Zero Order Phase

Last updated
Zero Order Phase
Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase.jpg
The cover of Zero Order Phase is inspired by science fiction films such as Blade Runner and Logan's Run
Studio album by Jeff Loomis
Released September 30, 2008 (2008-09-30)
Recorded Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington
Genre Instrumental rock, progressive metal, neo-classical metal
Length54:02
Label Century Media
Producer Neil Kernon
Jeff Loomis chronology
Zero Order Phase
(2008)		 Plains of Oblivion
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Blabbermouth.net Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Zero Order Phase is the debut solo album by former Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis. It was released on September 30, 2008 through Century Media Records. The album was produced by Neil Kernon and features guest appearances by guitarists Ron Jarzombek, Pat O'Brien, and the jazz bassist Michael Manring. An instrumental album, Zero Order Phase was recorded in March 2008 at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington. In addition to Loomis on guitar, keyboards and bass, the album features ex-Nevermore member Mark Arrington on drums.

Nevermore American metal band

Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, United States. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from various styles such as progressive metal, power metal, modern hard rock, classic heavy metal, and thrash metal. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had not disbanded, and there was a possibility for them to continue in the next two years with another album. Dane's death in December 2017 ended hopes of a reunion.

Jeff Loomis American musician

Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore. In November 2014, it was announced he was to be the new guitarist for Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy.

Century Media Records record label

Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US $17 million.

Contents

History

These are just instrumentals. I really had no intention on having a lot of meaning behind the titles. I really just want the fans or fans of this type of music to enjoy the songs for what they are on their own.

—Jeff Loomis, Ice Vajal [4]

Jeff Loomis explained in an interview that the album had been written after the end of This Godless Endeavor tour. [4] Loomis wrote two months before starting production. [4] Zero Order Phase was recorded during a month and a half, at the Robert Lang Studios in Richmond Beach, Washington, with producer Neil Kernon and featuring the former Nevermore drummer, Mark Arrington. [5] The choice of Kernon to produce the album had been made several years before while both he and Loomis were working on the third Nevermore album Dreaming Neon Black . Loomis told Kernon that "if I ever did a solo project he would produce it." [4] During the recordings Loomis commented about the album's production, saying: "Being able to do this entire recording with Neil [Kernon] is really amazing as well. We've done some great work in the past, but being able to focus on an entire instrumental record is going to be great". [6]

<i>This Godless Endeavor</i> album

This Godless Endeavor is the sixth studio album by Seattle-based American progressive metal band Nevermore and was released on July 26, 2005. The album was produced by Andy Sneap and is distributed by Century Media Records.

Robert Lang Studios a recording studio in Washington, United States

Robert Lang Studios is a recording studio in Shoreline, Washington, United States. Numerous bands have recorded at Robert Lang Studios since 1974 including Alice in Chains, The Blood Brothers, Candlebox, Bush, and Foo Fighters.

Neil Kernon is an English musician, record producer, mixer and recording engineer from London, England. He is a Grammy Award winner, and has worked on over 100 Gold and Platinum records.

The album also features several guest appearances. Ron Jarzombek splits solos with Loomis on "Jato Unit", former Nevermore bandmate Pat O'Brien-who joined Cannibal Corpse after recording The Politics of Ecstasy -on "Race Against Disaster", jazz musician Michael Manring on "Cashmere Shiv" and producer Kernon playing a fretless guitar solo on the same track. [7] As Loomis explained in an interview with Komodo Rock, because the guest musicians lived in different parts of the United States, he e-mailed recordings of the rhythm guitar and drums. Each guest recorded his solos at his own home studio and sent the tracks back to Loomis in Seattle. [8]

Ron Jarzombek is an American guitarist best known for his work with WatchTower, Spastic Ink, and Blotted Science, featuring Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse. His most recent project is Terrestrial Exiled. He released a brand new song, "Beyond Life And Cosmic Kinetics" (B.L.A.C.K.), as an interactive six-track multi-tracking app in November 2012.

Pat OBrien (guitarist) American musician

Pat O'Brien is the lead guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse, as well as a former member for the heavy metal band Nevermore, and a former touring musician with the thrash metal band Slayer.

