Zao 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 say that their newest record, (Self-Titled), doesn't have its high points: "Alive is Dead" builds to a distorted, grinding roar, then suddenly falls away into a simple piano melody; Weyandt whispers his way over a gradually intensifying acoustic guitar on "Witchunter"; and "FJL" is a lovely ballad (and it's nice to hear that Weyandt hasn't destroyed his singing voice with all that screaming!). Unfortunately, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the other tracks, even with repeated listens, which means that although the aforementioned tracks may make it onto some of my mix CDs, I probably won't be pulling out the full album very often.
Keep in mind, though, that I'm not particularly a fan of "extreme music." Fans of the genre will likely appreciate this album's worth more than me. They'll most likely also note the heavy black metal influence here (if indeed this was not present on Zao's earlier albums--I am not familiar with the band's back catalogue), and will doubtless file through the lyric sheet with a fine-toothed comb, providing the final copy includes one. Chalk my dislike of this one up to premature aging.
3 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 Josh SpencerZao'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…Similar sounding releases
1999ExtolMesmerized
1997Screams of ChaosGenetic War
2005Living SacrificeIn Memoriam
1999Eternal DecisionGhost in the Machine
1994GodfleshSelfless
2002Acoustic TormentSchwarzwaldMore from Zao
1998Split EP
2003Legendary
1997The Splinter Shards The Birth Of Separation
2002Parade of Chaos
1998Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest
1998Split
