Scale the Summit

CHRIS LETCHFORD MARK MICHELL TRAVIS LEVRIER J.C. BRYANT   Generally speaking, progressive rock bands aren’t known for their efficiency — but SCALE THE SUMMIT, who have released four albums in 7 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 most recent Billboard-charting album, you’ll wonder why anyone in their right minds ever doubted the band in the first place. 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 YES, Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa and Cynic, supporting neo-prog masters Periphery, Protest The Hero and Between the Buried and Me, performing at high-profile festivals (YEStival, Cruise to the Edge, Make Music Pasadena, SXSW, Prog Day, the MetalSucks “Suckfest”) or headlining their own tours. Buckle up, as SCALE THE SUMMIT’s odyssey is just beginning.