Our first Review for DARK DECEIVER!!!

Another review and thank you Tommy for bringing this to our attention.



http://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1384



Zero Hour – Dark Deceiver




2008 Sensory/Laser’s Edge Group

A couple years ago I interviewed this band and they said that when playing live it was common for a ‘mosh pit’ to break out during their performance; damn straight it is. With music as aggressive as theirs, what are you going to do, sit in your fucking seat and rock back and fourth in a near catatonic state, I don’t think so. From one of the heaviest and most technical progressive metal bands out there comes Dark Deceiver, one of Zero Hour’s most challenging and aggressive pieces of work to date, border lining within the extreme metal fringes, yet keeping the melodic consciousness in full force at all times.

With very album the music becomes more and more perplexed, being skillfully executed with experimental time signatures; being relevant to the music of Spiral Architect and Twisted into Form, but with a more tuneful stance. Powerful through and through, cuts such as “Resurrection,” the dark grinding “Lies” (nice falsetto vocal use, I must say), the bass solo of “Tendonitis,” and the mood laden title track are tried and true to the no holds barred/no bullshit approach when it comes to plummeting the aggravated aggression that Zero Hour entails.

While the record beholds what most might hear as multi-faceted mathematical rhythms, diminished arpeggios, and sophistication brought to it’s most extreme form, Dark Deceiver is far from being one of those ‘pretentious records,’ where the band forgoes atmospheric soundscapes and keyboards, where the record itself immediately starts up with its sinister bludgeoning riffage. In a string of releases, Dark Deceiver proves to be one of Zero Hour’s finest hour.

Added: April 26th 2008
Reviewer: Tommy Hash
Score:
Related Link: Zero Hour website
Hits: 20
Language:
 
You're a great fan Eyesore as you alway support ZH.

I've had a bunch people say wow man I didn't know you had a new disc coming out. Specs really didn't come out very long ago and I can see people being a little shocked we got DD out in the amount of time.

METAL MY BRO!!

Jasun
 
ZHJ&T said:
You're a great fan Eyesore as you alway support ZH.

I've had a bunch people say wow man I didn't know you had a new disc coming out. Specs really didn't come out very long ago and I can see people being a little shocked we got DD out in the amount of time.

METAL MY BRO!!

Jasun
Click to expand...
Haha. Thanks. No, I knew the album was coming out. I just, I don't know, thought it was coming out in a month or so.

No worries! I shall buy it, hug it, love it, and call it George.
 
zerohour-darkdeceiver.jpg
Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver (Sensory)


A great idea on paper: the combination of over-the-top tech metal ala Cynic, Atheist, et al, with clean, progressive vocals, Zero Hour are now coming dangerously close to perfecting their own indelible brand of hyper-prog metal.

2006’s Specs From Pictures Burnt Beyond was a largely enjoyable affair, relishing in more than a few “kitchen sink” forays into the depths of over-the-top prog metal. Its follow-up, Dark Deceiver follow suit, but in more rationale and gradual fashion.

http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpengine.php/link/1/templateid/13901/tempidx/4/menuid/2
The guitar/bass shred tandem of Brothers Tipton (Jason and Troy) is on full display on opener “Power to Believe,” with the duo reeling off a flurry of sweeps and manic bass fills. “Inner Spirit” is full-on Zero Hour, as labyrinth of adventurous guitar maneuvering segues into a call-and-response bit from singer Chris Salinas, who again proves to be the right man for the spot.

The graceful “Resurrection” ranks as one of Zero Hour’s more melodic moments, while the bass solo “Tendonitis” (more please) only serves to solidify Troy Tipton’s place as a prog metal virtuoso. The stop-start frenzy of “Lies” and potent “The Passion of Words” keeps Dark Deceiver off-balance and unpredictable, making the album more enticing as things move along.

