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Rating: "God is dead, this is his funeral. Soundtrack by Zao".
Zao is a band that demands respect. If I had to point out the right attitude one should have towards them, it would be exactly this: respect. Or at least, that's the effect they've had on me. Zao deserves respect because they are pioneers of the Christian metal movement. They are pioneers of music as a social commitment (just go back in time a bit to rediscover it, the current control gave way to furious restlessness). They are pioneers of the hardcore movement. They are pioneers, period.
Zao deserves respect because they were perhaps the most effective band in resurrecting melodic Carcassian death metal and blending it with heavy doses of new school hardcore, winking at emo here, at the "emotional metalcore" school there, which has greatly contributed to the success of immense bands like Shai Hulud and Poison The Well. And then the singer Dan is a god (tell me he doesn't seem like Jeff Walker in a hardcore version). Zao deserves respect because they're called "Zao" and have managed to leave a mark with such a name. Back then, a band with such a name would've been buried under tons of molten dung long before I listened to it. Then scruples prevailed, and after a few listens, the initial disdain turned into veneration. Quite something, especially since these guys have so much charisma that they managed to overcome my prejudices, yeah, if I listen to a band called Zao, it means they really know their stuff. If I don't even listen to Toto because I hate that name, am I dumb.
Zao deserves respect because they wrote a wonderful album and titled it "The Funeral Of God": it's a Christian concept. Strange, right? But why is that strange? When we say goodbye to God, we make the sign of the cross; if the neighbor's son was guillotined, I wouldn't make a "zack!" with my hands every time I greet her, hehe! But the death of God is the meaning of its existence, because then he resurrects, to live again, this time forever. God is dead today: in people's hearts, in crashing planes, in the eyes of a woman thrown on the street, in the tears of a child retrieved from a dumpster. God is dead: and Zao organizes a magnificent, turbulent, violent funeral rich with subtle melancholy. "The Funeral Of God" is a great album, let's clear up any doubt. The much-troubled hardcore here gives way to a style owing much to American melodic death and beyond, almost as if to emphasize violence that is now one with lyrics written by a skilled hand. Yes, this time they are angry. And you can feel it.
The guitar riffs become sickly. One opens Breath of the black muse but dissipates into a rough, destructive ride, where Stephen Peck's drums wonder what they did to deserve such (brutal) treatment, while Dan Weyandt officiates the celebration, winking at the unforgettable Carcass, gesturing to Poison The Well, then showing how he's not winking at anyone at all. Yeah, his voice, his majestic way of singing, is all his own. It seems Dan vomits his soul onto the microphone, seems to hurl curses with a lived-in voice, and maybe he does both; but when his voice relaxes, the initial storm turns into a slightly rough sea, where the compactness of riffs marries a linear pace, with breaks leading to nervous assaults, and the listener's ears seem to reach a dimension of mystical peace. Here the keyword is variety. If you want an example, here is The rising end: the riffs are of a rare roughness, typically hardcore in their roots, but expertly united with the classic melodic death, and (most importantly) a melody oozing from every distortion. Then a break comes, and they seem to willfully assault their poor instruments, accompanied by Dan, who seems to be venting after a nasty fight. Then fragmented timing overlaps, making it difficult to follow, but trying is an indescribable pleasure. Thus, episodes become more cunning, others more violent, others exquisitely dramatic (The lesser lights of heaven, among the lot's best episodes).
And here melancholy pours out, tears flow from their hearts. It's surprising to think that from initial violence, you reach this point: almost like a descending arc, anger dissipating and burning like a straw fire, turning into nostalgic resignation tinged with a yearning for hope. Now, why do I say Zao deserves respect? Because they are literally UNIQUE in managing such a vast range of emotions, combining it surgically with every musical influence that can aid their purpose, and they seem to stand apart from the songs they themselves created. In short: if they are violent, they never yield to violence; if they are melancholic, they never yield to melancholy, but remain superior, and when least expected, they introduce tempo changes and riffs that shatter the delicate initial harmony. This doesn't make them seem merely credible; it makes them a perfect antithesis to bands that fall victim to their emotions and slide into the pathetic. Not Zao; they're cold and sublimely perfect musicians, hitting the target dead center without adding a word. Wonderful. And then they wrap things up first with a light instrumental prelude, an evolution of arpeggios and paradisiacal atmosphere, which slowly supported by the drums makes you want to shed a tear.
And then, the grand finale: Psalm of the city of the dead. Few lines of text and few riffs for a song over 8 minutes long. Essence. And it's a clean voice, almost choral, almost a cry of hope for the rebirth of that God of whom, at this moment, they are celebrating the funeral. The word is entrusted to the music, gentlemen: the circle closes, and mental confusion reigns supreme after this wonderful journey. Try it because you're worth it. "The lesser lights of heaven are burning towards a dream. . .".
