SCALE THE SUMMIT GUITARIST CHRIS LETCHFORD IS RECORDING A JAZZ SOLO ALBUM!

With oddball bands like Exivious and T.R.A.M. turning heads in the metal scene over the past couple of years, is experimental jazz becoming the new “it” direction for talenthead metal musicians to move?

The latest to join the party is Chris Letchford, guitarist and bandleader of strikingly unique instrumental wayfarers Scale the Summit (and #24 on our list of the Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists!). In a recent interview with Ryan’s Rock Show, Letchford revealed that he was working on a “jazz-inspired solo effort,” tentatively set to be recorded with producer Mark Lewis (who produced Scale the Summit’s jaw-dropping 2011 release The Collective as well as albums by Devildriver, Holy Grail and others).

But it’s gonna be a little while before the recording even takes place — the band is currently on the road as part of the Slaughter Survivors Tour, and Letchford revealed in the interview that they’re planning a fall headline run with Elitist in support. Which means the soonest this thing will be recorded is Winter 2011/2012 and the soonest it’ll be released is Spring 2012, so you’re an openminded metalhead with a boner for left-of-center experimental metal, don’t splooge your pants just yet. Still, this is exciting news; it’s great to see a talent as singular and young as Letchford stepping out on his own and branching out a bit.

-VN