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Cinemetal

A SOLUTION .45 OF HIS OWN

 Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 10:00am by

If I were the dudes in Scar Symmetry I’d be a little miffed right about now. Super-vocalist Christian Alvestam leaves your band and then proceeds to join 367 other bands, many of whom sound a whole lot like Scar Symmetry, instantly making them all better and attracting new fans from all over the world. Meanwhile you poor saps are stuck with two vocalists, neither of whom are all that special and both of whom look completely lost on stage when the other is singing. On top of that, everyone called bullshit on the auto-tuned / pro-toolsed mess that was your latest album, although some of the tunes are certainly respectable thanks to the genius that is Jonas Kjellgren.

Meanwhile, Christian Alvestam seems to be on top of the Swedish melodeath world; your abilities as a skilled metal vocalist were instantly dignified when your former band struggled mightily to replace you, and you’ve gotten to cherry pick which projects your lend your voice to without the grueling, long-term commitment of touring. You’ve probably also got a normal day job so you don’t have to worry about money on a day-to-day basis.

The most Scar Symmetry-like of Christian Alvestam’s post-SS bands, of course, is Solution .45. For Aeons Past, released earlier this year, is a damn fan disc; so many of the songs could be on a Scar Symmetry album and you’ve certainly have me fooled. And from the looks of this new video for “Gravitational Lensing,” the dudes actually move around on stage.

-VN

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Graham-OBrien/831660359 Graham O’Brien

    First Comment!! Christian is a great Vocalist…Like all his Projects.. even when he doesnt sing.!

  • DemonicLemming

    Wait wait wait….you fucks were all over the two new dudes and most people liked the new album (even with the shitty singers), when I was calling it nothing but computer generated-sounding bullshit with generic grunts and fake clean vocals.

    • Demons and Carnage

      I would tend to agree. I almost hate to say it, but I’m a bigger fan of Solution .45. CLANDESTINITY NOW!

  • http://thenumberoftheblog.com/ groverXIII

    Solution .45 is like Scar Symmetry minus any kind of interesting music or songwriting. Scar Symmetry’s last album was so much better than Solution .45′s, pro-tooled mess or not.

    • sacajawea

      Really? I was just saying to my girlfriend that I thought Alvestam made a good choice leaving Scar Symmetry, as I enjoy Solution 45′s musicianship more. To each his own I suppose.

      • Kuranes

        Did your girlfriend get the sort of glazed-over look that my wife gets when I tell her something like that?

        • sacajawea

          My girlfriend introduced me to Scar Symmetry.

          • http://web.me.com/metalshea metalshea

            Marry her.

          • Sacajawea

            I intend to.

  • M@

    I love this album, could be my favorite metal release of the year!

    I really like the newest Scar Symmetry as well, though if you forced me to choose, I think For Aeons Past gets the nod

  • TheKingBoar

    Both have suffered for the separation. New Scar Symmetry singers are cooky and sound awful live, but lets face it For Aeons Past was no Holographic Universe. S.45 satisfies the multivocal parts, but the album just gets old, the musicianship isn’t there and there’s not enough growling. Maybe their next albums will get better, but they just can’t match SS for the song writing (musically, I have no problem with Stanne’s lyrics) Plus that power ballad is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. I’ll just keep listening to the first 3 SS albums and pretend nothing happened.

  • BigBintheAV

    Solution .45 is sick. To see them live in the US is only in my dreams becasue I doubt Christian will be touring anytime soon. But the SS album was good, not their best but it was still quality. I have seen SS live twice now and the new singers can do it. Lars can definetly hit every note for “The Illusionist” on stage, Dont let the crap youtube videos fool you. I have seen them 2 times now and I never leave dissapointed. Lars does back up growl and Roberth does backup clean for the live show. Jonas and Per also do all the vocal harmonies and it sounds great. Christian is to good to be tied down to one band, and even when he was with SS he was still in a bunch of bands. Solution .45 is an amazing band and should not be compared to SS because they are 2 different bands, 2 different sounds. Solution .45 is a much slower paced album and has alot more focus around Christian instead of the band as a whole.

    • http://lordsofmetal.nl/index.php?lang=en Kavorka

      I’m with you on Lars: I think he’s a good singer! The new songs fit his style way better, and he sang Artificial Sun Projection almost flawless that one time I saw them.

  • MeesterDerp

    Christian is fucking amazing. The best vocalist in metal today, bar none. Solution .45′s newest is definitely one of my favorites of the year.

    And he’s wearing a World Under Blood shirt. Which reminds me, when the fuck is that debut coming?

  • Viking_xxx

    I thought the new SS was good. Haven’t seen them live, though….

  • Dingas McCloud

    I love SS and saw them on the most recent MetalSucks sponsored Hyprocrisy tour. Their set wasn’t great BUT not really their fault as they were an opening act with technical difficulties. I will hold off on my judgment until I see them play a proper set this fall when they tour with Epica.

    With that said, Christian is untouchable.

    • Dingas McCloud

      *Hypocrisy.

      And scratch that, Cannibal Corpse/Dying Fetus/Vital Remains are playing the same night. Sorry SS!

  • ITTOA666

    Nice World Under Blood shirty in the video. Glad someones getting the name out.

    • ITTOA666

      “shirt” so I don’t look like a fool on the serious business internet.

  • Zoker

    Alvestam has lost weight.

  • d.o.g.o.b.g.y.n.

    Dark Matter Dimensions = decent
    For Aeons Past = one of the most addictive albums I’ve heard (same can be said for Holographic Universe and Pitch Black Progress)

  • http://lordsofmetal.nl/index.php?lang=en Kavorka

    Holographic Universe was my absolute favourite of 2008, highly addictive and EPIC. DMD dissappointed me: it felt too rushed, they didn’t take enough time writing songs therefore the half sounds like fillers. Overall, it was still decent, I like the new vocalists…Foir Aeons Past is waaaayy better though: just as Pitch Black and HU really addictive. And ‘Clandestinity Now’ is one of my fav songs of 2010: 16 minutes of melodic goodness!

  • Dizzle

    THE FEW AGAINST MANY!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • cosmoretro

    TFAM really is only decent project where Älvestam is involved atm. S .45 is boring pop metal. Scar Symmetry was decent.

  • Demons and Carnage

    Both of the new albums are good, but I’d say that For Aeons Past blows Dark Matter Dimensions out of the water. Altogether better production, heavier riffs, better leads, and of course, the ballad.