Musically wise beyond their years, the Houston-based Scale The Summit has accomplished things in four short years that many veteran acts still dream of achieving. After self-releasing their acclaimed debut album in 2007, the instrumental progressive hard rock quartet signed with Prosthetic Records before issuing their sophomore effort, 2009 s Carving Desert Canyons. The album won extensive praise from the likes of Guitar World, Revolver and their hometown Houston Chronicle, as well as their musical peers in such groups as Dream Theater, Between The Buried and Me and Protest the Hero, all of which invited the group to tour with them in the year following the album s release. After headlining Prosthetic s SXSW showcase last spring and gaining notoriety via their music s inclusion in the Rock Band Network, Scale The Summit spent much of 2010 writing and recording their third album, The Collective. Produced, engineered and mixed by Mark Lewis, and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side, the album sees the band step up their game sonically while they continue to craft evocative, expansive, atmospheric music that speaks volumes without saying a word. This isn t a wanky shredfest by guitar-store nerds, though, for while these young virtuosos play with the skill of seasoned veterans, the group lets their songs breathe and as a result, they resonate long after the final notes fade.