Scale The Summit - Carving Desert Canyons
With the release of their sophomore CD, Carving Desert Canyons, Scale The Summit are proving they are here to stay. This is a an instrumental disc with unbelievably technical yet melodic playing as the focal point .The guitar shredig is top notch and tune after tune will leave the listener spent and in awe. These guys are talented, it is even more evident on this disc than on their debut release, it is truly amazing what these guys can make their instruments do. Unconcerned with conventional boundaries these guys let loose with an unbridled metal attack.
It is a difficult feat to sustain a record on just the playing alone, if not careful it becomes a self-indulgent vanity project that more often than not leaves the listener bored within just a few minutes. Carving Desert Canyons is different. I think it’s success is due not only to the incredible playing of the band members but also to the variety and style of the songs, they are not all balls to the wall metal, there are tempo changes galore and a variety of musical styles melded in with the heaviness.
As an amateur guitarist (a self-proclaimed hack) and someone who has been in and around the music business for the past 18 years I was thoroughly impressed with this disc. This is a great CD from a group of incredibly talented and gifted musicians.
The only real downer here is that the disc is only eight tracks and thirty-nine minutes long, (not nearly long enough). I hope that we hear more from these guys in the near future because I know after hearing these tunes; I want more of this, much more. But alas, I am left salivating for more.
Rating System
Thrash Magazine's overall rating system is based on the following criteria. Scale The Summit received a 9.6 because of the following:
Instrumental Rating (1-30): 29
Vocal Rating (1-30): 29
Lyrical Rating (1-25): 24
Presentation Rating (1-15): 14