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Tracklist
1. Intro
2. There for Me
3. Destiny Is Sorrow
4. Brain Surgery
5. Losing Control
6. Twice the Pain
7. Somnecrophobia
8. Fragile Mind
9. Intrinsic
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Zero Hour is a somewhat unique progressive metal band led by the Tipton brothers, guitarist/keyboardist Jasun and bassist Troy. With the aid of drummer Mike Guy and singer Fred Marshall, the pair has created a very interesting album in "A Fragile Mind." At first the listener may be taken aback if they were expecting straight up prog metal - while the influences are there, Zero Hour by no means let themselves become bound by this genre. Their music is fast, heavy, and more technical than most other progressive-minded bands, and for this they should be applauded.
After a short intro track, the album really kicks off with "There for Me," an intense song filled with lots of energy. Jasun Tipton's guitar work is extremely intricate, and brings to mind the sound of Nevermore's Jeff Loomis, especially on their mid-period work where only one guitar was featured in many songs. He is able to produce a very heavy sound while at the same time playing some extremely technical patters that do not take away from the pounding nature of the song. Like Jeff, Jasun is an expert at making the most of only one guitar. Vocalist Fred Marshall sounds a hell of a lot like Warrel Dane on this track as well - his voice is extremely powerful but also very high at times, which only adds to the intensity of the music.
Zero Hour is far from being a Nevermore clones, however, despite all the similarities. There are also many slower passages on "A Fragile Mind" that are more akin to progressive music. The beginning of "Losing Control" stands as a prime example of this, as the guitars and drums take a backseat to some prominent bass lines courtesy of Troy Tipton and a different style of vocals from Marshall. Instead of being intense and overbearing as he was on other tracks, he instead adopts a slightly softer style, less pronounced than before but not at all in a negative way. In fact, it's commendable how he is able to shift the power and pitch of his voice so well from song to song, depending on what they call for.
"A Fragile Mind" may take a few listens to get into, as it's far from your typical progressive release. Listeners looking for something in the vein of Dream Theater or Fates Warning may be disappointed, as Zero Hour takes a more "in-your-face" approach than bands like those. Since they crossover metal genres to a certain degree, this release isn't perfect and is occasionally plagued by less-than-smooth transitions. However, Zero Hour has done something pretty adventurous here, and this release is definetley worth checking out.
Review by: Andrew Sudano
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