ZERO HOUR dissolved after the release of their 2008 album "Dark Deceiver" when Troy Tipton suffered an arm injury that prevented him from playing bass. After Jasun and Erik got back together to start the band back up, they recruited drummer Roel van Helden. Jasun and Roel had become friends after Roel's group at the time. They stayed in contact and years later, Jasun caught up with Roel overseas and they chatted about making music together. Jasun structured the music for "Agenda 21", tracking the guitars and keys. Roel then arranged the drums and entered Kohlekeller Studios to record the drums with Kai Stahlenberg. Andreas followed by arranging and recording his bass at Cross Back Studios. Erik Rosvold wrote the lyrics for the songs on the album.

"Democide" opens the album. It's a 15-minute opus, beginning with thick bass notes, clean guitars, and solemn clean vocals. The band begins to play with the meter a bit and show their instrumental prowess. The bass and guitar move forward in unison, though the melodies are a bit more subtle. Closing in towards the half-way mark, the sound drops off, allowing more ambient tones in. Although these backed off tones are pleasing, the sound lingers on longer than necessary. "Technocracy" is much more concise. Opening again with meaty bass notes, some sweet little leads are added. But the song sounds a lot like the previous one. The backing vocals are a nice addition, and those longing qualities are very strong.

"Stigmata" is another solemn offering, where the singer croons hard through much of the vocal parts. The piano passage at the half-way mark does has some subtle melodies as well as tense tones, and the bass guitar working with the keyboards in tandem is a strong connection. The closing passage is also pleasing. "Memento Mori" begins with clean guitars and depressive tones. The poignant nature of this song is not lost on me. Take it in and let it envelope you in warm but pensive tones. The singer reaches deep to his best performance on the album. "Agenda 21" is a heavier sound out of the gates, but again, the vocalist is pushing those yearning qualities too hard. The bassist stretches out to carry some of the melody here, but the song is just too depressing for me. The title track closes the album. It's ten minutes of mostly brooding and sober tones, with some passages of more ardent music. The instrumentation contains prowess and command over their instruments.

The band is not short on talent, that much I am sure about. The songwriting needs some work, however. With a band this talented, they should be capitalizing on their collective expertise, in a way that features the member's individual capabilities while still pushing their agenda through melodies with twists and turns. The album is too one-dimensional. It rarely ventures out the way Progressive music often does. This was a good listen but could have been better.