Tag Archive: Elitist

Scale The Summit Announce First Headlining Tour

Dec.16, 2011

Scale The Summit have been touring fairly extensive the last couple of years, supporting pretty much every band ever. These instrumetallers really do get around, and it was only a matter of time before they had their own headlining tour. It had never occurred to me until now that these dudes never had a proper national headlining tour before, but in early 2012, they’ll be taking to the road with Elitist and performing nightly 70-minute sets with material from all three albums. Huzzah!

Check out the dates below, and make it out if you can.

1/28 Dallas, TX @ The Door (no Elitist)
1/29 Albuquerque, NM @ TBA (no Elitist)
1/30 Mesa, AZ @ Underground
1/31 Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky (no Elitist)
2/1 San Jose, CA @ TBA
2/2 Portland, OR @ Branx
2/3 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
2/5 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
2/6 Denver, CO @ Summit Front Room
2/7 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
2/8 St Louis,MO @ Fubar
2/9 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
2/10 Lansing, MI @ Macs
2/11 Toronto, ON @ Wreck Room
2/12 Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
2/13 Cambridge, MA @ TTs The Bear
2/14 New York, NY @ TBA
2/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Barbary
2/16 Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
2/17 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
2/18 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
2/19 Pensacola, FL @ Handlebar
2/20 Shreveport, LA @ TBA

- JR

Tags: Elitist, Scale The Summit

Substructure – Monolith

Filed Under: Reviews

Oct.06, 2011

Substructure

Monolith

01. Cassiopeia
02. Canis Minor
03. Canis Major
04. Telescopium
05. Monoceros
06. Cepheus

[09/02/11]
[Self-Released]

Substructure are a space-themed progressive deathcore band from St. Louis. Yes, that’s a really small niche that is pretty much filled by The Contortionist, and if one is to be frank, the bands do resemble each other quite a bit – but don’t let this lower your opinion of Substructure. They have their own sound that differentiates them from The Contortionist, and since The Contortionist only have one album, more STPD (space-themed progressive deathcore) isn’t really a bad thing. Substructure have keyboards that are quite a bit more prominent, and their production is more refined, unlike The Contortionist’s raw sound. On that end, Substructure can be described as The Contortionist done in the style of Born of Osiris‘s new album crossed with Elitist‘s EP Caves. Yes, that is a lot of comparison, and while this EP sounds derivative at times, it’s also very good at what it does, which should excuse its shortcomings.

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Tags: Born of Osiris, Elitist, Monolith, slice the cake, substructure, The Contortionist

Elitist Release New Song, “Fracture“

Filed Under: New music, Upcoming releases

Oct.05, 2011

The end of October is looking to be pretty sweet. You have Uneven Structure‘s Februus—which I’m pretty sure is going to be album of the year material, especially after hearing their latest offering—and Elitist‘s Earth, which is also going to be awesome. And speaking of Elitist, they oh-so-kindly released a new song from Earth, which is entitled “Fracture“, which you can hear here:

I swear, Elitist are of of the best metalcore bands out there, and this song proves it. They fuse metalcore riffs with atmosphere with ease, and it makes everything sound fresh and new. I even like the electronic part at the end, which reminds me of Born of Osiris. Now with this and Specter released, it’s official: Earth is going to be amazing.

Earth is to be released October 25th on Blk Heart Group.

- GR

Tags: Blk Heart Group, Born of Osiris, Earth, Elitist, Uneven Structure

Elitist Have Reached Specter Status

Filed Under: New music, Upcoming releases

Sep.14, 2011

I know that specter is misspelled for those who get the rather blatant and lame Mass Effect joke, but whatever, it gave me a chuckle. But anyway, I’ve always considered Elitist to be head and shoulders above most of their metalcore peers, and this new song—which is entitled “Specter“—further proves my beliefs. The song is a great example of how the genre can stretch it’s boundaries and be interesting again, much like Picture it in Ruins‘ EP, although with different sounds entirely.

Awesome, eh? The lyrics are pretty par-for-the-course, but the way they are delivered are fantastic. They’ve apparently changed vocalist since their Caves EP, but this new vocalist I consider to be an upgrade. I absolutely cannot wait for this album, which is entitled Earth, and is to be released on October 25th, six days before Uneven Structure‘s Februus. Start saving your pennies, kids!

- GR

Tags: Earth, Elitist, Picture it in Ruins, Uneven Structure

Scale The Summit’s Chris Letchford To Record Solo Album

Filed Under: Upcoming releases, Video

Jul.26, 2011

Seems like this is the trend at the moment; talented musicians from fairly acclaimed bands writing solos albums in their down time, and this case, I can certainly say I’m all for it!

