(Andy Synn reviews the latest album by the band Zao.)
Remember when the word “Metalcore” actually meant something? Those halcyon days when it referred to bands mixing the breakneck emotional intensity of Hardcore with the prodigious sonic power of Metal, rather than being a watchword for formulaic, anodyne angst-merchants desperate for their fifteen minutes of dubious fame?
NoCleanSinging remembers.
And so, it seems, do Zao, who returned at the tail-end of 2016 with what could very well be the best thing they’ve ever released.
Photo by Allix Johnson
That’s possibly a contentious statement, I know, and it’s not intended to downplay the rest of the band’s back-catalogue by any means. But somehow, despite coming on the heels of an almost seven-year hiatus, The Well-Intentioned Virus manages to be a near-perfect blend of focussed aggression, creative ambition, and borderline-lethal execution.
In microcosm the separate elements and individual performances which make up this album are all top-notch. The guitar work of Scott Mellinger and Russ Cogdell is positively red-hot and razor-sharp throughout, the duo churning and burning their way through a wide array of gnarly, broken-toothed riffs and bleakly evocative melodies as if they’d never been away, backed up by the muscular bass-lines of Martin Lunn and the creative, cathartic pummeling of Jeff Gretz behind the kit.
And then there are the vocals, with Daniel Weyandt’s paint-stripping, scenery-chewing snarl remaining just as savage, if not more so, as ever, every line spat forth with a potent mix of scalding venom and furious conviction.
But it’s the improvement in Mellinger’s cleans which comes as the biggest surprise, the guitarist delivering his solemn melodic croon on tracks like “Apocalypse” and the Extol-ish “Haunting Pools” with a newfound level of clarity and melodic fidelity.
It’s on the macro scale, however, where everything ultimately falls into place, the album as a whole transcending the mere sum of its parts without ever threatening the clear and distinctive identity established by each and every track.
The ravenous, Hardcore-meets-Death-Metal grooves of the title-track, for example, follow on directly from the enigmatic sturm und drang of opener “The Weeping Vessel” without missing a single beat. The molten hooks of the rip-roaring “Jinba Ittai” are followed in quick succession by the gloomy, atmospheric grandeur of the aforementioned “Apocalypse”. And the dynamic, light-and-shade of “Observed/Observer” eventually leads the listener to the edgy, Punk-Metal culture-clash of “The Sun Orbits Around Flat Earth Witch Trials” and the proggy, Metal/Hardcore hybrid of the climactic “I Leave You In Peace” in turn.
And yet despite these variations in approach and delivery, the band’s signature style remains fully intact and as well-established as ever, positively pulsating with raw energy and pure, unbridled passion.
Ultimately The Well-Intentioned Virus is the sound of Zao firmly back in the saddle and still at the very top of their game.
https://officialzao.bandcamp.com/album/the-well-intentioned-virus
https://www.facebook.com/ZAO.Official/
7 Responses to “ZAO: “THE WELL-INTENTIONED VIRUS””
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Back in my teens, sadly also my strict Christian days, Zao was one of those bands I could listen to that sated my need for heavy before I could venture (parental control) into the great metal world. Being almost 20 years ago now this is absolutely a treat, and I’m glad that I can still hear all my nostalgia in these songs.
Posted my very similar comment the same time as you!
Back when was a born again Christian/fundamentalist attending fuckin’ Bob Jones University, I used to secretly listen to Zao’s early albums while I was studying in the library (rock music of any sort is banned on campus). These guys have only gotten better even though it’s not rebellious for me to listen to them now. 🙂
Wow, I honestly wasn’t aware that an institution could/would blanket ban an entire genre of music like that. So I’ve learned something from this comment. Thank you.
It appears many of us have followed similar paths.
I remember Zao from my christian days in years long past… From interviews it appears they’ve walked away from the faith (as have I), and I couldn’t be more glad (for both myself and Zao).
They are one of the few bands from that “era” of my life that I can still listen to or hear without cringing. Most of the music from that side of things is atrocious.
That being said, this new album is a different beast altogether. It seems a bit disjointed and hard to get into on first listen, but maybe I haven’t given it enough time.
I believe that Dan Weyandt is still actively Christian, though very much on the liberal/secular side of things (if that’s the right way to put it), in the sense that he doesn’t so much preach about it, just uses it to inform his worldview (and is very critical of organised religion and the abuse/misuse of “faith”).
The rest of them I think are all godless heathens like me now. So at least when I get to hell I’ll have a band I can join.