Scale The Summit - V

It's another great album (and bitchin' cover to boot) from Houston's own Scale The Summit!It's funny how hometown-boys Scale The Summit's release schedule seems as precise as their compositions, releasing new material with impressive consistency. And the latest from release from this league of extraordinary djentlemen (oooh it hurts, don't it?) is every bit as satisfying in that shreddy but melodic instrumental goodness I crave.

Getting used to a new drummer (the impressive J.C. Bryant, who takes over for erstwhile original member Pat Skeffington) doesn't seem to have been any kind of issue for the lads as everything sounds fantastic - perhaps due in part to returning mixer and collaborator Jamie King's (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist) expert ministrations. Guitarists Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier continue to grow their talents, each producing thrilling counterpoint to the other rather than the simpler harmonized runs of most twin guitar-fronted acts. And let's not forget bassist Mark Mitchell, whose sinewy bass lines provide the musculature the melodies hang on. Now don't think it's all chunka-chunka here as the mellower moments can be quietly beautiful. These textural contrasts - on tracks like Soria Moria's tapping exchanges that give way to moments of intensity seeming more like the result of gravity than sheer force - are the band's stock and trade. The dynamics at play are truly impressive, as exemplified on Trapped In Ice, going from furious riffing to ethereal, delayed chordings on the outro. By the way, Stolas' unmistakeable Shawn Lane vibe (God, how amazing would it have been for Shawn to do guest work on this track? RIP, bro.) gave me a chill, reminding me that this is one of my all time favorite subgenres.

The Bottom Line: Fans of bands like Animals As Leaders or even Cynic should be all over this. This is instrumental progmetal or djent are sure to enjoy another album from Scale The Summit, but newcomers looking for melodic, textural, instrumental jams would do well to spin this disc.

Tracks To Make You Not Even Want To Look At Your Guitar For A While: Soria Moria, Stolas, and Kestral

- Genghis would give his left nut to play in a band like this...