Scale the Summit

{{Short description|American instrumental progressive metal band}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Scale the Summit | image = ScaleTheSummit121509.jpg | caption = From left to right: Travis Levrier, Jordan Eberhardt, Pat Skeffington, and Chris Letchford performing in 2009 | image_upright = 1.2 | background = group_or_band | alias = | origin = Houston, Texas, U.S. | instrument = | genre = {{flatlist| *Progressive metal *djent *instrumental rock }} | occupation = | years_active = 2004–present | label = Prosthetic | website = | current_members = {{Plainlist| * Chris Letchford * Kilian Duarte * Charlie Engen}} | past_members = {{Plainlist| * Jordan Eberhardt * Pat Skeffington * Travis Levrier * Mark Michell * J.C. Bryant}} }}

'''Scale the Summit''' is an American instrumental progressive metal band formed in Houston, Texas in 2004. The band comprises guitarist Chris Letchford, bassist Kilian Duarte and drummer Charlie Engen. They were signed to Prosthetic Records before the band decided to release their work independently.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.NET/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=86348 | title=Scale the Summit Signs With Prosthetic Records | publisher=Blabbermouth.net | date=December 7, 2007 | access-date=February 9, 2009 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The band is influenced by other progressive acts such as Cynic and Dream Theater. The band gained notice as part of the Progressive Nation 2009 tour with Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa and Bigelf.

== History ==

=== Formation and early years (2004–2007) === Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier grew up in the same neighborhood, but never played music together until 2004,<ref name =messenger>{{Cite web | last = Anderson | first = John | title = Guitar lessons, Interviews, Reviews, & More | Guitar Messenger – Chris Letchford & Travis LeVrier Interview (Scale The Summit) | date = April 2, 2011 | url = http://www.guitarmessenger.com/interviews/chris-letchford-travis-levrier-interview-scale-the-summit/ | access-date = June 15, 2013}}</ref> after they reconnected a few years earlier in a record store discussing a common interest, Between the Buried and Me.<ref name=aquarian>{{Cite web | last = Magnotta | first = Andrew | title = Interview with Chris Letchford from Scale The Summit | The Aquarian Weekly | url = http://www.theaquarian.com/2012/02/09/interview-with-chris-letchford-from-scale-the-summit/ | date = February 9, 2012 | access-date = July 25, 2013}}</ref> The duo formed a metal band in Houston that had trouble finding a bass guitarist and drummer. Letchford was set to attend the Los Angeles Musicians Institute a year after the band's formation, and Levrier decided to attend as well. The duo mainly hoped to meet new people to join their band, reasoning that their chances of doing so would be highest there,<ref name=amr>{{Cite web | title = Interview: SCALE THE SUMMIT &#!24; All Metal Resource | date = December 16, 2008 | url = http://allmetalresource.com/2008/12/16/interview-scale-the-summit/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081226211341/http://allmetalresource.com/2008/12/16/interview-scale-the-summit/ | archive-date = December 26, 2008 | access-date = February 7, 2013}}</ref> and after only a few months they met Jordan Eberhardt and Pat Skeffington, who joined on bass guitar and drums respectively.<ref name=progsphere>{{Cite web | last = Thaler | first = Dan | title = Chris Letchford, Scale the Summit | Prog Sphere | date = June 28, 2010 | url = http://www.prog-sphere.com/2010/06/28/chris-letchford-scale-the-summit/ | access-date = June 6, 2013}}</ref> They first noticed Skeffington when they saw him wearing a Between the Buried and Me T-shirt with drumsticks protruding from his backpack, and Eberhardt joined in response to an ad the trio placed on Myspace.<ref name=aquarian /><ref name=spinner>{{Cite web | last = Butler | first = Tyler | title = Scale the Summit Interview: SXSW 2010 – Spinner | date = March 12, 2010 | url = http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/12/scale-the-summit-interview-sxsw-2010/ | access-date = July 25, 2013 | archive-date = July 20, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180720022543/http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/12/scale-the-summit-interview-sxsw-2010/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> Reflecting on the experience, Letchford explained, "I still think to this day that it was just meant to be, as moving out to Los Angeles didn't guarantee anything. I think we all just crossed paths at the perfect time."<ref name =progsphere />

