Dark Matter Dimensions is the fourth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Scar Symmetry. It is the first album to feature new vocalists Roberth Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist after Christian Älvestam's departure. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe[3] and on 20 October 2009 in North America.
| Dark Matter Dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 October 2009 | |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal[1] | |||
| Length | 53:21 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Jonas Kjellgren | |||
| Scar Symmetry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dark Matter Dimensions | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [1] |
According to drummer and lyricist Henrik Ohlsson, the title Dark Matter Dimensions refers to the "appreciation and acknowledgement of the unseen worlds and dimensions, because without the existence of these unseen forces our physical universe would never be able to exist".[4]
Critics noted that while newcomers Karlsson and Palmqvist's vocals could not quite match the ability of Älvestam's, they did not detract from the album's quality; with BBC Music commenting that they had the "ability to overlap", adding "further depth to the complex, aggressive melodies that Scar Symmetry fans have come to expect".[5] Music videos were created for "Noumenon and Phenomenon", "Ascension Chamber" and "The Iconoclast".
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Henrik Ohlsson; all music is composed by Jonas Kjellgren and Per Nilsson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Iconoclast" | 5:07 |
| 2. | "The Consciousness Eaters" | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Noumenon and Phenomenon" | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Ascension Chamber" | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Mechanical Soul Cybernetics" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Nonhuman Era" | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Dark Matter Dimensions" | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Sculptor Void" | 5:23 |
| 9. | "A Parenthesis in Eternity" | 4:43 |
| 10. | "Frequencyshifter" | 3:15 |
| 11. | "Radiant Strain" | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Pariah" | 5:22 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "The Consciousness Eaters" (Edit version) | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 53:21 | |
Music videos
editIn early September 2009 a video was filmed for the song "Noumenon & Phenomenon" with director Maurice Swinkels (of the Dutch metal band Legion of the Damned). Swinkels had previously produced the band's music video for "The Illusionist". Drummer Henrik Ohlsson stated that the video for "Noumenon & Phenomenon" was shot in Sweden; both in a photo studio and also an abandoned mental hospital.[7]
In December 2009 a music video was released for "Ascension Chamber". Regarding the song, guitarist Per Nilsson states "a spiritual entity that originates from the sun travels through the solar system, destination: the earth. That's the basic concept of the song 'Ascension Chamber'. So when we decided to do a video for it, we knew we had to set it in space!". The video was shot on 25 October 2009, with director Ronny Hemlin, before the band went on the Neckbreakers Ball tour, where the song was played on all nights of the tour.[8]
On 5 May 2010 Scar Symmetry released a music video for "The Iconoclast". The video, which was directed by French photographer Denis Goria, includes appearances by Peter Tägtgren (of Hypocrisy and the musical project Pain) and Martin Stahl (of Silent Lane). Goria had previously performed work on Hypocrisy's music video for "Weed Out the Weak" and Pain's "Monkey Business".[9]
Personnel
edit- Scar Symmetry
- Roberth Karlsson – growl vocals
- Lars Palmqvist – clean vocals
- Jonas Kjellgren – guitar, keyboards
- Per Nilsson – guitar
- Kenneth Seil – bass guitar
- Henrik Ohlsson – drums
Release history
edit| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| Europe | 2 October 2009 |
| North America | 20 October 2009 |
References
edit- ^ a b KillYourStereo review
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Scar Symmetry: Dark Matter Dimensions at Nuclear Blast OnlineShop".
- ^ "SCAR SYMMETRY Comments On New Album Title, Artwork". Blabbermouth.net. August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009.
- ^ Raziq Rauf (October 1, 2009). "BBC Review". Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - SCAR SYMMETRY: New Album Track Listing Revealed". Archived from the original on 2009-08-02.
- ^ "SCAR SYMMETRY Films 'Noumenon & Phenomenon' Video". Blabbermouth.net. September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ "SCAR SYMMETRY: 'Ascension Chamber' Video Released". December 1, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ "SCAR SYMMETRY: 'The Iconoclast' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. May 5, 2010. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.