Scar Symmetry – The Unseen Empire (2011)

After their overly formulaic “Dark Matter Dimensions”, the band returns with a very interesting release with “The Unseen Empire”. It seems that the band somewhat changed a bit their ‘musical formula’ and now diluted their sound with some Male-fronted Gothic Rock/Metal influences.

While the traditional epic chorus sections are a staple of this album, we also have different sounding melodies that make this band… well… more melodic. The technical brilliance of the band is also pushed back a bit and while we do get some brilliant guitar sections, the focus is more on the catchiness of the songs.

Opening with the track “The Anomaly”, Scar Symmetry delivers a very powerful … ballad. This is not bad and it does feature harsh vocals, but the overall feeling is more on the power ballad side due to the theatrics of the clean vocals. Don’t get us wrong, this song is catchy as hell, but it feels kind of weird considering the band’s earlier work. In case you missed the (not so obvious) technical abilities in the first song, “Illuminoid Dream Sequence” will set you straight with brilliant guitar sections and masterful drums.

“Seers of the Schaton” and “Extinction Mantra” feel a lot like the older more formulaic Scar Symmetry, and will surely please fans of the band very effectively. Shit gets very weird and supper catchy with “Domination Agenda”. This track has the makings of a traditional Top-40 power ballad, and feels very weird coming from Scar Symmetry.

If you are looking for the technical songs, besides “Illuminoid Dream Sequence”, we have “Astronomicon” and “The Draconian Arrival”. These three songs make this album a worthwhile purchase if you liked the old Scar Symmetry. The band closes with an interesting mixture of aggressiveness and over melodic-ness with “Alpha and Omega”, and interesting and diverse song indeed.

While Scar Symmetry can easily shake-off all (well most) Soilwork comparisons with this release, they are also morphing into an undefined looking beast. The band does deliver catchy songs, and moves a bit away from their chorus formula, but even after a considerable number of listens, this album feels a bit unsatisfying. You will enjoy it for sure, and if you are a fan of the band, do not miss it.

Release: April 15th, 2011 (Europe) / May 17th, 2011 (North America)

Country: Sweden