Zero Hour’s balls-out approach may turn some people off initially, but further listens reveal a band putting actual songs into their structure, with hooks coming from all areas, especially those jaw-dropping bass runs. Dark Deceiver is another notch in the belt for Zero Hour, who again, are becoming ever so close to putting this into absolute perfection.

www.myspace.com/zerohourband
 
http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/zerohourdarkdec.htm
Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver
About.com Rating
By Chad Bowar, About.com


Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver

Sensory Records
Zero Hour have been around for a while and have released several CDs. They are well known to those who follow the progressive metal genre, but not as familiar to the rest of the metal world.
Dark Deceiver is progressive metal with an edge. It's highly technical with outstanding musicianship from guitarist Jasun Tipton and his brother, bassist Troy Tipton. Troy really gets to showcase his chops on the instrumental "Tendonitis." The songs range from focused 3 minute tracks to complex 12 minute epics.

Chris Salinas is Zero Hour's vocalist, and he also does a good job. From effects laden spoken word to melodic singing to Geoff Tate-esque belting, he is very versatile. In addition to being edgier and more aggressive than the average prog metal band, Zero Hour also manages to add in enough hooks and melody so it's not all technical wankery. Dark Deceiver combines the sensibility of groups like Meshuggah and Dream Theater into Zero Hour's unique sounding concoction.

(released April 29, 2008 on Sensory Records)
 
I gotta say, it used to annoy me that reviewers would compare every prog band to Dream Theater. Now Meshuggah has somehow become the new Dream Theater when it comes to reviewer reference. As you see above, some reviewers are comparing ZH to both! Haha.

I guess I don't hear it. I find Meshuggah to be plodding, boring, and monotonous. It disturbs me to see so many new prog-metal CDs being compared to these guys.
 
I'm A fan of Meshuggah and I think they just have a sound all their own. I think we sound totally different than Meshuggah but it's a good complimment because I dig the band......METAL!!

Here's another review.

http://therighttorock.com/?p=278

Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver

I’ve always appreciated a band that takes their musicianship seriously, and Zero Hour is one of those bands. These guys are amazing musicians and it’s apparent from the first note to the last on their new release, Dark Deceiver. Zero Hour was formed in 1993 in San Francisco, and this marks the 6th release from the band. They are a progressive band with lots of punch - I swear this is the most brutal progressive music I ever laid ears on. If you could imagine the brutality of Divine Heresy mixed with the musical skill of Dream Theater you would be close.
Dark Deceiver has a variety of styles represented on it in the form of heavy aggressive riffs with technical amazing musicianship. The CD has 9 tracks of pure virtuosity, which includes a killer bass solo from bassist Troy Tipton. Troy is a master of the humble 4 string and this guy truly wails. Guitarist Jasun Tipton is just a plain monster. His style is like a mix of Steve Vai and Marty Friedman, and boy can this guy can rip. Check out their site to see it first hand. Jason has a nice heavy sound that gives his riffs a crisp, crunchy sound. Meanwhile, vocalist Chris Salinas has a formidable set of pipes and is very versatile. His high vocals are reminiscent of Geoffe Tate (Queensryche) while his lower vocals sound similar to Brandon Boyd (Incubus). Yeah, I know.
The songs of Dark Deceiver are dark, complex, and brutal yet melodic. Chock full of killer riffs and a strong progressive vibe this CD should have prog fans frothing at the mouth (well, more than usual). The only downside to the CD is that all of this virtuosity might throw some listeners off with the experimentation that goes on in some of the tracks. I think the band is strongest when they take a more straightforward approach. They definitely have a knack for intertwining satisfyingly melodic passages into their songs which will keep you craving more.
Bottom Line: Progressive music played more brutal than you’ve ever heard before by superior musicians.

Standout Tracks: Inner Spirit, Resurrection, The Temple Within and Lies
 
Eyesore said:
I guess I don't hear it. I find Meshuggah to be plodding, boring, and monotonous. It disturbs me to see so many new prog-metal CDs being compared to these guys.
Click to expand...
If you don't hear how some of ZH's riff work is influenced by Meshuggah, and more importantly you find them monotonous, which is the very last word you could use to describe their music, then yes, you don't get it.

