Zao's fifth full-length album finds them further down the path of exploration. Last time they visited the bowels of hell; now they've entered a strange new land beyond hardcore hades. It's not as abrasive and corrosive as Liberate te ex Inferis, with more atmospheric textures via acoustic guitars, whispering vocals, digitized accents on percussion, and ambient electronica sections punctuating some songs. The brutal heaviness remains in full force, but the black/death metalcore has been tempered by the same experimental muse as drummer/sometime singer Jesse Smith's solo project Through the Eyes of Katelyn. Minor key melodies also occasionally remind one of the Deftones. Mature music fans will recognize this as metal-as-art, a sonic painting of recurring revelation.
There was no lyric sheet with this promo, so unfortunately the tortured vocals kept most of the lyrics obscured. A line in track 4 stood out and struck home, though, with the eerie statement and question: "i watch as my dreams bleed -- which one of you hunters got me?" Zao's imagery-laden examination of humanity in all its fallenness would seem to be intact; check the lyric sheet for more dark insights (assuming the official release includes the lyrics).
Complaints are few. The short length of the songs and the album gives it an unfinished, unsatisfying feel. No epic masterpiece here--just the ingredients for one. Track 8 repeats a jarring rapcore chorus "she didn't know he was going to die" which mixes horribly with the surrounding deathcore. That's one experiment hopefully never to be repeated. Some will say Zao have and could have done better, while others will raise this as their best yet. Either way, this latest self-titled effort is a bloody champion on a battlefield littered with the corpses of mediocre bands.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Nate BaileyIn a genre that is full of copy cat bands that just take up space, Zao has continually moved in the direction of their choice and turned their back to the rest of the scene. This new release we see Zao adding so many new aspects to their music that you can tell without a doubt they are progressing musically. Using their trademark metal-core foundation, Zao has always been able to explode with…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by JamesOkay, first of all these guys scared me while I was driving my car in broad daylight. Now, with that said, I'm going to come clean on something. I have never been a Zao fan. But after reviewing this album, I have a much better opinion of them. It's difficult to miss the artistry on this one. The fact that this collection of tunes doesn't constantly show off the size of the drummer's calves (i.e.…Art for the Ears 2001Reviewed by Marco PovervestThe last album in their contract with Solid State Records is self-titled. Does this mean they perceive this as a new start? Or were they inspired by other bands that didn't give titles to their fourth releases (like Led Zeppelin and King's X)? I don't know. What I do know is that the first track, 5 Years Winter, sounds more metal than this band has ever sounded. But very heavy with the harsh…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Michial FarmerZao is hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest things ever to hit the Christian music ghetto, but I'm having difficulty finding the appeal. To me, they sound remarkably similar to every other tortured-animal-screaming hardcore band, and the supposedly brilliant lyrics penned by frontman Dan Weyandt are lost on me because my promo copy does not include a lyric sheet. That's not to…Similar sounding releases
1999ExtolMesmerized
1997Screams of ChaosGenetic War
2005Living SacrificeIn Memoriam
1999Eternal DecisionGhost in the Machine
1994GodfleshSelfless
2002Acoustic TormentSchwarzwaldMore from Zao
1998Split
2004The Funeral of God
1996Treadwater...
1997The Splinter Shards The Birth Of Separation
1996All Else Failed
2002Parade of Chaos
