Zero Order Phase
Encyclopedia
Jeff Loomis explained in an interview that the album had been written after the end of This Godless Endeavor
tour. Loomis wrote two months before starting production. 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. 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." 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".
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. 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.
reviewer Chad Bowar. He also praised Loomis stating: "excellent guitar skills [...] technical riffs, creative solos and nonstop shredding". 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".
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," 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." '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."
This Godless Endeavor
-Credits:The Band:*Warrel Dane - lead vocals*Jeff Loomis - guitar*Steve Smyth - guitar*Jim Sheppard - bass*Van Williams - drumsGuest Musician:*James Murphy - Special guest lead guitar on "The Holocaust of Thought"Production:...
tour. Loomis wrote two months before starting production. Zero Order Phase was recorded during a month and a half, at the Robert Lang Studios
Robert Lang Studios
Robert Lang Studios is a recording studio in Shoreline, Washington, United States, just north of Seattle. Numerous bands have recorded at Robert Lang Studios including Alice in Chains, Candlebox and Bush. Perhaps the most famous recording session at Robert Lang Studio was in late January 1994 when...
in Richmond Beach, Washington, with producer Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon is a musician/record producer/mixer/recording engineer - from London, England.He has worked with a number of artists over the last 30 years, but may be best known for his work with Hall & Oates on three of their most important albums - 1980's Voices, 1981's Private Eyes, and 1982's H2O...
and featuring the former Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
drummer, Mark Arrington. 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
Dreaming Neon Black
-Credits:Nevermore* Warrel Dane - vocals* Jim Sheppard - bass* Jeff Loomis - guitars* Tim Calvert - guitars* Van Williams - drumsAdditional personnel* Christine Rhoades - additional vocalsProduction* Neil Kernon - production, mixing, mastering...
. Loomis told Kernon that "if I ever did a solo project he would produce it." 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".
The album also features several guest appearances. Ron Jarzombek
Ron Jarzombek
Ron Jarzombek is an American guitarist best known for his work with Austin, Texas progressive metal trailblazers WatchTower, '90s madcap trio, Spastic Ink, technical extreme metal band Blotted Science, featuring Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster and Obscura drummer Hannes Grossmann, and most...
splits solos with Loomis on "Jato Unit", former Nevermore bandmate Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (guitarist)
Pat O'Brien is the lead guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He was born in Northern Kentucky. He graduated from Conner High School in Hebron, Kentucky in 1983. He currently resides in Florida and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He owns a collection of guns...
-who joined Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
after recording The Politics of Ecstasy
The Politics of Ecstasy (album)
-Personnel:*Warrel Dane - vocals*Jeff Loomis - guitar*Pat O'Brien - guitar*Jim Sheppard - bass*Van Williams - drums*Produced by Neil Kernon...
-on "Race Against Disaster", jazz musician Michael Manring
Michael Manring
Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
on "Cashmere Shiv" and producer Kernon playing a fretless
Fretless guitar
A fretless guitar is a guitar without frets. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitars, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point of the vibrating string...
guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
on the same track. 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.
Critical reception
Zero Order Phase was described as "a good instrumental guitar CD" by About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
reviewer Chad Bowar. He also praised Loomis stating: "excellent guitar skills [...] technical riffs, creative solos and nonstop shredding". Ryan Ogle of Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
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 officially launched in March 2001...
said the album was "one goddamned fiery tribute to the instrumental shred lords that have inspired his [Jeff Loomis] playing".
Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic wrote: "guitarist Jeff Loomis has unearthed the instrumental guitar hero template that was briefly made popular by Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
in the late '80s and early '90s," 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." '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."
Track listing
Personnel
- Jeff LoomisJeff LoomisJeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming - Neil KernonNeil KernonNeil Kernon is a musician/record producer/mixer/recording engineer - from London, England.He has worked with a number of artists over the last 30 years, but may be best known for his work with Hall & Oates on three of their most important albums - 1980's Voices, 1981's Private Eyes, and 1982's H2O...
– keyboards, programming, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, string arrangementsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
, mixingMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
, fretless guitarFretless guitarA fretless guitar is a guitar without frets. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitars, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point of the vibrating string...
solo on "Cashmere Shiv" - Mark Arrington – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Ron JarzombekRon JarzombekRon Jarzombek is an American guitarist best known for his work with Austin, Texas progressive metal trailblazers WatchTower, '90s madcap trio, Spastic Ink, technical extreme metal band Blotted Science, featuring Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster and Obscura drummer Hannes Grossmann, and most...
– guitar soloGuitar soloIn popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
on "Jato Unit" - Pat O'BrienPat O'Brien (guitarist)Pat O'Brien is the lead guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He was born in Northern Kentucky. He graduated from Conner High School in Hebron, Kentucky in 1983. He currently resides in Florida and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He owns a collection of guns...
– guitar solo on "Race Against Disaster" - Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
– bass on "Cashmere Shiv" - Alan Douches – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Brian Valentino – assistant engineer
- Stephanie Cabral – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...