Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Zero Hour - Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond - 2006 - Sensory Records

Track Listing1. Face the Fear 2. The Falcon's Cry 3. Embrace 4. Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond 5. Zero Hour 6. I Am Here 7. Evidence of the Unseen

Zero Hour has been a notable band as far as American progressive metal goes for the past few years or so. Although nothing they have done up to this point has vaulted them to the fame of bands such as Fates Warning or Symphony X, they do have a reputation for producing good, solid work in the past. “Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond” is the follow up to last year’s “A Fragile Mind,” and does show a marked progression and improvement. Where “A Fragile Mind” sometimes fell a bit flat and was relatively boring during certain intervals, “Specs” does a pretty good job of keeping the listener ensnared throughout. A great deal of this improvement can be attributed to new vocalist Chris Salinas, who has a much more interesting and dynamic voice than previous singer Fred Marshall. With that said, Zero Hour still aren’t at the level of some of the big aforementioned prog bands, and still have a long way to go if they wish to reach that level.

The main driving force behind Zero Hour is guitarist/keyboardist Jasun Tipton, who writes the majority of the music. “Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond” is definitely a positive progression for Tipton’s writing, as he does a very good job of integrating various parts that would otherwise be disparate from each other. Fast riffs blend well with slower interludes, as do many of the catchy choruses and crunchier bridges. Songs like “Face the Fear” and “Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond” do an especially good job of synthesizing different parts and keeping the listener interested throughout. “I Am Here” is another solid track, although it’s a slower, ballad-ish progressive song reminiscent of Dream Theater’s “Wait for Sleep.” The rest of the album’s seven tracks are all pretty solid, but they don’t stand out as much as the aforementioned three.

Overall, “Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond” is a technically well-executed album that draws few objective complaints. Subjectively, however, Zero Hour aren’t especially appealing when there are bands like Redemption and Symphony X out there playing the same exact style with much better results. I believe Zero Hour’s problems stem from an overall lack of energy and emotion in most of their songs. Although these attributes are not easy to gauge, it is apparent that Chris Salinas lacks the unbridled power of a Russell Allen, and that Jasun Tipton isn’t writing at the same creative level as a Nick Van Dyk or a John Petrucci. Either way, “Specs” is still a pretty good album and prog-heads out there would do well to pick this album up.

7/10

--Veritas 12.07.06