Zao
Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest

THE REVIEW

One of the most unjustly underrated acts in the hardcore/metalcore scene of the last ten years (although both genre definitions are in reality quite limiting) goes by the name of Zao. Active since 1993, the band underwent a complete lineup overhaul in 1997: except for the drummer, all original members left the band, which reformed around the charismatic figure of the new singer, Daniel Weyandt, who from then on would become the true trademark of the band, thanks to his unmistakable voice, a choked and obsessive scream, completely different from what one is accustomed to hearing in most similar productions, sometimes compared (in my opinion not entirely appropriately) to a style akin to that of black metal.

In 1998, the band in its new incarnation released what is, in all likelihood, its most representative work, "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest". An album with a dark, heavy, and monolithic sound, it finds its strength in the feeling of anguish that characterizes all the tracks it comprises.
From "Lies of Serpents, a River of Tears," the opening track, it becomes evident that both musically and vocally, the salient characteristic is the almost complete absence of "explosions": the songs drag oppressively from beginning to end, lacking a moment where the tension is relieved by an acceleration, a liberating scream, a "definitive" outburst of anger. There is no unnecessary show of technique, every note serves the content of the tracks; every passage, every change of rhythm seems to underscore a sense of impotence that also emerges from the anguished lyrics, even when they seem to convey a message of hope; the album closes with "Violet," a long and essential piano sonata that excellently concludes an album all played on this constant and unresolved tension.
Among the most noteworthy songs are the impressive "To Think Of You Is To Treasure An Absent Memory," "Ravage Ritual," and especially "For a Fair Desire," a perfect exemplification of the overall progression of "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" as well as one of the most intense tracks ever composed by the band, where voice and music perfectly blend to convey a sense of growing heaviness (not only musically) and despair; but in general, all the tracks maintain an extremely high level of quality, probably representing, collectively, the pinnacle of Zao's abundant production.

After this album, perhaps also due to the continuous lineup changes that have characterized their entire career, the band would never again reach such high levels, though they have produced a long series of good works culminating last year in the excellent "The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here", a worthy successor of this "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" and a demonstration that the group led by Dan Weyandt still has much to say, even outside the narrow musical environment of which, despite relatively limited fame, it remains undoubtedly one of the major representatives.