Per Nilsson (guitarist)

Per Nilsson
Background information
Birth name	Per Nilsson
Origin	Sweden
Genres	Melodic death metal, death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal, progressive rock, neoclassical metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, guitarist, keyboardist, lead vocalist, backing vocalist, producer
Associated acts	Scar Symmetry, Kaipa, Zierler, Altered Aeon, World Below
Website	www.facebook.com/scarguitar

Per Nilsson is a Swedish guitarist and producer. He is best known as one of the founding members of the melodic death metal/progressive metal band Scar Symmetry and as the guitarist for the Swedish progressive rock group Kaipa.

In January 2013, Guitar Messenger released a guitar instructional DVD with Per called Scar Guitar. Aside from working with his main bands, Per does mixing, mastering and full productions for other bands.

Until 2013 he was endorsed by Ibanez guitars. He is now endorsed by Strandberg Guitars, who in collaboration with him has created the Strandberg Singularity, his first signature guitar.^[1] He has also been endorsed by EMG pickups since 2014.

He primarily plays extended range guitars, though he has often used an Ibanez JEM 6 string to record his solos in the past.^[2]

Per is a member of the high IQ society Mensa International, his IQ being "135 or higher"^[3] on the Wechsler scale (which translates to 156 or higher on the Cattell scale).

Equipment

Guitars

• .strandberg* Singularity 7 string prototype (27 frets with red/black swirl finish)
• .strandberg* Singularity 7 string prototype (24 frets with black finish)
• .strandberg* Singularity 7 string prototype (24 frets with red/black swirl finish)
• Ibanez RG1527
• Ibanez Xiphos 7 string
• "Green dot" Ibanez Universe (middle pickup removed)
• Ibanez RG2228 Prestige
• Ibanez JEM
• Ibanez RG7420 (neck pickup removed)

Amplification

• Randall Amplifiers 667 tube amp head
• Line 6 POD X3 Live (used for live shows)
• Behringer V-amp (used for the leads on the first two Scar Symmetry albums)
• Two Notes Audio Engineering Torpedo VB-101 loadbox/cabsimulator

Other equipment

• Ibanez SR5005 bass guitar
• Clavia Nord stage 2 synthesizer
• Roland Roland D-50 synthesizer
• Korg Poly-800 synthesizer
• Starr Labs Ztar Z7S MIDI guitar controller
• Harley Benton six string lap steel
• Various software synthesizers and amp simulators

Discography

With Scar Symmetry

• Symmetric in Design (2005)
• Pitch Black Progress (2006)
• Holographic Universe (2008)
• Dark Matter Dimensions (2009)
• The Unseen Empire (2011)
• The Singularity (Phase I – Neohumanity) (2014)

With The Absence

• Oceans (digital single) (2013)

With Kaipa

• Angling Feelings (2007)
• In the Wake of Evolution (2010)
• Vittjar (2012)
• Sattyg (2014)

With Zierler

• ESC (2015)

With Altered Aeon

• Dispiritism (2004)

With World Below

• Maelstrom (2005)

With Guitar Messenger

• Per Nilsson's SCAR GUITAR instructional DVD (2013)

As a producer and/or mixing engineer

• Zonaria – "Infamy and the Breed" (2007) - as producer
• Zonaria – "Arrival of the Red Sun" (2012) - guitars production
• Sonic Syndicate – "Burn This City" (2009) - vocals production
• Propane Headrush – "Ignite" (2011) - as producer
• Propane Headrush - "Three" (2014) - as producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Christian Muenzner – "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" (2014) - as co-producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Scar Symmetry – "Dark Matter Dimensions" (2009) - as co-producer
• Scar Symmetry – "The Unseen Empire" (2011) - as co-producer
• Scar Symmetry – "The Singularity (Phase I – Neohumanity)" (2014) - as producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Scar Symmetry – "The Singularity (Phase II)" (2016) - as producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Terminal Function - "Clockwork Sky" (2015) - as mixing and mastering engineer
• Eternity's End - "The Fire Within" (2016) - as co-producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Beyond the Katakomb - TBA (2016) - as producer, mixing and mastering engineer
• Danny Tunker - "Bare Trap" (2016) - as mixing and mastering engineer

