topofsm For those still on the boat from Monument, you are already familiar with Scale the Summit's sound. Lots of light, sometimes a bit technical instrumental prog metal meant to evoke the experiences of nature. For those who enjoyed Monument, Carving Desert Canyons is really the next thing you need to have in your collection. The downside is, really, that is quite easily is a "Monument, Part Two".

No doubt, the band has grown some. But there's still the same sound. Rarely does it go into overblown tech-metal territory, and while some parts do evoke what most are familiar with what lots of progressive metal giants can do, it's fairly subdued. Almost like a post technical metal band. Overall, it's very similar to Monument. The only real change between the albums is the production. On Carving Desert Canyons, everything has become clearer, and lost the feeling of a band in a lackluster studio trying to piece things together.

And just like the debut, it runs into the same problems. As I have stated in my previous review, the band seems to struggle with songwriting diversity. While there is certainly a large selection of riffs that the band draws from, most of them have the same feel as the others, and a lot of the album feels like more of the same after a while. Most of the album seems to draw from variations of a 6/8 style groove, often riffs that sound vaguely metalcore-esque, though presented in a way nothing like metalcore.

Again, it is this lack of diversity that drags Scale the Summit down in this album. The band are clearly good musicians, that is apparent from the diverse opener, "Bloom" which contains plenty of time changes and unusual note choices, and within its two minute running time it introduces the album spectacularly. It really makes you wonder about a lot of the songs, especially when there is a very soft inviting intro to "Glacial Planet" that could have easily been expanded on. There's also the math-rock esque bridge to "The Great Plains", where there are wonderful smooth tapping parts that the band could have put more in all over. Instead, the rest of the album not mentioned here sounds like an overlong exercise in what can be done in 6/8 riffs.

So ultimately, while being absolutely wonderful musicians that can perform with the best of them, Carving Desert Canyons falls a bit flat in the songwriting department. The band would still have yet to find a great niche to play, and would have to for the time rehash a lot of the same sounds. Eventually, the band would grow into what happens on the Collective, but for now they're in a good comfy, and admittedly original niche. Those who liked Monument should still pick this up. Those expecting diverse and over the top tech metal should really sample this before getting, but overall it's a good band playing some overall solid music.

Andyman1125 An adventure of massive proportions.

Scale The Summit are a relatively new progressive (or as they call it "adventure") metal band that have toured with prog metal giants Dream Theater and have gathered quite the cult following, especially amongst technique loving musicians. Carving Desert Canyons is their latest album, and it certainly delivers a tasty punch of adventurous instrumental metal that can easily leave you flying high above the clouds in the ecstasy of the band's great music.

Bloom is the killer opener that really does just that, bloom, into a wonderful little 2 minute opener. Sadly, it is only 2 minutes and does end leaving you hanging a little bit. The melody and rhythms all mesh spectacularly in one wonderful piece of music. Every member pulls their weight to start this freight train to keep on chugging throughout the album.

Sargasso Sea has a swift chugging opener that soon flows into some soaring solos from the guitars and some really epic synchronizations with the 8 and 7 string guitars, which break into some heavenly polyrhythms that are just right in every way. Oddly, this song's 5 minute length seems a little bit much for the song. The song has some great ideas, but to make it 5 minutes they needed to throw in a couple extra that make for some awkward transitions. Overall, a good track, but could have used a trim (and that excess could have gone to Bloom!!)

The Great Plains is the absolute best track on the album. A fan favorite, a band favorite, a critic favorite, the whole track is a tasty piece of music. Through the killer first section you can hear genius at work- from great harmonizations with the two guitars and the bass to the meshing of rhythm and melody. The whole thing is just great. However, the thing that really makes this track spectacular is that signature tapping section. Featured on virtually every guitar outlet around, it's obviously amazing. Every infectious note makes my body shake with excitement. The only bad part is the wait they put you through to reach the good stuff!

Dunes is a quick little riffing piece similar to the other songs, with some great harmonization, instrumentation, technical skill, and all that great stuff. Polyrhythms abound in this track also, making it even more infectious to a polyrhythm lover like myself!

Age of Tide is yet another adventurous riffing piece full of creative harmonizations and synchronization. The song has some great transitions between the band's ideas with where the music is going, from a soaring solo section to a low to the ground 7 string chugging section, and back again.

Glacial Planet is my second favorite track on the album. The song starts out slow, building in melodic steps of joy. Soon, the song breaks open into a bopping and infectious guitar riff. The solos are melodic and fun, reviving a slowly decaying system of riff-solo-riff with some more creative solos and riffs. The song is almost bipolar (in a good way), with song switching madly from soaring solo to chugging in the 8th string register, to melodic picking, back to solos and all of it again. The track is a great ride to go on, making that Glacial Planet an epic image indeed.

City in the Sky does continue the overbearing motif of adventurous riffing with adventurous soloing. Listening through the entire album, at this point the music begins to fade into a continuous stream of the same thing, but if you pick one song at a time, the music is incredibly inventive and fun. This song does feature some more interesting parts, such a much more prominent bass solo, breaking from the countless guitar solos. It also has another pseudo-tapping section, and some more creative harmonizations.

Giants is the "giant" track on the album, clocking in at over 7 minutes (gasp). The song is faster and more hard hitting that the rest of them, with a swifter rhythm and some quick and attacking rifffing. Some cool octave/harmony things are going on throughout the song that also make the song a nice treat and a fantastic ending to this great album.

ALBUM OVERALL: This album has extremely strong up sides and very few downsides. The best way to listen to this album is to listen to the first 3 tracks uninterrupted, then listen to all the other tracks individually, because over the sadly short 40 minute length of the album, the music can get somewhat repetitive and begins to seem boring. The music is insanely good, but many of the same ideas seem to be used more than once. Overall, musically the album is incredible, melodically, rhythmically, harmonizationally, and every other good aspect of music is in there in perfect quantity. However, as I said before, the music begins to taper into "been here before" territory. So, listen to the essential tracks individually or else you may ruin them for yourself. 4 stars.