Zero Hour - Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond

[batmura]

This is easily the best album of 2006 for me. Has anyone else heard it? If not, don't hesitate to check them out. Very heavy and quite technical, the band has now former Power of Omens singer Chris Salinas at the helm.

Here is my long review of the new CD:

http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=4322

Feel free to comment if you decide to check this band out.

 

[Liquid Tension]

the band has now former Power of Omens singer Chris Salinas at the helm.

This guy is one of the few singers worst then Labrie...

He ruined Power of Omens and now he's doing the same for Zero Hour!

 

[wankerness]

Uh oh, new singer? I really liked their other two albums, though the vocals weren't quite my thing. They have really intense and metaul riffing, vaguely reminiscent of Meshuggah but actually pretty original. I will have to check this one out at least. How different is this vocalist?

 

[batmura]

How different is this vocalist?

The new singer, as I've tried to explain in my review, is from the Geoff Tate school. He used to be a high-pitched wailer on the Power of Omens discs, but this is by far his most diverse work to date. He whispers, he screams, he sings in a super calm tone a la Daniel Gildenlow and Keith Sudano, and does everything in between.

Check out some of their new stuff and let me know what you think bro.

NP: Conception - Flow

 

[Kenneth R.]

this album is awesome.

 

[wankerness]

I think this cd is their best, but I've only listened to half of it so far. Really awesome. The singer's annoying sometimes but he's much more dynamic than their earlier ones. The clean bits are actually as good as the heavy parts for the first time in their history.

 

[Liquid Tension]

The new singer, as I've tried to explain in my review, is from the Geoff Tate school. He used to be a high-pitched wailer on the Power of Omens discs, but this is by far his most diverse work to date. He whispers, he screams, he sings in a super calm tone a la Daniel Gildenlow and Keith Sudano, and does everything in between.

Check out some of their new stuff and let me know what you think bro.

NP: Conception - Flow

It's nice to read that he's backed down from his wailer style...

I got The Edge and Entropia in the same shipment and was blown a way by both bands! It's hard to beleive that Chris sounds as good as those two though... Where is there a place to check out some of this stuff?

 

[wankerness]

It's nice to read that he's backed down from his wailer style...

I got The Edge and Entropia in the same shipment and was blown a way by both bands! It's hard to beleive that Chris sounds as good as those two though... Where is there a place to check out some of this stuff?

I haven't heard Eternity X (assuming that's "The Edge" which you speak of), but he's definitely no Gildenlow. He does wail some, but overall he's pretty damn good.

 

[batmura]

I haven't heard Eternity X (assuming that's "The Edge" which you speak of), but he's definitely no Gildenlow.

The Gildenlow and Sudano comparisons were made to emphasize the new singer's versatility, not their singing style. Both Sudano and Gildenlow employ a myriad of singing styles on their albums, much like Dan Swano and Devin Townsend, but they all sound pretty different. I was merely trying to point out that Chris Salinas' singing is also extremely varied. He does this album great justice and he is very important to its success.

 

[batmura]

I got The Edge and Entropia in the same shipment and was blown a way by both bands!

POS is perhaps my favourite prog metal in existence right now.

As for The Edge, it is the greatest prog metal album of all times for me.

 

[NFU]

terrible. as to be expected.

 

[Stimuli]

^ I must agree...

never really enjoyed Zero Hour... its all pretty stale and "done before"...to each his own I guess...

 

[Liquid Tension]

terrible. as to be expected.

This is the best endorsement to purchase it......

 

[wankerness]

^ I must agree...

never really enjoyed Zero Hour... its all pretty stale and "done before"...to each his own I guess...

Who's done it before? I'd really like to hear anything else that sounds like them.

 

[coolsnow7]

Spiral Architect, Cynic, Control Denied, all in their own way.

Though I still like it. It's a great blend of the Spiral Architect sound and the Dream Theater sound, I'd say.

 

[wankerness]

Spiral Architect, Cynic, Control Denied, all in their own way.

Though I still like it. It's a great blend of the Spiral Architect sound and the Dream Theater sound, I'd say.

I don't hear much spiral architect or cynic in any regards besides being extremely technical and having time sig changes on the level of spiral architect at times. I really like the extremely heavy, rumbly riffing style they have. It's kind of like Meshuggah, but definitely distinguishable. As I think that's the main aspect to their sound, I'd like to know where they got that from (since this guy seems to say "oh it's all been done before").

 

[batmura]

Zero Hour sounds nothing like Spiral Architect or Cynic. If anything, their riffs are more Meshuggah inspired.

 

[coolsnow7]

Yeah, Stratagem doesn't sound like Spiral Architect at all.

And Cynic started the whole thing, you have to write them in as an influence no matter what.

 

[wankerness]

Yeah, Stratagem doesn't sound like Spiral Architect at all.

And Cynic started the whole thing, you have to write them in as an influence no matter what.

What whole thing? There were obviously a lot of earlier prog metal bands than Cynic.

 

[batmura]

Yeah, Stratagem doesn't sound like Spiral Architect at all.

Yes it doesn't sound like Spiral Architect or Cynic in the least.

Zero Hour like SA or Cynic?