ZERO ILLUSIONS – Enter Eternity

This Swedish band is one of various examples of a band who wants to be more powerful and complex. In Metal history, there were bands that started out as something new after being under a process of evolution. Of course, each band defines “evolution” as they see fit. Pantera, for example, for some early fans, were under a de-evolution process because they didn’t like their Thrash / Sludge era and vice versa. For Zero Illusions it’s almost the same story.

The band started out as Pain And Passion which played Heavy Metal mixed with Hard Rock. Pain And Passion was around since 1998 and was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden. Under the label, Escape, the band released a single album named, Don’t Think Tomorrow in 2003. After replacing a guitarist, the band decided that they want to be more aggressive and heavy. So they started out fresh and in 2004 they became the new monster, Zero Illusions, and under this banner they changed their sub-genre to Heavy / Power Metal with progressive and slight reminders of Modern Thrash elements.

As for their material they began with a demo in 2004 , then in 2007 ,with a new bass player in check , they released their first official EP, Prologue To Eternity which possibly served as a single step before their debut full length album for 2008, Enter Eternity.

Joakim Harstrom, the producer in charge, and the mixman, which is no other than the master guitarist of King Diamond, Andy La Rocque, have done a pretty good job handling this release and making it well organized. The band’s sound resembles bands like Dream Theater, mid-era Nevermore and of the Canadian Pagan’s Mind. The main character of the band’s evolution is the 7-string guitar that produces heavy and challenging riffs with touches of progressiveness a’la Dream Theater. Regarding the music, the guitar is the main instrument that channels any sort of progression. However, a problem that runs throughout the album, where are the solos? Aside from rhythmic breaks and kick downs, solos here are almost non-existent. “Left Alone” is almost the single track which poses a nice solo.

In some measure, like in Pain And Passion, the band’s focus is its material on themes of everyday issues like love, hate, chances and individualism. The single important issue, which concerns the band’s material, is the new approach and the new found power in the band’s music.

Progressive, yet heavy, stuff like “Once In My Life “ and “The Way I Live”, which are totally Dream Theater tunes from their later era. The latter has some weak spots in it but mainly, its progression kills a bit of the interest in it. The modern Heavy / Power tunes come in the face of the best tune in this release, “Am I Too Old”, which has a great chorus and the second track, “Don’t Be Afraid” that is heavy and pounding and “Left Alone”, which serves partly as an Heavy / Prog Metal tune with bits of softness along with early Kai Hansen-like vocals by the well talented high pitcher, Bjorn Asking.

The Thrashy element comes in the form of good songs like “What Remains” and the Power / Speed “Like Yourself” and the heavy and crushing closer Power / Thrash / Prog , “The Moment I Fear” that really leaves a taste for more. A problem with these three is that there are elements like the heavy kick downs that have their regular place in the structure of the tune – A fact that not every listener will appreciate because it’s like filling empty holes – but not as bad.

Zero Illusions have made a nice album for the Metal world. With their evolution, they are bound to make more great records and maybe even better than this one. As was mentioned before, the evolution / de-evolution issue is a matter of taste to decide what is good and what is not. In the case of Zero Illusions, it’s probably a way to success.