If you read my review of the Blotted Science album a few weeks back, you’ll know how dear I hold bands like Fates Warning, Watchtower and Spiral Architect close to my heart. California quartet, Zero Hour has been playing the kind of hi-tech progressive metal that not only falls into this kind of categorization, but also lives up to the mighty legacies these bands have created for themselves. ZH’s new album, Dark Deceiver is the sound of a band driving forward with complete comfort and control. Guitarist Jasun Tipton leads the charge, pulling out every guitar trick out of the Shrapnel Records (circa 1989) catalog along the way. There are neo-classical twin-harmonies, shred runs and the kinds of buzzing arpeggios that would make Tony MacAlpine jealous in his glory days!

Sure, Tipton isn’t the only guitarist doing this kind of thing right now but few bands pack the songwriting muscle that ZH do. Tracks like “Lies” and “Resurrection” might be filled to the gills with acrobatic guitar lines, but there are strong songs at the foundation of them. Vocal dynamo, Chris Salinas also breaks out on this one proving why he is one of the most popular front men in the progressive community today. His high-pitched stuff here is right up there with Jon Arch (Fates Warning) and his more mid-ranged lines brought Russ Anderson from Forbidden to mind.

The choppy arrangements might prove to be too intense for mainstream listeners but their blend of challenging time signatures and seamless hooks should not be ignored by more adventurous metal fans. The twisting cyclones in “Power to Believe” alone are worth the price of admission! Mike Guy (drums) and Troy Tipton (bass) are the kind of rhythm section that a band of this level absolutely has to have to be able to pull this kind of material off. Guy’s footwork is awe-inspiring and definitely puts him in a class all to himself! So let it be known, Zero Hour has crafted a true modern day progressive metal classic with Dark Deceiver. The question is will people discover it.

 

Rating: 8.5/10
Label: Sensory Records
Website: www.zerohourweb.com

By Carlos Ramirez

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 12:42 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Our first Review for DARK DECEIVER!!! - Page 2 - Ultimate Metal Forum wrote:

[…] id=middle><DIV class=postbox id=post-17450>http://www.smnnews.com/category/reviews/ Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver April 25th, 2008, 12:42 am <DIV class=postmain> If you read my review of the Blotted […]

April 25th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

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