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File this under “YouTube Vocal Covers” actually gone right [thanks: MS reader Zoker]. Sure, the guy doesn’t hit every high note, but he does a damn fine job overall with both the growls and the clean singing parts. The guy’s clearly got ability and I’m presuming he’s available for the half the price of the current two SS vocalists. Ya win some, ya lose some.
-VN
I’m not nearly as big a Death Jovi Scar Symmetry fan as the right honorable Mr. Neilstein, but I do really like them (especially 2006’s Pitch Black Progress), and I was curious to see how this new vocalists situation played itself out.
So I’m a little sad to say that while I haven’t heard the band’s new album, Dark Matter Dimensions, as of yet, this song, “Noumenon & Phenomenon,” doesn’t do much for me. And neither does the video. In fact, the most interesting thing about this whole experience, for me personally at least, has been learning what “noumenon” means. I feel much smarter now. Thank you, metal, for once again broadening my mind.
Dark Matter Dimensions is out now on Nuclear Blast. Vince says it’s good so feel free to call me an asshole for not loving this song. Maybe hearing the whole album will change my mind.
-AR
I’ve been living with the new Scar Symmetry album Dark Matter Dimensions for about two weeks now, trying to determine what I think of it. Finally the rest of you can hear it in full on the band’s MySpace page and just for yourselves. In no particular order, here are my thoughts on the album and the new singer(s) situation:
So go on and stream the new album and tell us what you think. The album comes out officially on October 2nd in Europe and October 20th in the States… though you know how silly we think staggered release dates are in the Internet age.
-VN
Scar Symmetry have created their own online version of the arcade classic Asteroids, and it’s pretty fuckin’ entertaining. Unlike a lot of stupid online games designed to promote new albums, this one is super-simple, works well, is addicting as fuck and is a great time-waster.
A brand new song from Scar Symmetry’s upcoming release Dark Matter Dimension serves as the soundtrack to the game, and I have no idea what the song is called but it’s not the one they posted on their MySpace page a few weeks back (which has since been removed). The new track is damn good and it’s vintage Death Jovi — would we expect anything less? I think I like it more than the previously released new track, though right now I’m not too hot on the new not-Christian Alvestam clean vocalist, though I guess the verdict is really still out until we hear the full new album / see the band live. Dark Matter Dimensions drops October 2nd on Nuclear Blast.
-VN
Here it is, sent in by Jonathon E. (original source unconfirmed). I think it’s pretty safe to say that musically-speaking, Scar “Death Jovi” Symmetry haven’t lost anything at all. But has the replacement of ex-vocalist Christian Alvestam with two separate vocalists, one for singing and one for screaming, affected the band’s sound for better or worse? Rather than mouth off I’d like to know what you all think.
-VN
Metal Injection’s Frank Godla once referred to Scar Symmetry’s brand of heavily poppified melodic Swedish death metal as “Death Jovi,” and it may be the single most brilliant thing he’s ever said. Not that Death Jovi is meant as an insult; it’s meant as the absolute highest compliment, a testament to both the band’s unbelievable chops and their penchant for writing giant, humongous, tremendous, monster-sized hooks.
I love this band. If you don’t, you’re a ree-ree. Songs this good don’t just write themselves. End of story.
-VN
It’s not hypocritical that the sternest hater of metalcore can guiltlessly enjoy its European cousin, melodic death metal, where prime metal thump veers into catchy hooks and harmony. Sonically, there’s not a lot of real estate separating the two genres, though metalcore is riddled with vague machoisms and boring-ass riffs. Not that melodic death metal is especially adventurous; represented here by one of the several European bands called Deadlock – this one a metal quintet distinguished by their straight-edge vegan politics – MDM is actually conservative to the point of being as intrinsically pop as it is metal.
2008 has been a fucking great year for metal, and in due time — Monday, Dec. 15, to be exact — Axl, myself and the rest of the writers of MetalSucks will all release our Top 10 year-end lists so you can incessantly argue over which great album was left off or tell us we’re assholes for ranking a certain album higher than it should’ve been.
But for now, ya’ll can argue about something else: here’s my personal short/working list for said year-end list containing all of my favorite metal releases from this year as well as a few that aren’t likely to make my own list but will surely be appearing on others’. Feel free to pipe in with your thoughts or to notify us of any egregious omissions before we put together our final, ordered lists. Regardless, it is going to be really fucking hard to pick just 10 of these and put them in order of awesomeness.