As a guest musician

On lead guitar, if nothing else's stated

• Tales of a Holy Quest (The Storyteller) – "Seed of Lies" (2003)
• De Fluff (Bootcut) – "Soul P.D." (2006)
• Warnaments (Torchbearer) – all songs (2006) – keyboards
• Riders of the Plague (The Absence) – "The Murder" (2007)
• By Honour (Ereb Altor) – "By Honour" (2008)
• Silent Ruins (Isole) – "Dark Clouds" (2009)
• Reveal No Secrets (Loch Vostok) – "Thirty Years" (2009)
• Off the Face of the Earth (Fuelblooded) – "The Cult of Ego" (2009)
• Timewarp (Christian Münzner) – "Wastelands" (2011)
• New World Order single (Threat Signal) – "New World Order" (2011)
• Equilibrium (God Forbid) – "Awakening" (2012)
• Furor Incarnatus (Feared) – "Breathing Failure" (2013)
• Dark Legacy (The Storyteller) – "Uninvited Guest" (2013)
• Everything Beautiful (Akeldama) – "Everything Beautiful" (2013)
• Bilo 3.0 (David Maxim Micic) – "Wrinkle Maze" (2013)
• Fire Meets Ice (Ereb Altor) – "Helheimsfard" (2013)
• Shred Alliance (Wayne Calford) – "Return to Tabernacle" (2014)
• The Radial Covenant (Hannes Grossmann) – "The Radial Covenant" (2014)
• Cult of Indifference (System Divide) – "The Tribulation of Man" (2014)
• Transcendence (Fred Brum) – "Wanderer" (2014)
• Demons (Bloodshot Dawn) – "The Image Faded" (2014)
• Dead Man's Town (Harvest Sun) – "Follow Your Destiny" and "Tall Rider" (2014) – electric guitar and lap steel
• Beyond the Wall of Sleep (Christian Muenzner) – several tracks (2014) – keyboards
• When All Else Fails EP (Carnal Forge) – "Bleed For Me" (2014)
• Burning Heart single (Eshtadur) – "Burning Heart" (2014)
• Our Dying Sun (The Francesco Artusato Project) – "Omega" (2014) ^[4]
• Destroy the Light (Thorns of Sin) – "The Truth Awakening" (2015) ^[5]
• Journey to the Stars (Widek) - "Canis Majoris" (2015) ^[6]
• Ghost Ship Octavius (Ghost Ship Octavius) – "Sea Storm" (2015)
• The Human Affliction (Paul Wardingham) – "Burning Chrome" (2015)
• Plagued (Works of Flesh) – "Hex of Departure" (2015)
• Music Kit for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Skog) – "II - headshot" (2015)
• Trinidad Scorpion Hallucinations (Jeff Hughell) – "The Other Side" (2016)
• Clockwork Sky (Terminal Function) – "Inside The Quadrant" (2015) - choir vocals
• Fenris (Khasm) – "Nightwatch" (2016)
• The Fire Within (Eternity's End) – several songs (2016) - backing vocals, synth solo, additional keyboards
• Bare Trap single (Danny Tunker) – "Bare Trap" (2016) - keyboards

References

1. Trey Xavier. "NAMM 2014 – Per Nilsson's Signature Strandberg* Guitar – the Singularity". geargods.net. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
2. Ivan Chopik. "Per Nilsson Interview". Guitar Messenger.com. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
3. Per Nilsson's official ask.fm. "How Did You Become a Member of Mensa? And How Much Is Your IQ?". ask.fm. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
4. http://www.guitarworld.com/francesco-artusato-project-premiere-gates-reason-music-video-exclusive
5. https://thornsofsin.bandcamp.com/album/destroy-the-light
6. https://widekmusic.bandcamp.com

External links

• Scar Symmetry Official Facebook Page
• Per Nilsson Official Facebook Page
• The Absence Official Facebook Page
• Kaipa Official Website