Thursday, July 28, 2011

Scale the Summit - Discography

All right I updated the post to the full discography. I'll leave the review for Carving Desert Canyons as it is.

Monument was released in 2007 and is a fantastic debut. On a technical level it is probably a notch higher than the other two records. The album is filled to the brim with distinct, memorable and diverse songs. The unique and beautiful sound is there, the songs are still Scale the Summit-level written and individually they are killer. However, that magical flow and connection through the album that I love so much on especially Carving Desert Canyons is not there to the same extent. I love the album, but I really like the direction and maturity they showed on the second one.

Scale the Summit is an Instrumental Progressive Metal band from Texas, USA. While I like my wanky music at times, what Scale the Summit manages to achieve on their albums is so refreshing compared to many instrumental acts. Rather than trying to sound like Dream Theater or showing off their skills, you can feel that creating music means something to these young guys. By having a pleasant enough tempo and a tad toned down technicality on the guitars, fused with great performances from every instrument and sublime songwriting, Carving Desert Canyons lifts you up and fly you far away. A joyous, adventurous feeling mixed with a warm, mellow tone engulfs you when you've listened to a track or two. It is perfect for relaxing and spacing out but because of the happy, adventure-like feeling it is great to play while gaming on the computer or console as well. The whole album flows like the sandy dunes and smooth canyons depicted both on the cover and often through the music. Every note counts, the initial minutes of the songs are not an intro to a wank solo of doom.

The Collective is Scale the Summit's 2011 release and it continues in the same vein as Carving Desert Canyons. The production is even slightly better, the bass is easy to distinguish and as always it is incredible. The drums have a slightly heavier feel too, and it fits this album perfectly. The phenomenal guitarwork continues, and on this piece of art it is less 'happy' than previously. The feeling I get is more dark blue than the mix of light blue skies and warm plains that Carving Desert Canyons depicted. I guess you could call it a more sombre, sincere beauty. This album, too, is so well written that when you realize how young they are(25ish), you just can't believe it. There is a nice flow to the album, though in my estimation the record isn't as strong as Carving Desert Canyons as a whole. Some songs, such as for instant Whales or Gallows hits my sweet spot and is absolutely top notch stuff. I like to listen through a whole album as one piece, and I guess that's why I value Carving Desert Canyons so much. I am sure some people will like the debut best and some will prefer The Collective. They are all albums I treasure, so my recommendation is to get all three and then decide upon your own favorite through extensive blissful listening.
Posted by Verity at 7/28/2011 06:45:00 AM