Recently we’ve seen Evan Brewer of The Faceless (thumbs up) and Francesco Artusato of All Shall Perish (thumbs down), but now it’s the turn of Scale The Summit‘s Chris Letchford, who was recently voted #24 on Metalsucks’ recent countdown of the top modern metal guitarists. I was giving The Collective a cursory re-listen last night, and it still fills me with the same warm fuzzy feeling as when it was first released; the lush compositions and sweeping solos as awesome as I remember them.

Revealed in an interview with Ryan’s Rock Show, and departing from the STS sound, however, this effort will be a jazz-inspired number, meaning we can probably expect some more off-kilter time signatures, and perhaps a woodwind instrument or two? Either way, I’ve enjoyed much of the dude’s work before, so colour me excited for this.

That being said, the band are currently on the road with the Slaughter Survivor’s Tour, and Letchford revealed in the same interview that this nugget came from after that they’ll also be on a headline touring run with Elitist right after, so this won’t even be laid down until the end of the year most likely. Still, something to look forward to, no?

Cheers to Vince at Metalsucks for cherry-picking this out. In the meantime, here’s Chris playing “Glacial Planet” from Scale the Summit’s old record, Carving Desert Canyons:

- CG

Tags: Chris Letchford, Elitist, Scale The Summit, Slaughter Survivor Tour, The Collective

We Ask You: What Are Your Favorite Breakdowns?

Filed Under: We Ask You

Jul.04, 2011

After Jimmy asked you readers a tough question last week, I thought I’d ask an even tougher one on this day of freedom and tomfoolery: what are your favorite breakdowns?

The breakdown is a simple concept to grasp, but difficult to use it to good effect to a song. No, we aren’t talking about the herp-derp breakdowns every deathcore band and they’re dogs do, we’re talking breakdowns that are crucial to the development and fullness of a piece. My all time favorite breakdown is:

Elitist – Caves (2:24 – 2:37)

This breakdown is very unique. The whole breakdown is accompanied by an arpeggiated chord, giving the breakdown the element of size. Also, the rhythmic structure in these eight bars is complex. The first bar goes through relative unassuming, thinking it’s another one of those standard breakdowns, but the second bar comes in with a rather unique rhythm, throwing a triplet in on beat 3, while not ending the bar with another triplet. Instead, it throws straight sixteenths at you, while removing the 3 note in the sixteenth. This gives the illusion that it is in an odd time signature – but it is actually all in straight 4/4. It’s really that bar that makes it for me. The guitarist do some neat breakdown riffing by throwing bends in the mix to give it added originality. The drummer perfectly accompanies the band with machine-like precision. The band does a great job at using triplets to change the feel of the breakdown. A lot of technical jargon there, but in short it’s just plain fun to hear and to comprehend what is going on, and it’s just full of energy.

So yeah, hit me with your favorite breakdowns, and after the jump, I have a few more for you.

- GR

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Tags: August Burns Red, Betwen the Buried and Me, Caves, Elitist, The Contortionist, The Human Abstract, the tony danza tapdance extravaganza, Tool, Veil of Maya

Volumes – The Concept of Dreaming

Filed Under: Reviews

Apr.21, 2011

Volumes

The Concept Of Dreaming

01. Two-One
02. Wormholes
03. Through the Trees
04. Starstruck
05. Intake
06. Gateways

This review has been a long time coming, and I wish I had gotten to it sooner. But with a full-release scheduled for this year, a late review of their EP will suffice for the anticipation.I first discovered Volumes after hearing them referenced in our Elitist review from a commenter named Tom. After hearing a few songs on their myspace page, I was hooked. I eagerly awaited their EP, and when it finally arrived I must say I was definitely satisfied.

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Tags: deathcore, djent, Elitist, melodic, Misery Signals, The Contortionist, Volumes

The Human Abstract Announces “Pull Me From The Gallows” Headlining Tour; Debut New Music Video!

Filed Under: Tours and Rumors of Tours

Mar.30, 2011

Good news, fans of top notch metalcore! The Human Abstract are heading out on a headlining tour this spring, and they’re bringing Scale the Summit, This Or The Apocalypse, Letlive, Across The Sun, No Bragging Rights, and Elitist (on select dates). If you’re a part of our typical readership demographic, then I suppose I would be preaching to the choir about how sweet this billing is. The build-up of The Apocalypse, Scale The Summit, and The Human Abstract would be killer enough on its own. I’m not too familiar with Letlive or No Bragging Rights, but I’m sure Across the Sun and Elitist are excellent choices for support on a tour like this. This shouldn’t disappoint.

Here are the dates. CHECKEM.