I've never been so happy to attend a funeral.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Breath of the Black Muse (04:00)
Open your mouth, boy
Just to swallow your teeth
I will not pay the price for your self-inflicted grief
My meekness lies there shivering and raped
Trembling prophet
Anointed wrath of God incarnate
Cutting and tearing dissection
Strangled and hanging before me
Weeping and screaming become you
Carry out your suffering
Raise your first, boy
To bring upon your demise
Never had a clue what waited behind these eyes
Your body turn apart, you could not escape
Trembling prophet
Anointed wrath of God incarnate
Cutting and tearing dissection
Strangled and hanging before me
Weeping and screaming become you
Carry out your suffering
Inspiration from your damnation
Your breath blackens my lungs
Inspiration from your damnation
Your breath blackens my lungs
Inspiration from your damnation
Your breath blackens my lungs
You marked the line to guide my first incision
You marked the line to guide my first incision
You marked the line to guide my first incision
You marked the line to guide my first incision
Breath of the black muse
Breath of the black muse
Inspiration from your damnation
Your breath blackens my lungs
Inspiration from your damnation
Your breath blackens my lungs
04 The Last Song From Zion (04:47)
His shadow floats upon the Earth
Casting a song from the north
Yeshua weeps Zion's song
Thy will of man
My kingdom gone
You, you place all your hatred upon my throne
Your hands they form, they form your own path
Curse the one that has, has made you
I see Cain in all your eyes
I am laying down to go to sleep forever
I do not hide my face in shame at all
I do not cower before your blade
This is what your black hearts pray
Time, it moves as slow, as slow as the ocean's tide
Neon explosion in the haggard sky
No sun shall set, lest we forget
Man's will be done
I am laying down to go to sleep forever
I do not hide my face in shame at all
I do not cower before your blade
This is what your black hearts pray
(The last Lamb
The last hope
The last song from Zion)
The last Lamb
The last hope
The last song from Zion
The last Lamb
The last hope
The last song from Zion
The last Lamb
The last hope
The last song from Zion
05 Live... From the Funeral of God (04:11)
Live from the funeral of God
This is the day you've awaited
Sponsored and celebrated
He has answered your prayers
Corpses have piled up with your riches
They have spilled over onto the earth
We spit and wear our fear like masks
Everything is locked into form
(Interrupt the feed)
It's closing in
The sky is so dark
Are men no worse then demons?
Are armies not thirsty for bleed?
The desire of their hearts has been met
Eons and eons
Decades of liars
Drink with power atop mountains of corpses
Their arms and legs fail and they crawl like serpents
To address those who are mourning:
Live from the funeral of God
There is no reason to be afraid
Everything is under control
We shall miss Him
06 The Lesser Lights of Heaven (04:15)
The lesser lights of heaven are burning towards a dream
The eyes of mothers bleeding
Cast their children to the sea
The lesser lights of heaven are screaming in our mind
Listen to the chorus
So divine and unkind
The lesser lights of heaven are burning for their Son
Praying for the presence
That birthed them into one
The lesser lights of heaven, their bodies but a flame
A sky that knows no distance
A cut that feels no pain
The lesser lights of heaven are bending towards your will
Cutting through the person
Who would rather die than kill
The lesser lights of heaven cast crowns before your throne
Dissipate into nothing
We truly are alone
The lesser lights of heaven are burning for their Son
Praying for the presence
That birthed them into one
The lesser lights of heaven, their bodies but a flame
A sky that knows no distance
A cut that feels no pain
Can we live through this?
Can we live through this?
Can we live through this?
Can we live through this?
The lesser lights of heaven are burning towards a dream
08 Praise the War Machine (04:06)
The death of the Omega pilots the war machine
We shall destroy the Earth
Rebuild it
None shall inherit it
Blood turned into fire
Made to drink like wine
Pile up the countless corpses and on them we shall dine
We praise you war machine
You've come to set us free
Run us throughout your jaws
Carry us off in your claws
Cut away body from soul
A slave freed from his master
Closing the spirit's eyes to embrace this earthly tie
Cut away body from soul
A slave freed from his master
Closing the spirit's eyes to embrace this earthly tie
We praise you war machine
You've come to set us free
Run us throughout your jaws
Carry us off in your claws
666
The Earth it shall burn bright tonight in our eyes
Praise the war machine
The Earth it shall burn right into our eye on this very night
Praise the war machine
Praise the war machine
Praise the war machine
Praise the war machine
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
Burn tonight
09 Truly, Truly, This Is the End (04:22)
They say death's an open door
Into another room
Within the city of the dead
(Our New Kingdom)
They say we walk like dreams
Sharing the same breath
Seeing through the same eyes
(A collective spirit)
As we pray (As we pray)
On his grave (On his grave)
Or words fall and decay (And decay)
As we pray (As we pray)
On his grave (On his grave)
Or words fall and decay (And decay)
They say the Earth it gives no peace
Nor does it take away
We all survive the grave
(Unfortunate eternal)
They say that in times past
A king walked in the sky
Until dethroned by man
(Tribe of Judas)
As we pray (As we pray)
On his grave (On his grave)
Or words fall and decay (And decay)
As we pray (As we pray)
On his grave (On his grave)
Or words fall and decay (And decay)
Truly, truly, this is the end
Truly, truly, this is the end
Truly, truly, this is the end
Truly, truly, this is the end
It's not the same
I'm plagued with pain and I can't let go
It's not the same
I'm plagued with pain and I can't let go
It's not the same
I'm plagued with pain and I can't let go
It's not the same
I'm plagued with pain and I can't let go
This is the end
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