Zero Hour DARK DECEIVER our first review!!!

[ZHJ&T]

http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6320
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Zero Hour: Dark Deceiver[/FONT]

If the metal world getting bashed over the head with the latest powerhouse from Meshuggah wasn't enough, technical prog-metallers Zero Hour are about ready to finish the job and leave us all obliterated into a pile of ash with their new CD Dark Deceiver. This band has consistently delivered top notch stuff, and their last release Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond in 2006 was considered one of the top albums of the year here at Sea of Tranquility. Well, Dark Deceiver ups the ante considerably my friends, both in terms of complexity and heaviness. Opening track "Power to Believe" might just be the most crushing piece this band has ever recorded, filled with brutal guitar riffs from Jasun Tipton and the always elastic jazz-fusion bass lines from brother Troy. Former Power of Omens singer Chris Salinas is back for his second album with the band, and he sounds right at home here, even getting in some nasty growls on this killer of an opening cut.
From there the band steamrolls into the title track, another dark and intricate burner, drummer Mike Guy all over the map with an array of complex fills and heavy backbeats while the Tipton brothers weave one jaw dropping passage after another. "Inner Spirit" kicks off with some slamming drum work and dizzying unison guitar/bass melodies (hold on tight folks, this is one intense ride!) before Salinas comes into the fray with some effects laden, almost Sci-Fi sounding vocals. Jasun's guitar work on this shred-fest is monstrous, his acrobatic sweep picking flying about the mix on top of brutal machine gun rhythms. It's not all about intense riff-o-rama, as the middle section features some haunting atmosphere and mysterious & passionate vocals from Salinas. From there the band launches into the sick prog-metal feast that is "Resurrection", where they combine sumptuous melodies with weaving instrumental passages that are as complex as anything you will hear in the genre. Imagine classic Fates Warning but with the complexity kicked up quite a few notches and that's kind of what you get on this one.
Troy shows off his amazing bass technique on the short instrumental "Tendonitis" (wow...that's all I can say), and "The Temple Within" is a down and dirty rocker featuring some crunchy riffs, wild drum work, and Salinas reaching for the heavens with his soaring high pitched metal wail. The guys return to manic machine gun styled riffs & rhythms on "Lies" (complete with an amazing Geoff Tate-ish vocal performance from Salinas), and take things one step further with "The Passion of Words", an ultra-heavy, ultra-complex howitzer that is guaranteed to knock any metal fan completely on his/her ass. Closing number "Severed Angel" sees the band going from quiet passages to out and out bombast, a short instrumental that sort of ends the CD abruptly but forces you to hit PLAY and start it all over again.
Quite frankly, I was hoping for something truly ass kicking from Zero Hour but this was even better than I expected. Dark Deceiver is mind-numbingly heavy, astonishingly complex, and ultimately the most powerful release this band has recorded to date. Play this and Meshuggah's obZen back to back and you have two of the most pummeling technical metal releases that will be released this year. Zero Hour deserves to play with the big boys, so let's see them on some sort of full-scale tour so the metal masses can experience this indestructible machine in person.
Highly, highly recommended!

Track Listing

1. Power to Believe
2. Dark Deceiver
3. Inner Spirit
4. Resurrection
5. Tendonitis
6. The Temple Within
7. Lies
8. The Passion of Words
9. Severed Angel

Added: April 14th 2008
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:

Related Link: Zero Hour Website
Hits: 78
Language: english

 

[General Zod]

Congrats on the review. Can't wait to hear the whole disc. The teaser you guys released was just that.

Zod

 

[eaeolian]

Excellent. I look forward to hearing it!

 

[Stevie WOnder]

Woah!!! Talk about an awesome review. I honestly don't think that Towers will ever be topped as it's an all time top 5 for me but if it's half as good as what this guy is saying, it must be something else.

I'm waiting for my pre-ordered copy from Ken. Can't wait!!!

Steve

 

[FataMorgana]

Nice!

 

[Unca Kev]

I can't wait to hear this!

 

[SensoryCD]

As a special thank you to all those who have preordered Dark Deceiver from us, I will be shipping them out on Thursday.

 

[FataMorgana]

As a special thank you to all those who have preordered Dark Deceiver from us, I will be shipping them out on Thursday.

Awesome!

 

[Troy the nomad]

Congratulations guys, eagerly anticipating this CD!

 

[Valarien]

Looking forward to hearing the full disc!!!

 

[Rick Pierpont]

Awesome review guys!! Congrats! I can't wait to hear the whole thing! it looks like the wait will be coming to end very soon.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I posted my review on the ZH forum. 5/5! Totally awesome.

 

[ZHbabe]

Here's Kenneth's review....Great review!