Meshuggah are one of the godliest and MOST ORIGINAL bands around. And there's nothing wrong with drawing paralles between them and Zero Hour.
 
batmura said:
If you don't hear how some of ZH's riff work is influenced by Meshuggah, and more importantly you find them monotonous, which is the very last word you could use to describe their music, then yes, you don't get it.

Meshuggah are one of the godliest and MOST ORIGINAL bands around. And there's nothing wrong with drawing paralles between them and Zero Hour.
Click to expand...
Meh. I find nothing Meshuggah has done to be compelling. Maybe the guys in ZH are influenced by the band, but I hear perfection when I listen to ZH. I hear nothing even close to that in Meshuggah. And trust me, with a collection of over 5,000 albums, from folk to hip hop to black metal, I am no close-minded music fan. I'd love to like the band, but they do nothing for me and I find them to be ridiculously overrated and boring.

My choice of saying "maybe I don't get it" wasn't meant to be literal. There is no such thing as not "getting" something in music. It's all opinion. Neither of us is right. Or wrong.
 
Here's a review from Lords Of Metel. Lords of Metal has been around for a very long time and is an essential webzine out in the Neatherlands for the METAL genres. It's in Dutch and we recived A score of 87 out 100.

Zero Hour - Dark Deceiver
Sensory

archiveer onder Prog / Sympho metal

Evil Dr. Smith: Eindelijk! Liefhebbers van Zero Hours meest technische en ondoordringbare album 'The Towers Of Avarice' (2001) hebben nu eindelijk de opvolger waar ze al jaren naar smachten. In de tussenliggende jaren liet Zero Hour met diverse albums al menig bandje een poepie ruiken hoe hoogbegaafde progmetal gespeeld dient te worden, maar deed dit met meer vloeiend, melodieuzer en toegankelijker materiaal, met als voorlopig hoogtepunt het voorlaatste album 'Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond'.

'Dark Deceiver' opent echter met 'Power To Believe', een zeven minuten durende wervelwind van rare maatsoorten, tegendraadse ritmes en tempowisselingen in de beste Watchtower-traditie, maar die een stuk pakkender, spannender en vooral ook beter geproduceerd zijn dan Ron Jarzombeks nieuwere bandjes Spastic Ink en Blotted Science. Yngwie Malmsteen? Meshuggah? Wibi Soerjadi? Pfff, been there, done that. Zero Hour is the shit! En dan weten ze die chaos verdomme nog te verweven met gevoel en emotie ook! Die mannen hebben vast geen vingerkootjes. Fanatiekelingen met een fetisj voor freaky riffjes die nu met een bobbel in de broek en het zweet op het voorhoofd driftig het album proberen te downloaden (ga 'em gewoon kopen, gek!) zullen na dit nummer misschien toch van een koude kermis thuiskomen, want na deze exercitie in toonladdermishandeling neemt de band hier en daar wat gas terug, ten faveure van meer melodie en emotie. Vooral in die melodische stukken komen de kwaliteiten van zanger Chris Salinas nadrukkelijk bovendrijven, waarbij Geoff Tate al nagelbijtend en tandenknarsend zal moeten erkennen dat er iemand anders met zijn stem vandoor is gegaan.

Niet dat Zero Hour er zich na het openingsnummer speltechnisch makkelijk vanaf maakt, want daarvoor zitten de broertjes Tipton veel te kundig en complex aan hun snaren te plukken en drijven ze hierbij drummer Mike Guy tot het uiterste. Luister maar eens naar de brute openingriffs in het titelnummer, een van de hardste nummer uit de carriËre van Zero Hour en niet alleen daarom een hoogtepunt van het album. Of naar de krankzinnig eigenwijze riffwaterval van het korte 'Resurrection' dat helaas wel een (te) abrupt einde kent. Het epicentrum van het album is natuurlijk de twaalf minuten durende progmetalmarathon 'Inner Spirit' en daar zitten meer ideeÎn in verwerkt dan in het titelnummer van Dream Theaters 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence'. De combinatie van de hoekige, tegendraadse riffs en de melodische zang van Salinas pakt erg eigenzinnig uit in het eerste deel, terwijl in het tweede deel de band weer aansluiting zoekt bij de sferische progmetal van Fates Warning.

