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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superb musicianship, packaging, and production, March 6, 2002
When I first listened to The Towers of Avarice (Zero Hour's second CD, their self-titled first being all but out of print), I wasn't impressed. I had a hard time getting into the relentless, complex riffing.I've given the matter more thought, and added to it two new elements: (1) time, and (2) a growing appreciation for different forms of progressive metal, power metal, and symphonic metal. In other words, my mind expanded and my tastes broadened. So here I am once more (say, didn't Marillion coin that phrase 20 years ago on their classic album Script For a Jester's Tear?) listening to Zero Hour's The Towers of Avarice. And I must say I'm detecting much more depth, originality, and creativity this time around. It's still complex and relentless riffing, but now I have a better perspective on what it all means. In short, The Towers of Avarice is a truly -- dare I say it? -- towering achievement. It manages to snag the best of Dream Theater-like bands, add the quirkiness of, say, Pain of Salvation, mix in a drop or two of Symphony X's power, and cap it all off with a smattering of Queensryche's mysteriousness and sense of drama (check out "Reflections," for example). Guitarist/keyboardist Jasun Tipton is a force to be reckoned with. He's got all the chops and the fleet-fingered dexterity of John Petrucci. Yet, I would urge Jasun to develop more majesty, grandeur, and melody in his songwriting and playing. Vocalist Erik Rosvold has a powerful voice. Sort of like a cross between Jorn Lande, Russell Allen and Geoff Tate (on the beautiful "Reflections," for example). Erik can belt it out, growl with the best of 'em, yet drop down into a smooth-toned melodic sound when necessary (and I wish it were necessary a little more often just for the sake of variety). Drummer Mike Guy is creative, clever, and adept at handling all the time changes and bursts of speed. Bassist Troy Tipton is nimble, fluid, and quite understated throughout. He seems to have much more to say musically than he's able to say on The Towers of Avarice. (The bass break in "Demise and Vestige," for instance, seems to indicate he has a flair for the dramatic -- and the ability to pull it off.) I'd like to see Troy's playing featured a bit more on future releases. In all, The Towers of Avarice is six tracks of accomplished songwriting and musicianship. It's heavy. At times, it's busy. But, wow, does this music compel repeated listenings. And, although this may seem like a small point in the grand scheme of things, I really appreciate the look of quality in releases by the Sensory label. The cover and inside graphics are first-rate. And the whole thing smacks of class. This is a label to be reckoned with. This Ken Golden guy knows what he's doing. He's even the Executive Producer of The Towers of Avarice, so he not only has an eye for quality packaging, he has an ear for fantastic music. I recommend The Towers of Avarice. If you don't get it the first listen or two, don't despair. Set it aside for a month. Listen to a few other things. Then return to it once your horizons have expanded. Zero Hour is obviously a progressive metal band with more to say in the future. I suggest we listen.
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by Zero Hour 
