CYNTHESIS

Cynthesis is a brand new project that sees Zero Hour twin brothers, Jasun and Troy, reunited with ZH's onetime vocalist Erik Rosvold. So what we have here then, one would presume, is a Zero Hour album of yore considering three quarters of their original lineup is present. Well, kind of and kind of not. While the Tiptons' virtuosic bass/guitar idioms feature sporadically throughout, and Rosvold's distinctive tones consolidate early Zero Hour comparisons, the 45+ minutes of material that span eight compositions are wider in stylistic scope than any ZH album. Wider in scope, that is, in the sense that melodies are given more room to breathe within the context of each song as the virtuoso widdlings are kept to a minimum. And there, perhaps, lies my only criticism of 'DeEvolution'. Take, for instance, the opening bars of third track 'Divided Day' - the manic cacophony of mind-bending time signatures and both the Tiptons' wild fretboard shredding over Sean Flanegan's Atheist/Steve Flynn style beats, while incredibly impressive, sounds merely tagged onto a song that would otherwise stand up on its own. The contrast, for me, doesn't entirely work and sounds a little stilted. More virtuosity is introduced midway through 'Divided Day' and, here, sounds like a more natural progression and build-up from the mellow, sublime melodies that comprise the core of the track, but still sound a little misplaced. We all know what the Tiptons are capable of, right? It's just a shame that they didn't feel the need to show a little more restraint at times on certain tracks here. Fortunately, displays of their fretboard mastery only occasionally rear their head so the bulk of the album's playing time is filled with well structured songs that ooze pure musical emotion. Ambient instrumental piece 'Twilight' is pure sonic sublimity as swirling keyboard sounds are embellished with some truly heartfelt guitar leads. Rosvold delivers a magnificent vocal performance throughout; kind of reminiscent of Wolverine's Stefan Zell in parts with his impassioned delivery, and the overall effect is rather captivating. With 'DeEvolution' promised to be the first of a planned series of albums under the Cynthesis moniker, I await with eager anticipation what emerges from this exciting new project next.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Sensory

Album

DEEVOLUTION

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

45:36

RELEASE DATE:

June 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) The Man Without Skin
2) Incision
3) Divided Day
4) Shallow World
5) Profits of Disaster
6) The Edifice Grin
7) Twilight
8) A Song of Unrest

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

USA

"We all know what the Tiptons are capable of, right?... Fortunately, displays of their fretboard mastery only occasionally rear their head so the bulk of the album's playing time is filled with well structured songs that ooze pure musical emotion."