FRI, MAY 13, 2011 ANAHEIM, CA @ Chain Reaction (w/ Elitist)
SAT, MAY 14, 2011 PHOENIX, AZ @ The Underground
MON, MAY 16, 2011 LUBBOCK, TX @ Jake’s Sports Cafe
TUE, MAY 17, 2011 DALLAS, TX @ Trees
WED, MAY 18, 2011 SAN ANTONIO, TX @ The White Rabbit
THU, MAY 19, 2011 HOUSTON, TX @ Numbers
FRI, MAY 20, 2011 PENSACOLA, FL @ The Handlebar
SAT, MAY 21, 2011 WEST PALM BEACH, FL @ The Pit
SUN, MAY 22, 2011 JACKSONVILLE, FL @ The Pit
TUE, MAY 24, 2011 DOUGLASVILLE, GA @ The 7 Venue
WED, MAY 25, 2011 RALEIGH, NC @ Volume 11
FRI, MAY 27, 2011 SPRINGFIELD, VA @ Jaxx
SAT, MAY 28, 2011 BRONX, NY @ The Point
SUN, MAY 29, 2011 MANCHESTER, NH @ Rocko’s
MON, MAY 30, 2011 ALLENTOWN, PA @ Crocodile Rock Cafe
TUE, MAY 31, 2011 TORONTO, ON @ The Wreckroom
WED, JUN 1, 2011 CLEVELAND, OH @ Peabody’s
THU, JUN 2, 2011 COLUMBUS, OH @ The Seven Venue
FRI, JUN 3, 2011 TOLEDO, OH @ Headliners
SAT, JUN 4, 2011 JOLIET, IL @ Mojoe’s
SUN, JUN 5, 2011 ST. LOUIS, MO @ Fubar
MON, JUN 6, 2011 OMAHA, NE @ Sokol Underground
WED, JUN 8, 2011 DENVER, CO @ The Marquis Theater
THU, JUN 9, 2011 SALT LAKE CITY, UT @ In The Venue
FRI, JUN 10, 2011 BOISE, ID @ Mardi Gras
SAT, JUN 11, 2011 SPOKANE, WA @ The Hop
SUN, JUN 12, 2011 SEATTLE,WA @ Studio Seven
MON, JUN 13, 2011 PORTLAND, OR @ Branx
TUE, JUN 14, 2011 LOS GATOS, CA @ The Venue
THU, JUN 16, 2011 CAMARILLO, CA @ Rock City (w/ Elitist)
FRI, JUN 17, 2011 WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA @ The Whisky A Go Go (w/ Elitist)
SAT, JUN 18, 2011 SAN DIEGO, CA @ SOMA (w/ Elitist)

Right on! Be sure to hit this up if it comes out in your neck of the woods!

After the jump, a music video for the band’s new single “Faust” featuring live footage!

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Tags: Across the Sun, Elitist, Letlive, No Bragging Rights, Scale The Summit, The Human Abstract, This Or The Apocalypse

As Blood Runs Black – Instinct

Filed Under: Reviews

Mar.14, 2011

As Blood Runs Black

Instinct

01. Triumph
02. Legacy
03. Resist
04. Angel City Gamble
05. Reborn
06. Tribulations
07. Divided
08. King of Thieves
09. In Honor
10. Echoes of an Era
11. Instinct

[03/15/11]
[Mediaskare Records]

You know, back in the day I really used to be into As Blood Runs Black. They were melodic, fast, and had good drumming and moderately interesting vocals and guitar playing. By no means were they the most amazingly mindblowing band out there, but they were pretty listenable. But that was in 2006 when Allegiance came out. Things have changed since then; deathcore has evolved, and people have gotten bored of the whole “melodic riff, followed by breakdown” thing by now. The question is, has As Blood Runs Black changed with the times? Not really. Is that a good thing? Up to you.

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Tags: As Blood Runs Black, Born of Osiris, Elitist, The Black Dahlia Murder

Hey, Listen To Erra!

Filed Under: Listen To This!, Tours and Rumors of Tours

Mar.10, 2011

So here’s a cool story: I stumbled upon Erra a couple of months ago, and I’ve been digging their debut album Andromeda ever since. The band are based in Birmingham, AL and they play progressive metalcore in the same vein as Elitist. They are currently on tour with Divide The Sea and the kick-off date for the tour just happened to be in Greenville SC, which is only a little over an hour south from where I live. Things worked out and my band Issachar was able to get on the bill! It was awesome to not only see them play, but also to be able to share the stage with them as well. The guys in the band are all really cool and down to earth dudes and they played a great set, so I would strongly recommend catching this tour if it comes anywhere near you. Here’s their song The Scenic Route which is one of my personal favorites from Andromeda, and you can check out the few remaining tour dates after the jump.