Holographic Universe is the third studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Scar Symmetry. It is the last album to feature vocalist Christian Älvestam, who parted ways with the band shortly after the album's completion. It was released on 20 June 2008 in Europe, and on 7 July 2008 in North America. The album peaked on the charts at 37 in Finland, and 65 in Austria.[5] A music video for the song "Morphogenesis" premiered on 18 September. The album is rumoured to be loosely based on Michael Talbot's book The Holographic Universe.[citation needed]
| Holographic Universe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 June 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 3 December 2007 − 3 February 2008 | |||
| Studio | Black Lounge Studios, Avesta, Sweden | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:40 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Jonas Kjellgren | |||
| Scar Symmetry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Holographic Universe | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Sputnikmusic |   [1] |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| PiercingMetal | [3] |
| Blabbermouth.net |   [4] |
Upon its release, the science-themed Holographic Universe was considered Scar Symmetry's most commercially focused album, with critics drawing comparisons with progressive bands including Dream Theater.[2][6] Allmusic comments that the band "appears more serious than ever about contrasting super melodic choruses, guitar harmonies, and even intermittent synths, against aesthetic evil twins like furious death metal growls, aggressive riffing, and torrential drumming".[2] Blabbermouth.net claims the album does not dramatically expand on previous releases, but is a "well-planned and structured album that comes across as accessible and heavy at the same time".[4]
"The Three Dimensional Shadow" was the first Scar Symmetry song to feature the use of an 8 string guitar.
Holographic Universe is also the only album where all the members of the band shared equal credit on writing and composition.
A thirteenth track, "Disintegrate the Hourglass", was written and recorded for the album, but was not included on the album.[citation needed]
Track listing
editAll music and lyrics by Scar Symmetry
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Morphogenesis" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Timewave Zero" | 5:13 |
| 3. | "Quantumleaper" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Artificial Sun Projection" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "The Missing Coordinates" | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Ghost Prototype I – Measurement of Thought" | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Fear Catalyst" | 5:03 |
| 8. | "Trapezoid" | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Prism and Gate" | 3:46 |
| 10. | "Holographic Universe" | 9:05 |
| 11. | "The Three-Dimensional Shadow" | 3:57 |
| 12. | "Ghost Prototype II – Deus Ex Machina" | 6:02 |
| Total length: | 58:40 | |
Credits
edit- Scar Symmetry
- Christian Älvestam − vocals
- Jonas Kjellgren − guitar
- Per Nilsson − guitar
- Kenneth Seil − bass guitar
- Henrik Ohlsson − drums
Release history
edit| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| Europe | 20 June 2008 |
| United States | 7 July 2008 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ward, Kyle (12 June 2008). "Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Holographic Universe Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- ^ Pierce, Ken (2008). "Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe". PiercingMetal. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ a b Ogle, Ryan. "Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (Nuclear Blast)". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
- ^ "Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe (album)". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ "Holographic Universe - Scar Symmetry". 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.