Interview ZERO HOUR

A talk With
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JASUN TIPTON

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Thanks in the first place for taking time doing this interview! Let's kick off and tell us
who you are and where you came from?
JASUN: We are Zero Hour from Northern Ca in the USA. We are Prog-Metal band with the release of The Towers Of Avarice and in July Metamorphosis will be out off Sensory Records Worldwide.


What's your part in the band? Is this your first band ever?
JASUN: I'm the guitarist in the group and this is not my first band I've ever been in but it's the first to do anything.


Who are the other band members , did they played in other bands before joining ZH?
JASUN: The members are Troy Tipton Bass, Played in a couple locals bands called Retrospect and Beggars Opera. Mike Guy is on drums, played for a local band called Destin Angel. Erik the vocalist use to be involved in a band called Prodigy.


Would you discribe the style of Zero Hour's music and something about the influences .
JASUN: We are a dark, heavy intricate band!!! We use a lot of time signatures, tempos changes, playing long compositions to tell a story within the song.


Now talking about the releases. The first ZH release was an EP, right?
How were the results and the reactions from outside?
JASUN: That's the CD that got us so much press and  many new fans, Due to all this grabbed the attention of many labels becoming interested in Zero Hour. The EP is the reason we are signed today.


Your first full length album, tell me what you wanna say about that release so the Metal To Infinity readers knows what they can expect.
JASUN: The Towers of Avarice is a conceptual disc that is very complex with alot of melody. The story with the music and lyrics is very dynamic and is a very good representation of Zero Hour. You can order the CD everywhere, if they don't have it at your music store, you can order it through them. The distributor in the States is Big Daddy. You can also find it at all the online stores, www.lasercd.com , www.cdnow.com , www.amazon.com , www.cduniverse.com , www.centurymedia.com  and here is a list of our distributors in Europe and we are distributed by Avalon Marquee in Japan. USA - Big Daddy
USA - Century Media
Canada - FAB Distribution
Scandinavia - VME
France - MUSEA Records
UK - Plastichead
Italy - Lucretia/Self
Benelux - Bertus
Germany - Point Music
Poland - Rock Serwis
Brazil - Hellion Records


Satisfied with the final results and what's the musical difference between both albums?
JASUN: I'm  satisfied because we gave our best during the writing periods. Both those CD's took a lot of work and we are very proud of both CD's. The newest CD (which has the music all tracked) is going to be the next step for Zero Hour. I'm happy to say the band feels the next disc will be our best to date.

What is your personal vision on the international Metal scene of today. Something that bothers you or not?
JASUN: I'm happy with the scene because I feel it's getting better. The scene was really bad here in the States for a long time but now Metal bands are starting to sell out the clubs and that's is such a good direction for Metal. Prog-Metal will always be tough but a lot Death Metal bands are getting things going along with the Hardcore scene. It's so much better than what we had, all the clubs were closing down and you just didn't have a place to play. Our other band Death Machine (A technical Death Metal band) that Mikey, Troy and I are involved in doing really well on the scene. When ZH gets the next CD out, it should be a lot better for ZH as well.


Tell me something more about a Zero Hour live performance. Did you played many gigs so far in the past and what was the biggest?
JASUN: We have been very fortunate to go out to Europe twice and do some festivals and club dates. We have also played the ProgPower Chicago and Atlanta Ga fests!!! Our biggest one was ProgPower Atlanta Ga, but have played some other great places such as Headway (Holland), Progpower (Holland), Westfallen fest (Germany), to name a few.


If there's one thing in your life you shall never forget, can you tell me what it is?
JASUN: There are sooo many things that have happened that I wouldn't be able just to say one or two. I have been very blessed in my life with so many great people around me. I'm very fortunate to have a lot good people around me and without them, I wouldn't have a smile on my face all the time like I do right now.

How do you see the future for ZH, any reaching goals?
JASUN: The future looks good because the next CD is coming together really well, I just wished that things can move quicker, my only complaint. There are so may goals that band wants to achieve but that go with every band. You just want to see the band keep going in the right direction, not falling back.


How are the new upcoming songs and maybe a release date for a new album?
JASUN: The upcoming songs are amazing and I would give out a release date but I won't do that till Erik is done tracking. That's the best I can do at the moment but if you've dug Zero Hour in the past, you will dig this disc.


Same label, same style.any differences with the previous material?
JASUN: Yeah we are on the same label, we are very happy with Sensory. There will be some new things to this disc, it will be more exotic I feel. All our CD's will be different from our other CD's but will have the ZH sound.


Hope the new album coming real soon, so all the best with that and if you got something to say to our readers, just go ahead!
JASUN: Thank you very much for wanting to push Zero Hour to your readers. We appreciate your help pushing Prog-Metal and helping the scene out. Thanks to all our fans who are just the best and we really mean that. Please check out the Metamorphosis CD in July, has the 4 extra tracks on the CD and new artwork done by Travis Smith. Here's the bands web-site www.zerohourweb.com . ON another note our other band that Troy, Mikey and myself are in Death Machine will be coming out with our first CD off Sensory Dark Worldwide in Sept 2003. It's a technical Death Metal band and has been getting a lot positive feedback. Here's the Death Machine website address. www.deathmachine.net

Thanks everyone for your support again.

ZERO HOUR HOMEPAGE

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