Scale the Summit
In a World of Fear


1.5
very poor

Review

by Underflow USER (26 Reviews)
May 24th, 2017 | 154 replies


Release Date: 2017 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Time non-refundable

Chris Letchford once wrote on Scale the Summit’s Facebook page that “the band is a business.” Context of a muddy, dramatic line-up change aside, he’s not wrong. Listening to In a World of Fear conjures up the image of a transaction – a service provided to listeners in exchange for money. If there’s more to the record than this, other than the smug, self-satisfaction it exudes, it’s not at all obvious. Any sense of soul or wit that once came from Scale the Summit’s earlier recordings is wholly absent, much like the band members who seem to have been the only force keeping Letchford’s self-indulgence on leash. With no chaperones, Scale the Summit has thoroughly drowned itself in its own Narcissus’ pool. Normally, a reviewer would single out a track to push the point he or she intends to make, but Letchford’s insistence on cramming as many unrelated, disjointed ideas into each “song” makes any attempt at distinguishing one piece from another needlessly difficult and entirely unworth the effort. You know what to expect if you’ve ever heard a Scale the Summit record. You can expect the gaudy sheen of Letchford’s guitar tone to glamourize the clinical guitar-work, running ad nauseam over the record. Moreover, you can expect improbable bass runs playing out like logic puzzles assembled in-factory for the sole satisfaction of the assembler. In other words, Scale the Summit is just running business as usual – just more stale than ever.



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user ratings (148)
2.7
average


Comments:Add a Comment 
Underflow
May 24th 2017


5297 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

That's about as many words as this is worth. Originally posted here: https://tonescratch.com/2017/05/23/scale-the-summit-dives-headfirst-into-its-own-reflection-on-in-a-world-of-fear/

HarryBoBerry
May 24th 2017


620 Comments


Despite having a cool album cover, this album blows. And Chris is a dick.

ScuroFantasma
Emeritus
May 24th 2017


11971 Comments


Album cover is pretty great

MO
May 24th 2017


24016 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

"can practically the see the last gasps"



fix this, nice review. will spin this out of curiosity

outliers
May 24th 2017


4928 Comments


album cover makes me wanna go play some skyrim

Underflow
May 24th 2017


5297 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

Thanks for input, MO. Just took out the phrase altogether, couldn't find a way to make it work without more coffee.

Calc
May 24th 2017


17340 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

if chris wasn't ousted as a dick would the ratings be this low?





no they wouldn't.

Calc
May 24th 2017


17340 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

album is still not very good regardless.

Kalopsia
May 24th 2017


3384 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

"if chris wasn't ousted as a dick would the ratings be this low?"



Yep-- I've come to despise Letchford as a person, but upon reviewing an album you have to keep that shit separate.





Polanski has some great f'ing movies, but yeah he stuck his dick where it shouldn't have been. Michael Jackson has some great f'ing albums, but yeah he stuck his dick where it shouldn't have been.



You get my point.

suppatime
May 24th 2017


1801 Comments


i haven't listened or payed attention to these guys in years, what did chris do?

CaliggyJack
May 24th 2017


10039 Comments


"Michael Jackson has some great f'ing albums, but yeah he stuck his dick where it shouldn't have been."

There's massive evidence to prove that never happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pnoQqlygQs

Underflow
May 24th 2017


5297 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

If the conduct of a band member provides context into why the record isn't as good as previous records it's absolutely worth bringing up. Look at it this way: if Chris hadn't alienated the only members of the band with any talent for songwriting, would the ratings be as low as they are?

bloc
May 24th 2017


70024 Comments


The album cover and title are very weird choices when considering the "band's" discography, but given the recent history yeah it seems like Chris wants to give everything a new look.

Kinda funny how one of the band's albums was called The Collective lol

MarsKid
Emeritus
May 24th 2017


21030 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Those ratings are brutal, damn

Orb
May 24th 2017


9341 Comments


Short and sweet. Ive been writing like this a lot too. Pos'd. Band has been overrated as shit for years now.

Willie
Moderator
May 24th 2017


20212 Comments

Album Rating: 3.2 | Sound Off

Great review. There's probably nothing left to say about this album. I actually kind of enjoy it in the background, though.

beefshoes
May 24th 2017


8443 Comments


This can't be that different from their previous stuff, no?

Kalopsia
May 24th 2017


3384 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

there's a bunch more featured guitarists than on any of their previous albums

RichEvans
May 24th 2017


26 Comments


"i haven't listened or payed attention to these guys in years, what did chris do?"




http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/10/31/scale-the-summit-break-up-turns-ugly/

Kalopsia
May 24th 2017


3384 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

OOOHH MY GOOOOOOOOD



/obligatory rich evans sighting exclamation



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