Per Nilsson is a Swedish guitarist and producer. He is best known as one of the founding members of the melodic death metal band Scar Symmetry and for being the touring lead guitarist for Meshuggah during Fredrik Thordendal's 2017-2021 hiatus. He is also the guitarist for Swedish progressive rock group Kaipa and since 2017 he is the lead guitarist for Swedish power metal band Nocturnal Rites.
In January 2013, Guitar Messenger released a guitar instructional DVD with Nilsson called Scar Guitar.
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. The first version of the Singularity - a seven string guitar with a red and black swirl finish - was released in 2014. In 2021, a new updated Singularity was released in both seven and eight string versions, with the swirl finish abandoned in favor of a sandblasted ash top with a red and black (seven string version) or blue and black (eight string version) color scheme.
Nilsson primarily plays extended range guitars, though he has often used an Ibanez JEM 6 string to record his solos in the past.
Nilsson is a member of the high IQ society Mensa International, his IQ being "135 or higher" on the Wechsler scale (which translates to 156 or higher on the Cattell scale).
Discography
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) The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph) (2023)
Nocturnal Rites
Phoenix (2017)
Kaipa
Angling Feelings (2007) In the Wake of Evolution (2010) Vittjar (2012) Sattyg (2014) Children of the Sounds (2017) Urskog (2022)
Nicklas Brännström
Circle of Silence (2020)
Zierler
ESC (2015)
Altered Aeon
Dispiritism (2004)
World Below
Maelstrom (2005)
The Absence
Oceans (digital single) (2013)
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
Royal Jester – "Night Is Young" (2010) – as producer
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 – Xenotaph)" (2023) – 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 Danny Tunker – "Bare Trap" (2016) – as mixing and mastering engineer Beyond the Katakomb – "Beyond the Katakomb" (2018) – as songwriter, producer, mixing and mastering engineer Apocalypse Orchestra – "The End is Nigh" (2017) – as mixing and mastering engineer Disdained – "Dark Passenger" (2017) – as co-producer, mixing and mastering engineer Bloodshot Dawn – "Reanimation" (2017) – as co-producer, mixing and mastering engineer Nicklas Brännström – "Circle of Silence" (2020) as co-producer, mixing and mastering engineer