestam	Vocals
Tracks	11	Jonas Kjellgren	Guitar
Runningtime	48 Min.	Per Nilsson	Guitar
Label	Nuclear Blast	Kenneth Seil	Bass
Release	21 April 2006	Henrik Ohlsson	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Darkane, Soilwork, Strapping Young Lad

Symmetric In Design, Scar Symmetry's debut album, was an enjoyable and spirited melodeath-release, even if it brought little new to the table. However, it concerned me when the follow-up was to be released as shortly as a year after. Would this mean that many of the songs would actually be left-overs that didn't make it to the previous album? Even if the band members would surely deny it, this particular feeling sometimes do appear.

Initially, there are no reasons whatsoever to complain, since the opening trio on Pitch Black Progress are cast in the same mould as many of the tracks on Symmetric In Design - and they are just as good. Especially The Illusionist, that begins with an almost symphonic intro before the crushing guitars ram into the picture, is simply outstanding. Mostly thanks to the singer Christian Älvestam, whose clean vocals in the chorus are awesome, especially during the last run.

There is nothing to complain about in the sound department, either. The production has the same kind of feeling to it as Symmetric In Design, with keyboards that seem to be taken from Soilwork's Natural Born Chaos-era. So when will we see any of the progress that the album title indicates? Well, look no further than the title track, that lacks clean vocals and is darker than anything else the band has made so far. The next song, the similar Calculate The Apocalypse, has the chaotic structure that you usually only find on Strapping Young Lad-albums. The Kaleidoscopic God is the most ambitious piece on display, and some of the arrangements almost make you feel like you're listening to Dimmu Borgir.

Okay, so it's clear that Scar Symmetry have made attempts to progress? Yes, it seems that way. But, are these attempts of the great kind? Sadly not. While the band's efforts to renew their song-formula on the above mentioned tracks are admirable, the results really aren't that memorable. And there are unfortunatley too many pale songs here. Symmetric In Design also had its fair share of weak material, but the many great tracks overshadowed this problem. Last and not least; while Älvestam's growls might seem impressive at first, the lack of dynamics make them feel tiresome towards the end of the album. Sure, Scar Symmetry is above average in this genre, but I had high hopes that their progression would lead to even greater things.

Fans of melodic death metal should in spite of this check the album out, especially since the first three tracks are great enough to listen to in an eternity. But when comparing the scars from Symmetric In Design and Pitch Black Progress, it is all too obvious that the first cut is the deepest.

See also review of: The Unseen Empire , Symmetric In Design , Holographic Universe

Production	Vocals	Compositions
8	7	6

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Niklas