Cannibal Corpse American death metal band

Cannibal Corpse is a death metal band from Buffalo, New York, now based in Tampa, Florida. Formed in December 1988, the band has released fourteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio or television exposure throughout its career, although a cult following began to build after the release of the 1991 album Butchered at Birth and 1992 album Tomb of the Mutilated. As of 2015, they achieved worldwide sales of two million units for combined sales of all their albums, making them the top-selling death metal band of all time.

Critical reception

Zero Order Phase was described as "a good instrumental guitar CD" by About.com reviewer Chad Bowar. He also praised Loomis stating: "excellent guitar skills [...] technical riffs, creative solos and nonstop shredding". [9] Ryan Ogle of Blabbermouth.net said the album was "one goddamned fiery tribute to the instrumental shred lords that have inspired his [Jeff Loomis] playing". [10]

Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in October 2001, the record label Roadrunner Records began hosting it.

Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic wrote: "guitarist Jeff Loomis has unearthed the instrumental guitar hero template that was briefly made popular by Joe Satriani in the late '80s and early '90s," [11] he also stated that "tracks like 'Shouting Fire at a Funeral,' 'Jato Unit,' and 'Devil Theory' are entrenched in the metallic music ingredients he [Jeff Loomis] is renowned for." [11] 'Azure Haze' and 'Sacristy', were defined as "sweeping ballads"; on the last one, Loomis was again compared with Joe Satriani, Rivadavia stated: "admittedly very Satriani-esque." [11]

Joe Satriani American guitar player

Joseph Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Early in his career, Satriani worked as a guitar instructor, with many of his former students achieving fame, such as Steve Vai, Larry LaLonde, Rick Hunolt, Kirk Hammett, Andy Timmons, Charlie Hunter, Kevin Cadogan, and Alex Skolnick; he then went on to have a successful solo music career. He is a 15-time Grammy Award nominee and has sold over 10 million albums, making him the biggest-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.

Track listing

All music composed by Jeff Loomis.

No.TitleLength
1."Shouting Fire at a Funeral"4:54
2."Opulent Maelstrom"6:07
3."Jato Unit"4:41
4."Azure Haze"4:59
5."Cashmere Shiv"6:16
6."Race Against Disaster"6:13
7."Sacristy"4:50
8."Devil Theory"6:16
9."Miles of Machines"5:45
10."Departure"3:56
11."Omega's Influence" (Japanese Bonus Track)5:01

Personnel

Electric guitar electrified guitar; fretted stringed instrument with a neck and body that uses a pickup to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses one or more pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals. The vibration occurs when a guitar player strums, plucks, fingerpicks, slaps or taps the strings. The pickup generally uses electromagnetic induction to create this signal, which being relatively weak is fed into a guitar amplifier before being sent to the speaker(s), which converts it into audible sound.

Bass guitar Electric bass instrument

The bass guitar is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, except with a longer neck and scale length, and four to six strings or courses.

Keyboard instrument class of musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital pianos. Other keyboard instruments include celestas, which are struck idiophones operated by a keyboard, and carillons, which are usually housed in bell towers or belfries of churches or municipal buildings.

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References

  1. ↑ "Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase Review". Heavymetal.about.com. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  2. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1418184
  3. ↑ "Blabbermouth.Net". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ehrhardt, Claudia (2008-10-08). "In Words: Jeff Loomis". Ice Vajal. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  5. ↑ "Nevermore Guitarist Begins Recording Solo Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-03-26. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  6. ↑ "Nevermore Guitarist Issues Update on Solo Album". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  7. ↑ "Nevermore Guitarist Jeff Loomis: Solo Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  8. ↑ Irwin, Dawn (2008-07-30). "Komodo Rock talks with Jeff Loomis". Komodo Rock. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  9. ↑ Bowar, Chad. "Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase". Review. About.com. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  10. ↑ Ogle, Ryan (2008-10-06). "Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase (Century Media)". CD Reviews. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  11. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Zero Order Phase > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
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