Intronaut

Los Angeles post-prog masters Intronaut return with their 4th and most impressive full length album to date; Habitual Levitations. Once again yielding thunderous, tribal drum beats, hypnotic bass patterns, angular guitar riffs and the trance-like vocals of Sacha Dunable, Intronaut pick up where they left off on 2010’s Valley of Smoke, though this time around, see the songs a bit more refined and cultivated. The band toured heavily in support of Valley, including a stint opening for Tool in the US, which may explain the more polished sound. Intronaut has always teetered close on being a jam band. With one of the greatest rhythm sections in music (drummer, Danny Walker and bassist, Joe Lester) it would be hard not to just light up and see where those two take you. Experimenting on stage, knowing exactly where each band member is going in the song and thus really becoming one as a band is what Intronaut has achieved and what producers John Haddad [Exhumed, Phobia] and Derek Donley [Bereft] managed to capture perfectly on the new album. With a US tour supporting Meshuggah and Animals as Leaders set prior to Habitual’s release, Intronaut will surely continue to mature and solidify themselves as one of the best metal bands around.

SCALE THE SUMMIT

At this point in their career, it’s almost easier to list the prog acts SCALE

THE SUMMIT haven’t toured with than the ones they have. From legends like Dream Theater and Yes, to cult heroes such as Cynic and Devin Townsend, to modern trailblazers such as Periphery and BTBAM, to heavy experimentalists like Intronaut and Mastodon, the band has shared stages with a who’s who of the genre’s past, present and future.

This mix of classic and contemporary, timeless and topical is also reflected in the instrumentalists’ evocative sound, which is just as vital in today’s post-

post- / anything-goes world of shuffled playlists as it would have been on the freeform rock radio playlists of the 1970s. The group’s fifth album, “V,” sees the group further develop their colorful musical palettes thanks to the addition of new drummer JC and the work of returning mixer Jamie King (BTBAM, The Contortionist), who also collaborated with the band on 2013’s Billboard-charting “The Migration.”Described as “essential prog” by Guitar World, SCALE THE SUMMIT was formed in 2004 after guitarists Chris and Travis met while attending Hollywood’s Musicians Institute. The group self-released their first album, 2007’s “Monument,” before signing with Prosthetic for the 2009 release of their sophomore effort “Carving Desert Canyons.” That album earned acclaim from fans, critics and peers alike

NORTH

Slow and low and loud, in many forms.

WITHOUT WAVES

Without Waves range from extreme metal to jazz fusion to atmospheric rock, showcasing blistering riffs and unorthodox time signatures paired alongside dreamy melodies and poetic chord structures.