Soulscar is one of Canada's brightest new hopes in the field of melodic death metal. Essentially a duo with hired studio help, the band has been around since 1997, growing and evolving through the course of several demos, culminating in 2002 with their debut release, Character Assassination. There are times where the familiar Gothenburg sound is heard, but Soulscar manages to escape sounding like the many other bands in the field simply by being more diverse in their songwriting. Less a pure death metal album and more a thrash/melodic death cross, Character Assassination benefits from an excellent production (surprising for a self-release) and fine performances all around -- this is really a band to watch out for.