In the last 3 years Zao has broken every rule pertaining to heavy music. Whether they are playing with bands like Sick of it All and Earth Crisis or Napalm Death and Nile, Zao has never bowed to one particular genre by letting their music be toe tagged a certain style. Using sheer aggression as their calling card, Zao has been winning fans with their intense live shows and dark poetic lyrics.
The evolution of Zao began a few years ago with 4 friends sharing a belief and love for hardcore. Since that time Zao has fine tuned and redefined themselves. The band's first release for Solid State was 1997's "Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation", this record garnered the band critical acclaim and drew on the hardcore following the band was already building. Few could anticipate the direction the band took when "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" was released in 1998. Blurring the lines that separated the hardcore and metal community, Zao created an album so heavy and devastating that Kerrang gave them 4 out of 5 K's...a tremendous feat for a relatively unknown band.
"Liberate te ex inferis", the band's new record, takes over where last year's "Where Blood and Fire" left off. Adding new guitarist Scott Melinger and bass player Rob Horner, Zao has once again made a record that will smash all preconceived notions about who they really are. "Liberate te ex inferis" was recorded at Poynter Studios in Little Rock AR, the same studio that created "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" and other incredible bands such as Living Sacrifice, N.I.V., Burned Up Bled Dry, Stretch Arm Strong and others.
Zao has spent the last year touring all over the country and the upcoming year appears to be no different. Overcoming many challenges in the past has only made the band stronger. "Liberate te ex inferis" only demonstrates that no matter what, Zao will continue to dominate heavy music and lead where others are content to only follow.
Discography
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