Scale the summit-The collective

Prosthetic

2011

I was very impressed by 2009's "Carving Desert Canyons" from Scale the summit with it's seamless mix of prog rock, jazz and metal. Now the Houston based instrumental band return with a new outing. Quite honestly I think "The collective" is even better. The skill level of all the band members has always been high and everyone contributes so much to the sound. Yet I think their playing as gotten even better since the last album. The band seem to be more aggressive and direct in their playing now too. They have always been smooth and as a band had a great sense of how to make their songs flow. On this album they maintain the same flow, but add in a heavier edge and take a few more chances as well. Their sound isn't about being in your face or showing off some kind technical wankery, but rather it's about creating musical landscapes and they certainly succeed with that. Track like "Balkan", "Secret Earth" and "The levitated" are fine examples of that style. Unlike some other progressive bands most of Scale the summit's tracks are shorter in length with the majority being under four minutes in length. Still they have so many ideas during that time that you certainly don't feel cheated. This is an album that I liked immediately, but it's also one where I know that I will find more to like about it each time I listen to it. One of the most exciting albums of 2011 so far.

Scale the summit-Carving desert canyons

Prosthetic
2009

Houston based Scale the summit are young band (average age of 22) who are now on their sophomore release. An album title does not always reflect the music contained on the disc. "Carving desert canyons" however is a remarkably fitting title for this album. These young guys are certainly creating beautiful and detailed musical landscapes. Not the style of album I have come expect from Prosthetic records, but it's a welcome release for sure. They would fall in the progressive rock bracket. Yet they reach out more and their sound consists of metal, hard rock, jazz and other sounds swirled into the mix. For starters I hear "Images and Words" era Dream Theater, Cynic, Eric Johnson and even some of Chris Poland's post Megadeth projects.
They work with 8 string guitars and a six string bass and my guess is that this helps their music to sound deep and heavy and they still manage to creat thick, rich tones as well. Instrumental music isn't for everyone, but I found these eight tracks easy to dive into. The band are very skilled and that fact is evident from the start. However this isn't a self-indulgent virtuoso style of music. Every note, beat and movement is geared towards creating the whole song to be as strong and powerful as possible. The songs are tight and very focused journeys through various textures and musical styles. My favorite aspect of this band is their ability to keep the flow of the music constantly going and at the same time they keep so many different angles coming and going. This band definitely had a vision for this album and they delivered it. There were a few songs that were similar and some songs that blended together some. Progressive music isn't always my thing, but I found this album to be a delight because the music is very cohesive and intriguing. Certainly one of the best albums I have heard so far this year.


myspace.com/scalethesummit