SCAAR ‘The Second Incision’
Karmageddon Media(2005)
When you come across a new band like Scaar, the first thing that you need to do is to collect as much information as possible. I have looked everywhere for things that will give me a better idea as to the identity of these four musicians and what they are trying to achieve here, but I soon realised that I could only rely on the very limited amount of information that I found from both the band’s and Karmageddon Media’s website. Scaar were put together back in 1999, by singer Alf Johansson and Alex Jonsson. Soon after the two remaining members, drummer Richard Holmgren and bass player Matts Vassfjord, joined in and completed the band’s current line up.
The band’s first album was released in 2002, and it was a self-financed effort, which was entitled “Scarred for Life”. I guess it was the fact that they were one of the few Swedish extreme Metal outfits that refused to “desecrate” the music of their fellow-countrymen Entombed and At The Gates, that created a very positive response in quite a few record labels. That’s when Karmageddon Media stepped in and offered the band a contract. Now, two years down the line, Scaar are just about ready to release their second studio album that’s entitled “The Second Incision”.
As I mentioned earlier, Scaar have chosen to follow a totally different path from the majority of the bands which originate from Sweden. The four musicians are focused on creating technical Thrash Metal compositions with strong influences from bands like Pantera and Machine Head. The majority of the songs which are featured in “The Second Incision”, are riff-based de-tuned compositions which are supported by brutal Anselmo-influenced vocals and a solid rhythm section. Two of the songs which were created based on that formula are “Spitting Morbid Cancer” and “Infected” – both of which contain some of the most “interesting” lyrics you can find these days.
There are also a few moments in this album where the members of Scaar have experimented with some really interesting melodies. Check out, for instance, the five-minute composition “Planet Evil” or the last song of the album “14 Years of Abuse”, and you will realise how multi-dimensional this band really is. Alex Jonsson’s performance is quite emotional, and I dare to say that he sounded a lot like Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Wintersbane, ex-Judas Priest, Iced Earth).
This thirty-nine minute release was recorded at the Underground Studio by Pelle Saether (Terror 2000, Necrodeath) and is enriched with a very interesting piece of artwork created by In Flames’ guitarist Niklas Sundin. With our hopes of seeing Pantera release a new album almost eliminated, it is more like a necessity to invest in bands like Scaar. Even though I believe that this quartet has still a long way to go, I assume that modern day Thrashers will not find it too difficult to support them in their quest.
***½
Review by John Stefanis
|
