In December of 2013 Scar Symmetry announced they were recording a new record, though not much was known at the time. Now we're aware that the record will be called The Singularity, Phase I: Neohumanity and has… well, no release date as of right now. Sorry about that. The good thing is that it's part of a conceptual trilogy the band will be fleshing out over the next few years (presumably) and is explained at great length below via Facebook post and, to a lesser extent, video.
I'm always stoked for new Scar Symmetry and it'll be interesting to see them go back to their usual themes of space and futuristic society like they did with 2008's Holographic Universe. I have faith the next one will be amazing and this trilogy is going to kick ass! We'll keep you posted as we know what's up with the record!
"Last year, Henrik approached me with this super cool lyrical concept, that was so complex and vast in scope that we realized it was a story that couldn't be told in just onealbum. So, the decision was made: instead of writing a new album, we started working on a trilogy of albums – the most ambitious project of our career.
The first of the three albums is called 'The Singularity (phase I: Neohumanity)'
'In the coming decades we will see the rise of artificial intelligence and transhumanism. Humanity will build artilects (artificial intellects) with mental capacities far above the human level of thought. By the year 2030, one of the world's biggest industries will be "artificial brains,' used to control artilects that will be genuinely intelligent and useful. Millions of people will be prepared to spend more money on an artilect than on a car.
So in about a decade there will be a thriving artificial brain industry, and nearly everyone will have an artilect which will be upgraded every two or three years. Each new artilect generation will be smarter and more useful than the previous generation, so that as the gap between the human intelligence level and the artificial intelligence level gets smaller every year, the species dominance debate will increase. There will be those who embrace the new technology and those who oppose it. There will also be those who add artilectual components to their own bodies, aiming to become artilect gods themselves.
The rise of the artilects and cyborgs will be disruptive to human culture, creating alienation and hatred. Children infused with artilectual nanotechnology and components will become dead to their parents as they see their offspring turn into cyborgs because they are no longer human, but an artilect in human disguise. Those who oppose the cyborgs and artilects will have to strike early in the oncoming conflict or they will be overthrown by the superior artificial species.
Add to this the advances in cryonics and cloning where minds can be downloaded and uploaded into eternal physical life and we see a very different reality emerge on earth.
The singularity is here, technocalypse and cybergeddon emerges!'
Stay tuned for release date, track listing and more!
Cheers"