Review coming up---- impressions on first listen, post this anywhere/everywhere and/or do what you want with it!

1. The Power To Believe
As soon as you hit play, you're under sonic attack: Zero Hour hits you with a showcase of why they're still ahead of everyone else in the genre. While other bands just rehash riffs and use the same old themes and schema, ZH reinvents themselves each album, but still manages to express their unique iconic style. Sweeping guitar, rhythmic and somehow conscious percussion, blistering bass, soaring vocals - there really is no "background" here. It's all up front, nobody buried in the mix, nobody not pulling their weight. The entire band has incredible skill and the more important skill of knowing how and when to use it to create landscapes of sound that don't disappoint. The Power To Believe is no exception, this is a headbanging slamfest of sound.
2. Dark Deceiver
picks up the baton and keeps slaying. The lofty vocal passages are strong and contrast with the deep sort of chanting. There's a section here just before 1:30 where Mikey rolls off some inhuman chops on the drumkit. Then the pace slows and you get a peaceful interlude, ending immediately in a lightspeed guitar solo by Jasun and Troy. The sound is tight and punchy. Like their last album Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond, ZH and Dino Alden did an excellent job once again.
3. Inner Spirit.
At 12 minutes, this is the longest track on the album. Fans of Towers of Avarice might expect something to rival Demise & Vestige. They won't be left wanting. It destroys with a maelstrom of sound and technical mastery. At about 6 minutes, the pace slows and Chris calmly sings confidently a catchy melody. The guy can do soaring screams, deep snarls, and this crystal clear mid range. He's incredible. Another reviewer compared this section to Geoff Tate. I definitely hear what he was talking about, except this would rival Tate back in the 80s, and best him! I also hear tones reminiscent of Devon Graves, of Dead Soul Tribe. Zero Hour has in Chris the final piece to their exposition of the ultra-talented.
4. Resurrection
begins with some incredible bass beneath Jasun's trademark sweeps and Mikey's machinegun drums. At about 30 seconds, the band breaks into a melodic riff that builds and fades like an ocean tide. Lots of energy and a sense of movement, of being pulled forward. Chris roars.
5. Tendonitis.
This insturmental bass solo is a bitchslap in the face of Troy's tendonitis. Injury, take that! You'll have to stop the album, hit "replay" and hear it again before continuing. And then pause before track 6 so you can pick up your jaw or your bass in awe.
6. The Temple Within.
The first time I heard this was in New York City over a year ago. Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond had just come out, and some fans were worried about the future of Zero Hour. To bury any worry in the ground, and show off their new vocalist Chris Salinas, during the set they announced and played a song from the then upcoming and unnamed 5th album - The Temple Within. I was incredibly impressed. Not only did the song totally rip, but the band, who had not yet had the time to play it as many times as say, something off Towers or Metamorphosis, sounded expertly tight. Here it was a live song, with studio quality performance, and brilliant song writing. After the show, the song I wanted to hear again was this one! Troy's bass rolls on and on as if his endurance is unending, Jasun lays down epic riff after epic riff, Mike knows just what drums and cymbals to play to not just be "that drummer guy" that could be substituted for a machine. He brings a soul to his style that makes him a melodic contributor that's essential to ZH's sound. On The Temple Within, his cymbal 16th notes help make the song what it is- awesome.
7. Lies
Again Chris shows Geoff Tate how to sing. About half way through the song, they fade the mix out of the whole band except Chris, who darkly whispers... and then it crashes back in. The harmony vocals, reminiscent of a sort of metal version of Gregorian chant, are proof that ZH isn't afraid to try unconventional means to express themselves. And that's what makes them actually progressive, while other bands just claim to be or write a song in 7/4 for no reason.
8. The Passion of Words
The passion is evident. There is such a force behind the music here, and especially in the vocals. "I'll give you heaven!!" At around 2:30, again the band drops out for a moment while Chris calmly speaks, and then.... ZH fans will remember the epic moment on the Towers of Avarice album "I was still not the tiiiiiide". This is that moment for Dark Deceiver. And just as impressive. "You're falling, you're falling!"
9. Severed Angel
Silence. Fading in, the band sounds like a warzone. It gets louder and more frequent, like bomb blasts, with the near quiet ambient sound of intense technicality. Lots of reverb. Like an empty cathedral during a metal sound check. And then jam. Jam and fade, back to ambient, only to be assaulted again! Immediately asks to go back to track 1 and listen again! Dino's back up vocals on the album are as great as his production abilities.

5/5

 

[Rick Pierpont]

Man, another stellar review. Well, I expect my copy to arrive today, so I should get an opportunity to finally hear it in a little over an hour. I can't wait!

 

[PurpleCrayonWriter]

I'd like to chime in on this one.

