ZERO HOUR

"Zero Hour" is the first (and only) eponymously titled demo by US, California based progressive metal act Zero Hour. The demo was self-released in June 1994. Zero Hour formed in 1993 and on this release is a five-piece consisting of Luis A. Ortiz (vocals), Jasun Tipton (guitars, Keyboards), Sean Kruithoff (guitars), Troy Tipton (bass), and Mike Guy (drums). It took Zero Hour five years before they were able to release their debut full-length studio album in 1999 (also an eponymously titled affair).

I'm not sure if the long time between this demo and the debut album was due to trouble finding a label willing to sign and release Zero Hour's music, but the fact is that there isn't much on this demo which would probably attract the contemporary labels looking for new progressive metal talents to sign (...and they were looking in those days). The playing is pretty decent enough and Ortiz has a pleasant enough voice and delivery too for this type of music, but the material is just a bit unremarkable and lacks memorable moments and melodies. Zero Hour predominantly keep things relatively simple and although there are some challenging instrumental playing on the demo, those moments are few and far between. The music is generally more vocal melody oriented, and much of the instrumental part of the music is made to support the vocals and in some cases melodic heavy metal is a more valid label than progressive metal.

The demo features a decent sound production, although the sound is a bit on the thin side and the guitars lack some punch. On the positive side all instruments and vocals are clearly audible in the mix (including the bass). Upon conclusion it's not the most impressive progressive metal demo, but there is promise here and a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

(Review originally posted on Metal Music Archives)