Het album is strak en hard geproduceerd (wederom door uitgediende Dino Alden die zich tegenwoordig alleen maar inlaat met de albums van Marty Friedman en Zero Hour), maar waar veel moderne metalbands een zelfde sound nastreven en vervallen in een klinisch, onpersoonlijke geluid, daar ligt er bij Zero Hour een organische zweem over het geluid, waardoor de muziek de nodige warmte uitstraalt en tegelijkertijd de ballen uit je broek beukt. Het album is verder gedecoreerd met twee instrumentaaltjes. Bij het korte intermezzo 'Tendonitis' dwarrelen de basnootjes als een combinatie van 'Pulling Teeth' en Joey de Mayo's interpretatie van 'Flight Of The Bumblebee' door de ruimte en het vervreemdende 'Severed Angel' is met een collage van geluidsamples en een schijnbaar willekeurige opeenstapeling van een en dezelfde moddervette beukriff een wat merkwaardige afsluiter van het album. Wederom een verdomd indrukwekkend album van de twins of technometal en al behaalt dit album net een beetje minder punten dan zijn indrukwekkende voorganger, laat dat niemand beletten om achter dit album aan te gaan.

Evil Dr. Smith diagnostiseert: 87/100 (toelichting)

http://www.zerohourweb.com
 
Here's the Dutch review AFTER Babel Fish translation....some really funny statements thanks to Babel Fish. :lol:


Evil Dr. Smith: At last! Liefhebbers of Zero Hours most technical and impenetrable album ' The Towers or Avarice ' (2001) has now at last the continuator where they languish for years to. In the intervening years Zero Hour with several albums already many bands let smell poepie how hoogbegaafde progmetal must become played, but this did ' Specs or Pictures Burnt Beyond ' with more fluently, melodieuzer and more accessible material, with as provisional peak the second last album.

' Dark Deceiver ' open however with ' Power To Believe ', seven minutes lasting tornado of strange at, contrary rhythms and tempowisselingen in the best watchtower tradition, but that a piece more catching, tense and especially also improve are produced then Ron Jarzombeks newer bands shovel tic Ink and Blotted Science. Yngwie Malmsteen? Meshuggah? Wibi Soerjadi? Pfff, leg there, done that. Zero Hour are the shit! And then they can that chaos interweave verdomme still with feeling and emotion also! Those men have permanently no finger phalanges. Fanatics with fetisj for freaky riffjes who try download the album now with a bobbel in the trousers and the sweat on the face impetuously (will buy em simply, crazily!) after this number perhaps nevertheless of a cold village fair will come home, because after this exercise in tone ladder maltreatment the link takes here and there what gas, at faveure of more melody and emotion. Especially in those melodic pieces the qualities of zanger Chris Salinas come float expressly, where Geoff Tate recognise will have already biting one's nails and grinding one's teeth that someone else with its voice has gone vandoor.

Not that Zero Hour make themselves there technically after the opening number easy as from, because for that the broertjes tip barrel too skilled and complex to their snaren and float they sit pick much drummer Mike Guy to the extrême. Lustre to the brutal openingriffs in the title number, of the hardest number from the carriËre of Zero Hour and not only for this reason a peak of the album. Or to the lunatically eigenwijze riffwaterval of the short ' Resurrection ' that unfortunately, however, (te) know abrupt end. The epicentre of the album is of course the twelve minutes lasting progmetalmarathon ' Inner spirit ' and there sits more ideeÎn in processes than in the title number of Dream theatres ' Six Degrees or Inner Turbulence '. The combination of the angular, contrary riffs and the melodic song of Salinas unpacks a lot eigenzinnig in the first part, whereas in the Second part the link zoekt connection at the spherical progmetal of Fates Warning.

