Zero Hour

In Shakespeare's As You Like It, Rosalind asks "Can one desire too much of a good thing?" The answer is obviously no, which is why I love traditional metal revivalism and think Shakespeare is bollocks. I'm delighted that Jet Jaguar shares my enthusiasm for both traditional metal and the concept of excess, filling their debut EP Zero Hour to the brim with dramatic solos and winsome speed/power metal riffs.

Jet Jaguar's buffet table approach to songwriting makes them somewhat difficult to classify. The bulk of their melody is akin to the satisfying, if not puffed-up braggadocio of Hibria and 90's Helloween. Meanwhile, there's a civil war between the lead-footed urge to push their songs into reckless speed metal territory, against the insistence on refining leads and solos with neoclassical maturity. This is particularly evident in the instrumental 'Silver Fortress', which would sound right at home in my personal favorite of Malmsteen's discography, Rising Force. I may have just lost a few readers with that one.

This hybrid of shrewd neoclassical leads and giddy Skullfist-style riffs is puzzling because of how well it works. Vocalist Maxx Mendoza may be to thank for bonding this unlikely combination so effectively. Mendoza is a diplomat, simultaneously taking attention away from the unlikely marriage with wanton howls, all while avoiding being too intrusive in the mix. In this way, Mendoza is similar to Steelwing's Riley, especially when reaching for the higher notes. The helium-balloon chorus of 'Winds of Fire' is a great demonstration of this, while the title track 'Zero Hour' might be too good of a demonstration.

I can only imagine Jet Jaguar were quite the fans of Zone of Alienation, as the chorus of 'Zero Hour' sounds suspiciously similar to Steelwing's 'Solar Wind Riders'. Even the lyrics deal with a similar subject. While I'm at it, 'Steel Lover' also sounds like HammerFall's 'Hearts on Fire', but admittedly I don't care about that as much, because Crimson Thunder could be 'plagiarized' using only a rubber band stretched over a tissue box. The former seems like less of a coincidence, which is why I hope in the future Jet Jaguar puts more emphasis on "individuality", shall we say.

Thankfully, Zero Hour is pretty clear-cut elsewhere. With great production and surprisingly fleshed out compositions (besides 'Steel Lover'), I was thoroughly entertained by this kinetic romp through traditional power metal. From the neoclassical precision of 'Silver Fortress' to the shamefully catchy 80's hair worship 'Rompiendo El Acero', this EP is exciting, fun, and easily recommended to modern metal enthusiasts.