Scale the Summit are the most progressive band to come out of Texas in a long while, if ever. If you're into progressive metal and all of its crushing riff and melodic harmonic glory, you'll love their latest release "The Collective". What I found most intriguing while listening to "The Collective" is the instrumental dynamics and the melodic harmonies. With only two guitars (Travis LeVrier on 7 string, and Chris Letchford on 8 string) a bass (Jordan Eberhardt on 6 string) and drums (Pat Skeffington), Scale the Summit are able to paint an instrumental tapestry which communicates more to the listener using only 4 instruments than any other modern prog metal band.

The lead guitar swoops and soars with it's graceful melodies (and impeccable tone), along with the rhythm guitar, which keeps crunchy rhythm throughout the many changes. The bass drives playful melodies which harmonize melodically with the guitars and offers much to the overall sonic delivery of any of the albums songs. The drums are played expertly, much in the same vain as Mike Portnoy of Dream Theatre, melodic and gentle yet fast and powerful when needed, and always on top of any changes in tempo. Proof of this statement is easily found in "Origin of Species" and "Gallows" where the drums are the driving force when it comes to the harder rhythm sections, yet played more melodically when the mood of the song changes.

While we're on the topic of musical influences, there are times when the melodic influences of Mastodon, Dream Theatre and Isis shine through. However, there's more material where Scale the Summit present a more hard edged, chugging rhythm riff structure, which is prevalent in most modern American metal bands. With a sound that's purely modern progressive metal, it's no wonder why Scale the Summit were chosen to open for Dream Theatre and Zappa plays Zappa in 2009 and to also tour with Protest The Hero and Between the Buried and Me.

Being a progressive instrumental album, you can expect a lot of changes when it comes to a song. Some songs begin light, and melodic like "Alpenglow", "Balkan" and Drifting Figures" which later build to a heavier climax. Other songs begin on a harder note like "Origin of Species", "Colossal", and "Gallows" which soften down later in the song. All throughout "The Collective" the listener never gets bored, as the songs permutate from beginning to end. It gives the sense of a musical journey which the band and the listener embark on together when beginning the album. "Whales" is a perfect example how prog melody and metal grit can come together in a single song and take the listener on a journey of epic proportions. "Alpenglow" is another epic opus of crushing chords and melodic madness, along with "Black Hills" definitely one of my favourites.

While the composition of the songs throughout "The Collective" are musically progressive, organic and adventurous, my only complaint is that the sounds and tones aren't. Don't get me wrong, I love the tones of both the guitars, whether heavy and distorted ("Black Hills") or washed out in dreamy reverb ("Drifting Figures"). The Bass is treated precisely enough as to minimize frequency masking in the mix ("Colossal") while still giving the bass presence. The drums are full, crisp and clear where and when they should be; but that's not the point. The point is that while the sound that Scale the Summit has forged over the years sounds great, it doesn't change nearly as often as the key signature, tempo or mood of the songs. When listening to "The Collective", I was constantly reminded how much the lead guitar sounded like John Petrucci (end of "Gallows"), or Joe Satriani ("Secret Earth") and none of these tones changed much from song to song.

The track listing of "The Collective," is as follows:



1. Colossal
2. Whales
3. Emersion
4. The Levitated
5. Secret Earth
6. Gallows
7. Origin of Species
8. Alpenglow
9. Black Hills
10. Balkan
11. Drifting Figures

Yes, no two songs sound alike, but this is said only in a compositional context. The instruments themselves sound like they did in the previous song, even if they are playing different parts, they don't stray much in the tone department. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I'm just being picky because it's a pitfall that can easily be fallen into by progressive acts these days. Progressive in song not nearly in sound. I'd like to see more prog bands experimenting with their sound, as well as their songwriting. It'd be nice to hear a new part in a progression of a song reveal new sonic characteristics that couldn't be heard before, because of the type of part that was being played. I feel it could really help accent some of the more epic moments on the album (Not that they aren't epic already) if the texture of the instruments changed along with the texture of the songwriting. I think this approach would really amplify the Scale the Summit experience to an even higher level of instrumental artistry.

With their third release, "The Collective", Scale the Summit have carved themselves a healthy niche in the realm of progressive metal as one of the new leaders of modern prog metal. From start to finish "The Collective" is a musical journey to be enjoyed by anybody who can appreciate melodic, yet powerful music. Their unique instrumental interplay and melodic harmonies will have any fan of modern prog metal convinced that Scale the Summit is a band to watch for in the future.

Zack Brenneman

Global Entertainment Mag

http://globalentertainmentmag.com/