Supergroups are always good, in my opinion. When experienced musicians get together to record an album, the result is often an astounding work. The aforementioned paradigm most definitely applies to Scar Symmetry, who will see their debut “Symmetric in Design” released in a week or so.

Perhaps obvious are the warranted comparisons to Soilwork, Edge of Sanity, and Nightingale. Some of the clean vocals sound like a carbon copy of the mighty Swano; and everyone knows that the guy can sing. In any case, imitation works well for Scar Symmetry in this facet. The distorted vox retain an aggressive feel while staying guttural at the same time. Stylistically, the music utilizes a lot of electronic samples, but is distinctly a melodic death release. Is it any surprise that the Metal Blade purveyors are from Sweden? I think not. Listens such as “Chaosweaver, “2012 – The Demise of the 5th Sun,” and “Underneath the Surface” are inviting. “Reborn,” the fifth track on the release, is basically an iteration of current Soilwork, except for the fact that it’s much better. To digress for a minute: what the hell happened to Soilwork on “Stabbed the Drama” anyway? Back on track, though, the musical performances are impeccably well done, and – naturally – the instrumentation meshes on “Symmetric in Design.”

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]