Zao

Item: Parade of Chaos
Author: Nate Bailey

Parade of Chaos

(2002)

Reviewed by Nate Bailey

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Label Solid State RecordsDecapolisAugust 2002

hardcore metalcore

Zao has released many full lengths with Solid State Records. They have a large fan base and have announced that they will be breaking up soon.

Because this is it, the final stroke, I wanted to be blown away. "A Parade of Chaos" just didn't do that. Don't get me wrong, this is a good album, but it failed to deliver what I know Zao is capable of. Perhaps the internal line-up disruptions that Zao is famous for, has finally managed to stagger their creativity.

The familiar Zao sound still has its claws wrapped around "Parade..." but there are some new facets. As a whole, the album has fewer cuts and breakdowns than on previous releases. The tempo of the songs is more consistent throughout and the drums have a less technical edge than typical Zao. The band uses this album to continue their last work's exploration into singing with songs such as "Angel Without Wings" and "Killing Cupid." The singing works in "AWW," but the vocal parts in Killing Cupid don't seem to blend with the overall song. There is a sprinkling of electronic sounds here and there, but their presence isn't as strong as in their last self-titled release. There are great guitar parts in "Free the Three," which takes the award for my favorite on the album. It's a solid release, but a disappointment for this being the end.

B-