Sonic Syndicate – Only Inhuman [Tour Edition]
Nuclear Blast Records
(4/5)
Swedish Metalcore is still making an impact as Sonic Syndicate released the Tour Edition of their second full length album Only Inhuman! Two things I have to point out about this band that I think are interesting are the use of two vocalists (Richard Sjunnesson and Roland Johansson) and the fact that Richard is the brother of both guitarists (Roger and Robin Sjunnesson). Together, the four of these guys join with bassist Karin Axelsson and drummer John Bengtsson to create an amazing Metalcore sound whether it be live or on an album! As far as the album side of the band is concerned, Only Inhuman is definitely an awesome album that should grace every Metalcore fan’s collection. Out of the 12 tracks (the 12th being a bonus track for the Tour Edition) on the album, I certainly would have to recommend all of them as being great ones to listen to, but there are a few I would promote a bit more than the others. The ones I most recommend looking at are “Blue Eyed Fiend” (Track 2), “Double Agent 616″ (Track 4), “Enclave” (Track 5), “All About Us” (Track 9), and “Freelancer” (Track 12) if you have the Tour Edition. These five songs provide a great range of styles and sounds you’ll get in listening to Sonic Syndicate material. Again, for the overall final product of the album, this is a great album to add to your collection if you are a Metalcore fan. These six individuals are all very talented and I certainly can’t wait for the next album to come out!
Scar Symmetry – Holographic Universe
Nuclear Blast Records
(4/5)
Scar Symmetry can be called a band of many talents, and their newest full length release entitled Holographic Universe helps defend that statement. Whether you want to call this album a Metalcore album, a Melodic Death metal album, or a Progressive Death metal album, everyone should realize that Scar Symmetry has some major skills! Between Christian Älvestam’s beautiful clean vocals and brutal death growls and the sick guitar skills between guitarists Jonas Kjellgren and Per Nilsson, the melodic aspects of this album are absolutely spot on. However awesome these three guys are, the overall heaviness and pure musical sound would not be complete without the help of bassist Kenneth Seil and drummer Henrik Ohlsson (who also writes lyrics for the band). Putting all these skills together have made a difficult decision as far as picking favorite songs, but the one I would most recommend is the title track “Holographic Universe” (Track 10). This track happens to be the longest track on the album at a time of 9:05 and I think it truly shows the wide range of talent these five guys posess. It takes you through futuristic synth effects, Meshuggah style heavy guitar and duble bass, and some massively brutal Metal. One cool aspect Scar Symmetry implements into the track is the Progressive sound just before battering you with heaviness and blistering guitar solos once again. Overall, this is a great track to catch a fairly large sized glimpse of Scar Symmetry’s true power. Other than “Holographic Universe”, I recommend listening to “Artificial Sun Projection” (Track 4), “Fear Catalyst” (Track 7), and “Prism And Gate” (Track 9). All of the tracks have their unique greatnesses, but these are a few of my favorite songs. All in all, I say Holographic Universe is definitely an album to add to your metal arsenal. The overall product is one that you will be listening to nonstop until the next album comes out!
