Holographic Universe (album)
2008 studio album by Scar Symmetry
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Holographic Universe is the third studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Scar Symmetry. It was released on 20 June 2008 in Europe and on 7 July 2008 in North America. It is the last album to feature vocalist Christian Älvestam, who parted ways with the band shortly after the album's completion. Holographic Universe peaked on the charts at 37 in Finland and 65 in Austria.[1] A music video for the song "Morphogenesis" premiered on 18 September.
| Holographic Universe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 June 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 3 December 2007 – 3 February 2008 | |||
| Studios | Black Lounge Studios, Avesta, Sweden | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 58:40 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Jonas Kjellgren | |||
| Scar Symmetry chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Holographic Universe | ||||
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Background
- The album is rumoured to be loosely based on Michael Talbot's book The Holographic Universe.
- It is the only album where all the members of the band share equal credit on writing and composition.
- "The Three Dimensional Shadow" was the first Scar Symmetry song to feature the use of an eight-string guitar.
- A thirteenth track, "Disintegrate the Hourglass", was written and recorded for the album, but was not included on the album.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Sputnikmusic |   [2] |
| Allmusic |  [3] |
| PiercingMetal | [4] |
| Blabbermouth.net | [5] |
Upon release, the science and mysticism themed Holographic Universe was considered Scar Symmetry's most commercially focused album, with critics drawing comparisons with progressive metal band Dream Theater.[3][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".[3] Blabbermouth.net argues that 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".[5]
Track listing
All 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
- Scar Symmetry
- Christian Älvestam − vocals
- Jonas Kjellgren − guitar
- Per Nilsson − guitar
- Kenneth Seil − bass guitar
- Henrik Ohlsson − drums
Release history
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| Europe | 20 June 2008 |
| United States | 7 July 2008 |