ZERO HOUR [AKA: METAMORPHOSIS]

Zero Hour is one of the more sophisticated technical progressive metal bands around, their music is very much in the style of "Awake" era Dream Theater with similar moods and emotional textures combined with aggressive yet intelligent guitar riffing. "Metamorphosis" is basically a re-issue of the bands first album with some nice extras like unreleased tracks/demos and overall better production and different artwork and is an excellent alternative if you can't find the original album (which is very rare anyways) as well as being a good introduction to the band as well. The music can best be described as a mix of early Dream Theater with strong vibes of those more regular tech-prog metal bands around such as Power of Omens and Cynic mixed with the power of Symphony X. It might be an acquired taste for newcomers of the prog-metal genre but fans of those bands I just mentioned should like this a lot. The mood is very intense at times but the band knows when to let the listener breathe and they are extremely dynamic overall as well being very melodic and incredibly atmospheric. The most representative track here have to be "The System Remains" which basically sums up the overall style and mood for this album very well, and it's one of the band's finest tracks as well!

Instrumentally, this band is TIGHT! The Tipton brothers are one of the best guitar/bass duo's I've heard in a long time and they really know how to handle their instruments and how to use them right. They both show great diversity and always manage to rock out without exaggerating at all, an unfortunately rare case for the prog-metal genre these days. Their style is calm and knowing but still very heavy and tight. Mike Guy does a fantastic job here as well with fast but controlled drumming that goes along with the complex and adventurous song structures extremely well. Guy is a really tight drummer who seems always ready for a challenge and has a very unique style that fits Zero Hour perfectly. I have to agree with fellow reviewer Vince that vocalist Erik Rosvold is absolutely perfect for this band. His voice is like a mix between Russel Allen and James LaBrie, only calmer but still shows a great range and as the rest of the band, this guy knows how to use his instrument (voice that is) well without going overboard. The keyboards here (done by Matt Guillory) create most of the extra atmosphere and really push the album up a notch by adding an adventurous and unique style to the album.

Overall, this album is a great technical prog-metal album that is very rewarding and unique. Fantastic musicianship and wonderful songwriting makes this a very worthy purchase for any prog-metal fan that likes adventurous, complex and sophisticated metal. It has slightly weaker moments but the rest of the music makes up for it. 4.5/5