The album has been tightly produced and rapidly (again by served out Dino eels which nowadays only meddle themselves with the albums of Marty Friedman and Zero Hour), but where much modern metalbands pursue same a sound and expire in a clinical, impersonal sound, there there an organic zweem concerning the sound at Zero Hour, as a result of which music radiates the necessary heat, lies and the balls from your trousers batter at the same time. The album has been further decorated with two instrumentaaltjes. At the short interlude ' Tendonitis ' the basnootjes as a combination of ' Pulling Teeth ' whirl and Joey the Mayo's interpretation of ' Flight or The Bumblebee ' by the space and the vervreemdende ' Severed sting ' are with a collage of geluidsamples and a seemingly random stacking of and the same mud-fat beukriff what remarkable clincher of the album. An again flatlied refuse impressive album of the twins or technometal and already gains this album exactly a beetje less points than its impressive predecessor, leaves that contract nobody prevent behind this album.



Evil Dr. Smith diagnostiseert: 87/100 (explanation)
 
http://www.metalcentre.com/webzine.php?p=reviews&nr=2762&lang=eng

ZERO HOUR - “Dark Deceiver”
Sensory 2008

Music: Progressive
Country: USA
Web site: www.zerohourweb.com
Cool Songs: Power to Believe, Tendonitis, The Passion of Words


Northern California-based ZERO HOUR have proved their selves to be one of the more intriguing bands in the progressive metal fold. They take standard conventions of progressive music—complex timing, high pitch vocals and sweeping scales—and shoot them with a heavy dose of anabolic steroids. “Dark Deceiver,” their sixth studio album, combines features from the many branches of technical music. They mix the speed and violent instrumentation expressed in progressive death with the off kilter, repeated notes of MESHUGGAH, while sticking to prog’s roots with powerful, high-reaching vocals.

The gathering of many technical styles seems to empower much of the weaknesses that some of the lesser bands of this style suffer. Gear geeks and guitar nerds will certainly marvel at the intricate string work and bewildering time patterns. Twin brothers, guitarist Jasun Tipton and Bassist Troy Tipton have this chemistry, which creates impeccable timing.

Each complex rhythm may prove hard to follow, but most often they repeat these rhythms, so the confusion eventually becomes revelation. The group changes their patterns enough to keep the repetition from stagnating. Most importantly, they manage to accomplish a high degree of shred while cementing their stance in the foundation of extreme metal.

“Power to Believe,” opens the album and in a telling way. ZERO HOUR runs a clinic on how to make technical metal on this track. The main rhythms fall into repetitive, off timed patterns, performed by a band with members who seemingly following a separate conductor, yet the whirl wind of algebraic scales displayed by each member are somehow connected. It is easy to zone out on this rhythm, yet Troy Tipton’s swift bass line breaks the pattern, which may induce jolting, body spasms.

ZERO HOUR does not rely on a certain player to carry the band, and the mix reflects each member’s exceptional talent. The mix plays a role in helping each instrument ring clearly, but so does their off key notes during many of the verses. Every member is blessed with a ridiculous amount of a talent, but Troy Tipton’s bass licks are a definitive characteristic of the band’s sound, which is paramount to a band greatly influenced by CYNIC (their MySpace lists CYNIC as their sole influence).

Like a hummingbird flapping its wings, Tipton’s fingers move with such speed they bring a humming sound to his instrument. Tipton gets the spotlight in the aptly-titled “Tendonitis.” The rapid scales his fingers navigate on this instrumental bring to mind MANOWAR’s Joey DeMaio performing “Sting of the Bumblebee.”

“Dark Deceiver” should be a favorite listen for many of the prog fans. When every member of a band displays the technical magic of ZERO HOUR, one can only assume this band will appeal to students of technical music. ZERO HOUR’s heavy brand should bring in a few fans outside of the prog circle. ZERO HOUR is definitely a band to watch.
 
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