Although the band played typical progressive metal with a vocalist in Houston, Letchford and Levrier noted a change in their sound when they started writing again in Los Angeles.<ref name=progsphere /> After writing their first song, "Rode In on Horseback",<ref name=blistering>{{Cite web | last = Gelhke | first = David E. | title = Scale The Summit Feature Interview At Blistering.com | url = http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/link/1/templateid/15116/tempidx/5/menuid/3 | access-date = July 24, 2013}}</ref> the duo realized the material sounded as if it was already complete, without being written for a singer, and so the duo dismissed the idea of finding another singer.<ref name=progsphere /> The duo took two years of classes at the institute, where their new band recorded four songs on a demo and played shows around the town. To make it easier to pursue a career in the band, Letchford and Levrier convinced Eberhardt and Skeffington, whom they had never met before attending school, to move to Houston with them instead of basing the band in Los Angeles.<ref name=messenger /> Letchford later explained that despite enjoying the area's natural beauty he felt the music scene in Los Angeles was too crowded and difficult to survive in.<ref name=hailsandhorns>{{Cite web | last = Brown | first = Kimberly | title = Hails and Horns – Scale The Summit – An Interview with Guitarist Chris Letchford | date = March 31, 2011 | url = http://www.hailsandhorns.com/featuresandinterviews/scale-the-summit-an-interview-with-guitarist-chris-letchford/ | access-date = July 25, 2013}}</ref> The band's formation was temporarily threatened by Levrier finding work for a band called Into the Moat, which he considered joining permanently, but Letchford sent him a demo recording of the song "Omni" (a song that would appear on the band's debut album, ''Monument''), and Levrier changed his mind. Into the Moat disbanded in spite of touring with acts such as Between the Buried and Me and The Black Dahlia Murder.<ref name=aquarian /> Levrier coined the name "Scale the Summit" when he perused a photography book and saw a picture titled "The Summit", and mentioned the name as soon as it came to mind; the group took the name immediately.<ref name=spinner />

=== Releases and success (2008–present) === thumb|upright=1.2|Scale the Summit in 2009 Scale the Summit's first release was a demo<ref name=alt>{{Cite web | title = Interview with Scale the Summit| date = May 13, 2011 | url = http://alternativematter.net/interviews/interview-with-scale-the-summit | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110518145724/http://alternativematter.net/interviews/interview-with-scale-the-summit | archive-date = May 18, 2011 | access-date = February 7, 2013}}</ref> that they personally handed-out at shows in limited quantities,<ref name=messenger /> and their first album, ''Monument'', was self-funded<ref name=progsphere /> and self-released.<ref name=hailsandhorns /> Letchford was dismissive of the album's sound, which he considered inferior to those of the group's later albums as the group had had little experience in songwriting by that time and limited funds for the sessions.<ref name=progsphere /> In 2009 they signed with Prosthetic Records and began working on their second album, ''Carving Desert Canyons''. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater heard the band's music and invited them to tour with Dream Theater on the 2009 ProgNation Tour.<ref name=progsphere />

In 2010, they toured North America in support of Between the Buried and Me and recorded their third album, ''The Collective'', which they released the following year. Also in 2011, the band toured with Periphery and Fair to Midland, The Human Abstract, Cynic, 3, Protest the Hero, Last Chance to Reason, Volumes, Structures, Rings of Saturn, and The Contortionist.

In April 2012, Jordan Eberhardt left the band, citing his reluctance to continue touring full-time; he was replaced by Mark Michell.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Scale the Summit announce new bassist | News: Kill Your Stereo | date = April 6, 2012 | url = http://www.killyourstereo.com/news/13235/scale-the-summit-announce-new-bassist/ | access-date = April 6, 2012}}</ref>

In November 2012, Letchford announced that the band had started writing material for their fourth album, ''The Migration'', which was released on June 11 the following year.<ref name =face>{{Cite web | title = The Migration Release Date | website = Facebook | date = March 27, 2013 | url = http://www.facebook.com/scalethesummit/posts/325766890859231 | access-date = March 28, 2013}}</ref>