And, my favorite metal records of 2008 in no particular order are…
The economy’s in the shitter and the sun is setting earlier and earlier every day. Still, there was reason to rejoice this week in the world of metal:
Sayonara suckers. See you next week.
-VN
A couple of weeks ago I cried myself to sleep after Scar Symmetry announced they’d parted ways with their versatile, talented vocalist Christian Älvestam (pictured, front). Would the Swedish “Death Jovi” masters go the way of luminaries Van Halen* and AC/DC, continuing to bring the hits for years to come with a new frontman on board, or would they crash and burn as an echo of their former selves ala Skid Row? The answer remains to be seen, but today’s announcement that two vocalists have been tapped to fill the shoes of just one is a testament to how skilled Älvestam is:
“We’ve used both growls and clean vocals in our music since day one, and with each album we’ve pushed the envelope of what you can do vocally in a metal band to the point where a lot of the songs on ‘Holographic Universe’ would be hard if not impossible to sing live. So the question is: Is it really possible to push the vocals even further and manage to perform everything live?
The chill of fall is in the air but the gossip mill never cools off at the MetalSucks Mansion. This week’s notables and quotables included:
See ya next week.
This week saw the release of two delectable new videos from Swedish metal notables Amon Amarth and Scar Symmetry. Those videos, with our cheeky analysis (natch), after the jump.
While we were busy paying homage to the world’s biggest metal band yesterday, turns out some other kind of important stuff actually happened too. Who’d've thunk it?
Congrats to MetalSucks reader and multi-time champion d.o.g.o.b.g.y.n. for winning last week’s Funny Photo Caption Contest; a copy of Unearth’s new DVD Alive From the Apocalypse is on its way to you in the mail for coming up with this caption for the picture at right:
“…well you’ll have plenty of time to call yourself Revrant and hold toy guns when you’re living IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!”
Revrant, we love you buddy. That caption would’ve been funny with anyone’s name — Chris Farley never fails! This week we’re giving away a special Gothenburg package featuring Scar Symmetry’s new album — the phenomenal Holographic Universe — and Children of Bodom’s latest, Blooddrunk. All you have to do is come up with a funny caption for the below photo and post it in the comments.
You guys are really going to want to head over to Death Jovi’s… Err, Scar Symmetry’s MySpace page and listen to their entire new album Holographic Universe right now. Seriously. It’s fucking awesome. You’ll be humming along to every song after just one listen. I especially recommend the title track — breathtaking. Is “breathtaking” a metal word? Fuck it. It is because I say it is.
Holographic Universe drops June 20th in Europe and July 8th in North America.
-VN
2008 isn’t even half over yet and I already know it’s going to be tough picking my top 10 favorite metal albums of the year. So far there have already been a bunch of excellent releases that could be top 10 contenders:
PSYCH! But seriously folks, the first six in the list are the real deal.
I’m hoping for a slow second half of the year so I don’t have to make any hard choices. Actually, not. Keep ‘em comin’.
-VN
I really can’t take credit for this one. But “Death Jovi” really is the perfect way of describing Scar Symmetry’s new record Holographic Universe (thanks: Metal Injection). Never before have hooks so big, sugary and sweet been combined with this kind of punishing death-influenced metal. While yes, the “Gothenburg” sound is definitely running its course (thanks to the thousands of American imitators), you just can’t knock the Swedes who know how to do it best. And based on just a couple of listens, this is one of the most delicious slices Gothenburg has had to offer in the past couple of years, easily beating out the recent releases by In Flames and Soilwork.
First single “Morphogenesis” on Scar Symmetry’s MySpace page is just the tip of the iceberg. Holographic Universe has so much to offer in the way of hooks, brutality, and astonishing musicianship. It drops June 20th on Nuclear Blast in Europe and July 8th in North America.
-VN
Just in time for your Saturday smoke, Sweden’s Scar Symmetry have released a new track called “Morphogenesis” from their forthcoming album Holographic Universe, due June 20th on Nuclear Blast.
Enjoy this delicious slice of Gothenburg as you go about your Saturday.
The track is posted on Scar Symmetry’s MySpace page — but please send an mp3 to us at news [at] metalsucks.net if you have a clean one.
Cheers.
-VN
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