It isn't hard to understand why some headbangers have assumed that
Series of Unfortunate Concurrencies is a doom metal or stoner rock album;
Scar of the Sun certainly sounds like the name of a sludgy doom or stoner band.
Scar of the Sun sounds like the name of a band that would be right at home opening for
Sleep,
Eyehategod or
YOB, but this 2011 release is not doom metal or stoner rock per se. Rather, the music on
Series of Unfortunate Concurrencies is best described as "progressive metal that draws on everything from alternative metal to goth metal to doom metal." Occasionally, one hears some black metal-ish rasp vocals on this album, but the vast majority of the vocals are clean vocals -- and most of the time, this Greek band's melodic work falls outside of the extreme metal realm.
Scar of the Sun are aggressive but not overly brutal, and they are also quite melancholy;
Scar of the Sun clearly identify with the melancholia of goth metal and doom metal. Unfortunately,
Series of Unfortunate Concurrencies is an uneven album; some of the tracks miss the mark and aren't terribly memorable. Certainly, the writing could have been more consistent. But when
Scar of the Sun do hit the mark, one gets a very good sense of what they are capable of. And the album's best tracks (which include "Burn the Memory" and "Disciple of the Sun") paint an attractive picture of these Hellenic headbangers. Imperfections, shortcomings and all,
Series of Unfortunate Concurrencies indicates that metalheads should pay close attention to
Scar of the Sun and see what they come up with on future albums. ~ Alex Henderson