Scale The Summit
Generally speaking, progressive rock bands aren’t known for their
efficiency — but SCALE THE SUMMIT, who are preparing to release their
fourth album in six years, have never exactly played by the rules.
First, consider their chosen genre of music, which is perpetually
unfashionable by mainstream standards. Then consider that, in the true
spirit of prog, they decided to take things one step further — which
in their case meant forging ahead without a vocalist. One can only
imagine the shaking heads of friends, family members and faculty at
Hollywood’s Musicians Institute (where the band formed while its
members were students) and their many attempts to dissuade the group
from attempting to make a living as an instrumental progressive
rock/metal band.
Luckily, they didn’t listen — and after hearing “The Migration,”
SCALE THE SUMMIT’s new album, you’ll wonder why anyone in their right
minds ever doubted the band in the first place. Co-produced and
recorded by Jamie King (Between The Buried and Me), it’s another
adventurous, thrilling helping of atmospheric, evocative soundscapes
that aptly showcase the band’s many talents — the greatest of which
might just be their ability to combine virtuosity with tastefulness.
As always, the group includes several of their trademark,
fleet-fingered “tapping” passages, which are an even greater joy to
witness live. Indeed, the live stage is where SCALE THE SUMMIT have
earned considerable fans over the past several years, whether touring
with progressive royalty such as Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa and
Cynic, supporting neo-prog masters Periphery, Protest The Hero and
BTBAM, performing at high-profile festivals (Make Music Pasadena,
SXSW, Prog Day, the MetalSucks “Suckfest”) or headlining. The band
will kick off what will surely be an extensive new touring cycle in
support of “The Migration”