In March 2015, Pat Skeffington left the band and was replaced by J.C. Bryant, who wrote and recorded the drums for the band's fifth studio album, titled ''V'' and which was released on September 18, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lambgoat.com/news/27120/Entheos-adds-Scale-The-Summit-guitarist-to-lineup|title=Entheos adds Scale The Summit guitarist to lineup|website=Lambgoat.com|access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = Scale The Summit replaces drummer | date = March 17, 2015 | website = Lambgoat | url = http://lambgoat.com/news/24389/Scale-The-Summit-replaces-drummer | access-date = March 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = Scale The Summit Reveal New Album Title | date = March 23, 2015 | website = The PRP | url = http://www.theprp.com/2015/03/23/news/scale-the-summit-reveal-new-album-title/ | access-date = March 23, 2015}}</ref>

In August 2016, Travis LeVrier announced that he would be leaving Scale the Summit to join Entheos as a full-time member.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lambgoat.com/news/27120/Entheos-adds-Scale-The-Summit-guitarist-to-lineup|title=ENTHEOS adds Scale the Summit guitarist to lineup|website=Lambgoat.com}}</ref>

On October 27, 2016, it was announced that drummer J.C. Bryant and bassist Mark Michell had left the band, with drummer Charlie Engen announced as a replacement for Bryant.<ref>{{Cite web | title =Scale the Summit Lose a Drummer, Gain a Drummer, and Lose a Bassist | date = October 27, 2016 | url = http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/10/27/scale-the-summit-lose-a-drummer-gain-a-drummer-and-lose-a-bassist/ | access-date = October 27, 2016}}</ref> On October 31, 2016, it was revealed that the split was due to Letchford's alleged refusal to pay band members.<ref>{{Cite web | title =What Happened To Scale The Summit?: J.C. Bryant On Leaving | date = October 31, 2016 | url = http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2016/10/31/what-happened-to-scale-the-summit-j-c-bryant-on-leaving/ | access-date = October 31, 2016}}</ref> On December 20, Kilian Duarte was announced as the band's new bass player.<ref>{{Cite web | title =Scale To The Summit Headed To The Studio | date = December 20, 2016 | url = http://www.theprp.com/2016/12/20/news/scale-summit-headed-studio/ | access-date = December 20, 2016}}</ref>

On May 19, 2017, Scale the Summit released their sixth studio album, ''In a World of Fear''. Their seventh studio album, ''Subjects'', was released on June 25, 2021. The album was elected by ''PopMatters'' as the 10th best progressive metal album of 2021.<ref name="bestprog21PM">{{cite web |last1=Jordan |first1=Blum |last2=Spiess |first2=Andrew |title=The 10 Best Progressive Rock/Metal Albums of 2021 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-progressive-rock-metal-2021 |website=PopMatters |access-date=2 January 2022 |date=30 November 2021}}</ref>

== Musical style == Scale the Summit members thoroughly rehearse songs to record albums quickly,<ref name=ghost>{{Cite web | last = Westland | first = Raymond | title = Instrumental Migrations – An Interview With Scale The Summit | Ghost Cult Magazine | date = June 9, 2013 | url = http://www.ghostcultmag.com/instrumental-migrations-an-interview-with-scale-the-summit/ | access-date = July 23, 2013}}</ref> and seek to perform their songs live exactly as recorded.<ref name=blistering2>{{Cite web | last = Gelhke | first = David E. | title = Scale The Summit Feature Interview At Blistering.com Part 2 | url = http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/15116/menuid/3/tempidx/5/catid/4/restemp/N%3B/fPpagesel/2 | access-date = July 24, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030211/http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/templateid/15116/menuid/3/tempidx/5/catid/4/restemp/N;/fPpagesel/2 | archive-date = March 4, 2016 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/practice-makes-prog-metal-perfect-for-chris-letchford-20140616|title=Practice Makes Prog-Metal Perfect for Chris Letchford|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=June 6, 2017}}</ref> Letchford estimates that most of the material remains the same between pre-recording rehearsals and during recording, even though the group sometimes alters the songs as they go.<ref name=ghost />

