SCALE THE SUMMIT - CARVING DESERT CANYONS - 2009

A couple of months ago, AMR had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Letchford about their then upcoming album Carving Desert Canyons and the band’s musical motivations, which can be read here. What I had heard from Carving Desert Canyons got me quite excited about the possibilities of what I could expect from the band’s second full length, and debut on Prosthetic Records. I was even more impressed with the maturity in the responses Chris gave me about their music, which really showed a true passion for their art, and the uncompromising approach they bring to music. When I received the complete Carving Desert Canyons, I was expecting it to fulfill my expectations, and I am happy to proclaim that it is as refreshing and fulfilling as I’d expected.

Scale the Summit for those who are unfamiliar, is not your typical modern American metal band. Scale the Summit harnesses an approach that is non-lyrical, with a sense of subdued progression. What I mean by subdued progression is that it is progressive metal, but not in the traditional form that bands like Dream Theater have popularized with endless drum, keyboard and guitar fills. Instead, I liken Scale the Summit’s work to more of a Green Carnation or Opeth mode of execution, where technicality is still highly apparent, but in a form that allows for simplicity and freeform transitions, rather than highly-technical offbeat time signatures.

Because of this almost dream-like atmosphere the band creates with their music, the result is something very fresh in a scene that has hearkened back to the beginnings of death metal and grindcore when faster, harder and heavier was the way to go. Even progressive metal bands in Europe that have typically followed a traditional melodic base, have orientated a bit of the melodic death and harsh growls into their music. Scale the Summit are a young, vibrant band who, contrary to what people at their age should be doing, are creating very mature, and somewhat groundbreaking music in the genre. Carving Desert Canyons is an album that jazz aficionados will enjoy, because it bends the musical mode without filling the aural cavity with concrete demolishing harshness in guitar and drum tone.

Now, this format that Scale the Summit embraces, for all its great qualities, really isn’t something I see catching on with the mainstream metal fan. It contains no vocals, and as Chris clearly stated to me in our interview, they don’t plan on having any vocals in the future. Bands like Apocalyptica, which has played with a formula that kind of went against the grain of mainstream tastes, has adjusted their sound in order to “fit in” with a fanbase that is outside the realm of their hardcore followers. The only way I see Scale the Summit getting the exposure they need to become a popular band in the scene, is to sacrifice some of their ideals, for more acceptable modes of delivery. Personally, I hope the band never compromises their values, but then again, I am not the one who is hoping to launch a career as a musician, so who am I to say anything.

The bottom line is simple, Carving Desert Canyons is simply a solid record from a band with all the potential in the world, in both metal and mainstream avenues. I sincerely hope that Prosthetic Records, a label known for supporting extreme metal acts, maintains their faith in a band that may not bring much profit to the company in the beginning, because these guys deserve to have a home that will back their enormous talents.
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