Mikey greets me at the door and I survey the crowd. It’s a sold out night at Great Scott, online and deservedly so. As I look for familiar faces I’m reminded that this isn’t a typical metal show, and that truth is well represented in this audience. Progressive metal generally attracts all types and all ages simply by virtue of its creed – Unifying disparate influences and tones into an unpredictable sonic palette. Tonight’s acts are Intronaut (progressive post-metal from LA), Scale the Summit (who self-identify as ‘adventure metal’), and Mouth of the Architect (atmospheric sludge).
Mouth of the Architect go on first and I’m surprised at the level of excitement in the crowd, as I haven’t seen them perform before. Two tunes in, and it’s clear that they’re seasoned professionals. Dave Mann’s drumming is truly a fixture here, and shows great restraint during many of the group’s softer, more post-rock oriented sections. When the gears start churning though, the group makes amazing transitions from plodding, doomy sludge into pure driving mayhem. Most of the songs clock in over 7 minutes in length, with the majority pulled from the newest LP ‘Dawning’, released June 25th. One highlight performed mid-set is the tune “Lullaby” which is the first track off the new album; it embodies the current sound of the group and mixes clean harmonized singing with brutal instrumentation, guitar lines drenched in delay, and a cacophony of harsh vocals. Quiet, brooding sections make way for massive builds and really showcase what this band is capable of – huge dynamics and rock solid performances.
After a longer-than-typical setup time, Scale the Summit is ready to start. I say it took a while for them, but perhaps that was due to my intrigue in their AxeFX-based guitar rigs, which are placed entirely offstage. This act makes use of cutting edge equipment to deliver their razor sharp flavor of progressive metal. Scale the Summit is comprised of Chris Letchford and Travis Levrier wielding their 7-string guitars, Mark Michell on his 6-string bass, and Pat Skeffington at the drums. Although only an instrumental 4-piece group, these guys are masters of their instruments and have a knack for creating some stunningly beautiful soundscapes. Colossal energy and a passion for melody is what drives their sound, especially showcased in songs from their new album ‘The Odyssey’ which had just been released a week prior. The music is playful, yet under the accessible hooks it is enormously complex and begs to be analyzed and dissected. Chris and Travis trade jaw-dropping solos and two-handed tapping sections, sometimes making use of delay on their guitar rigs to create a flurry of pristine notes. The overall tone of the group almost clinically clean, individual instruments are all discernable and they each sound fantastic in their own light. My favorite sections end up being the ambient/atmospheric ones – the swirling melodies carry your mind to another place before you’re suddenly banging your head to the complex metal riff that’s come seemingly out of nowhere. The emotional content of Scale the Summit’s performance flows between carefree, catchy, intense, and triumphant. I can tell that this band loves what they do; when the light catches the front row of the audience, the unanimous grins show that the fans love it too.
And now for Intronaut. It was surprising (in a good way) to see them headlining here, as they came through Boston back in February supporting Animals as Leaders and the fathers of djent, Meshuggah. I must confess, I’ve been a fan of these guys since seeing them perform with Isis in 2007. At the time they were in the process of writing the instant classic ‘Prehistoricisms’, an album which gained them an immediate and ardent following. Since then, they have released ‘Valley of Smoke’ in 2010 and as well as ‘Habitual Levitations’ this March. Each LP sees them continuing to develop their unique approach to metal, infusing it with psychedelia, jazz-fusion, and polyrhythmic trickery. To add to this, they’ve begun incorporating gorgeous visuals with their set which are downright hypnotic. Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick each perform vocal and guitar duties, while Joe Lester stands as a figurative (and literal) centerpiece to the group with his 5-string fretless bass. It’s worth mentioning the fretless bass, since it’s rather uncommon and Joe contributes a significant amount to the group’s songwriting approach (heard especially on the tune ‘Harmonomicon’). The missing piece to this puzzle is a drummer that can wed intense metal capability with fusion chops and a knack for odd time signatures – I believe that Danny Walker is the only drummer that could ever fill that role in this group. He takes more of a Neil Peart approach to his parts than an improvisational one, and it’s captivating to watch him nail these exceptionally complex patterns. I should say, however, that Intronaut aren’t guilty of being pretentious or deliberately technical. There are clear emotional arcs in their tunes, melody is usually favored over brutality, and interestingly their latest album is completely void of screaming or harsh vocals.
Dave and Sasha’s vocal performances are to be commended here, notable on the songs ‘Milk Leg’ and ‘Core Relations’ which are two personal favorites. Danny’s drumming is impeccable, and Joe manages to drop jaws and gain the group new fans with each show they play. They play their final song (‘Gleamer’ from 2006’s ‘Void’’) but the crowd erupts and demands an encore performance. After a few minutes, they stride back on stage and belt out two absolutely incredible songs from Prehistoricisms (The Literal Black Cloud, Australopithecus) and a mosh pit bubbles up out of the pure intensity of these final tunes. It seems incredulous that these bands are able to deliver such accurate and intense performances night after night. Everyone seems happy and exhausted as they meander towards the door in comparative silence.