The band refer to their style of music "adventure metal",<ref name=amr /><ref name =progsphere /><ref name=spinner /><ref name =alt /> a term which Letchford states originated from how listeners on the Musician's Institute campus told him and Levrier that they felt the music was taking them on a journey as they listened.<ref name=blistering /> Before their first album, the band were often told they needed a vocalist,<ref name=alt /> but Letchford stated the group has always been against the idea, even a guest vocalist.<ref name=blistering /><ref name=amr /> Lacking a vocalist enables the band to avoid the verse–chorus–verse songwriting strategy that most bands with singers need to use to accommodate the lyrics.<ref name=kzsc>{{Cite web | title = Interview with Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit – Interviews | KZSC Santa Cruz | date = July 7, 2010 | url = http://www.kzsc.org/blog/2010/07/07/interview-with-chris-letchford-of-scale-the-summit/ | access-date = July 25, 2013}}</ref> Letchford feels that writing music to be complete without vocals is more difficult.<ref name=amr />

Song titles are usually selected after the songs are recorded by listening to the finished recording and brainstorming.<ref name =progsphere /><ref name =heavyblog>{{Cite web | title = Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit: The Heavy Blog Is Heavy Interview – Heavy Blog Is Heavy | date = December 23, 2011 | url = http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2011/12/23/chris-letchford-of-scale-the-summit-the-heavy-blog-is-heavy-interview/ | access-date = June 21, 2013}}</ref> The process for song title selection can be lengthy.<ref name=progsphere />

Due to rhythmical complexity ("off-time chugs"), the use of extended range guitars, and the general "vibe", their music is often ascribed to be djent despite much of their material being "clean channel" which contradicts the early onomatopoeic etymology of the genre's name.<ref>{{cite web|title="Periphery interview part 3 of 3." FreethinkersBlog|date=February 19, 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bE0Q_9nQ9U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/8bE0Q_9nQ9U |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|publisher=YouTube|access-date=October 15, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Band members ==

'''Current''' *Chris Letchford – lead guitar (2004–present), rhythm guitar (2016–present) *Kilian Duarte – bass (2016–present) *Charlie Engen – drums (2017–present)

'''Former''' *Jordan Eberhardt – bass (2004–2012) *Pat Skeffington – drums, percussion (2004–2015) *Travis Levrier – rhythm guitar (2004–2016) *Mark Michell – bass (2012–2016) *J.C. Bryant – drums (2015–2016)

'''Timeline''' {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:10 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2004 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2004

Colors = id:Guitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:Guitar2 value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album

LineData = layer:back color:studio at:07/10/2007 at:02/17/2009 at:03/01/2011 at:06/11/2013 at:09/18/2015 at:05/19/2017 at:06/25/2021

BarData = bar:Letchford text:"Chris Letchford" bar:Levrier text:"Travis Levrier" bar:Eberhardt text:"Jordan Eberhardt" bar:Michell text:"Mark Michell" bar:Duarte text:"Kilian Duarte" bar:Skeffington text:"Pat Skeffington" bar:Bryant text:"J.C. Bryant" bar:Engen text:"Charlie Engen"

PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Letchford from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Guitar bar:Letchford from:08/26/2016 till:end color:Guitar2 width:3 bar:Levrier from:01/01/2004 till:08/20/2016 color:Guitar2 bar:Eberhardt from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2012 color:Bass bar:Michell from:01/01/2012 till:10/27/2016 color:Bass bar:Duarte from:11/01/2016 till:end color:Bass bar:Skeffington from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2015 color:Drums bar:Bryant from:01/01/2015 till:10/27/2016 color:Drums bar:Engen from:10/27/2016 till:end color:Drums }}

== Discography == {{Main|Scale the Summit discography}} * ''Monument'' (2007) * ''Carving Desert Canyons'' (2009) * ''The Collective'' (2011) * ''The Migration'' (2013) * ''V'' (2015) * ''In a World of Fear'' (2017) * ''Subjects'' (2021)

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{cc}} *[http://www.scalethesummit.com/ Official website] *[http://www.chrisletchford.com/ Chris Letchford official website] *[http://www.facebook.com/scalethesummit/ Official Facebook]

Category:Musical groups from Houston Category:Musical groups established in 2004 Category:American progressive metal musical groups Category:Musical quartets from Texas Category:American progressive rock groups Category:2004 establishments in Texas Category:American instrumental rock musical groups Category:American djent musical groups