I got my copy of Dark Deceiver the other day. I listened to it something like five or six times.

Sometimes I wonder if Jasun and Troy are machines. They are the most technically proficient, tight-as-a-camel's-arse-in-a-sandstorm players on the planet. As a band, I don't think I've ever heard a more in-sync sound from three musicians and a vocalist in my life. They're labyrinthine in their meanderings, twisting, turning, teasing, then slowing things up to lay down some emotional solos and vocals -- only to kick ass and turn things up to 11 again.

All I can say is WOW!

What's the deal with the track "Tendonitis"!?!?!?!?! Could Troy play any faster? What a MONSTER bass player!

And what's with Chris Salinas? Could some of his notes get any higher? What a range!

And Jasun's riffing...STUNNING.

On Dark Deceiver, I like how ZH mixes things up a bit, slipping in a slower track now and then (for example, "Resurrection" and "The Temple Within" and parts of "Lies"). I like that side of ZH. It gives listeners a chance to catch their collective breaths.

Killer chops, fantastic arrangements, blistering fretwork from Jasun and Troy. All in all, Dark Deceiver is my favorite ZH disc to date.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Jasun and Troy ARE metal.

Bill

 

[Rick Pierpont]

I got my copy on Monday and within 5 minutes of being home, I had it unpackaged and in my CD drive! Definitely been long awaiting this release. As with all ZH releases, while certain songs tend to hit right away, others bide their time, waiting to strike you when you least expect it. I can tell that this CD is no different! Fans of ZH will not be disappointed, people who aren't fans will be assimilated, as this CD is a solid technical metal journey from beginning to end. Chiropractors around the world shall rejoice as avid metal heads thrash their necks listening to this massive crunch fest!!

So congrats guys on a another fine release! As I digest this more I hope to provide a better review of it. However, for now I'll just say:

"Go buy the new Zero Hour CD -- its f**king awesome!"

 

[Stevie WOnder]

Here's what I posted on the Perpetual Motion Board:

Well, I had pre-ordered this disc from Ken and it showed up yesterday. I had read rave reviews and was expecting something special and this is exactly what I got.

I'm only thru a couple spins but here are the bright spots so far. First, this is now Chris Salinas' show on vocals. He's not replacing Rosvold anymore but he definitely took his place. He tamed his singing with less high pitch screams and he uses his voice tastefully this time around. I dare say this is his best performance ever.

The Tipton brothers must have been pissed when they wrote this cause it's definitely heavier than the last few releases. Seriously, it's got really heavy passages but they counterbalance those with beautiful mellow passages here and there. What's interesting is that it's going in a different direction than Towers. It felt as they were trying something different with Fragile Mind but it didn't really work. They went back to Towers with Specs and it did work but to a lesser extent. Here, they have elements of Towers but it sounds somewhat different and it's really working. The musicianship is stellar and the production is excellent.

I'm gonna need more spins to fully digest the whole disc but me thinks I finally have a disc worthy to be called #1 this year.

Let me know what you guys think of this one!!!

Steve

 

[rushzil2112]

I don't understand why everybody thinks Zero Hour is so amazing. I loved Towers of Avarice, but everything since then has been a recycling of the same sync lines and drum patterns. There are a couple cool parts here and there in between the same old crap they have always done. Like 30 seconds in on the song Dark Deceiver to 1 minute, can they ever do a cd with out using that same pattern on the drums. It is all over their past couple cds and it gets annoying. A band I once enjoyed keeps on trying to bore me. They need to listen to some different music or something to open their minds up or something, because they are pretty stuck on what to write in my personal opinion. Like i said, it has a couple cool moments here and there that are different, but overall, the same old crap they have always done and it is starting to get annoying to me. I will just go listen to the new Ihsahn solo disc some more to get my mind off of this cd.

 

[ZHJ&T]

Right on guys and I'm very STOKED to see mostly very positive reviews on the CD. Awesome to hear Fata, Stevie, Rick, Kenneth and Bill is totally dig the disc as you guys have been listeners of ZH for a very, very long time....Actually from the very beginning.

Even though it's not your thing Mark we appreciate you picking up the CD and checking it out.

I hope everyone else who's waiting for it receives it soon......Many thank you's for your support...YOU ALL RULE!!

Going to upload A live clip of us in The Netherlands playing "The Falcon's Cry" very soon here. Hope to have other Live footage up soon too.

METAL!!

Jasun

 

[kashford]

Pretty much everything said above is how I feel about the album - give or take a few negatives and positives.

Albeit, I've only listened to it once so far, and while working - my main problem is this: it is too damn short.

Then again, it does clock in at the usual 45 minute-ish like their other, killer albums as well.