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Self Titled
Zao |
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A most unusual creation this thing called Zao. The first taste I had to Zao's powerful yet imprecise line blurring production came in the form of '99s "Liberate Te Ex Inferis." I couldn't easily define it then and now, maybe even less so. In spite of interpersonal changes, their inter-connectivity has remained resoundingly resilient. On the one hand here's a band that plays crushing Hard-Core riffs, violent Death Metal-like vocal aggression and untimely tempo stretches all of which when you try to assemble it borders on something slightly above holistic noise. And then there's "Self-Titled," something which remains all of the above along with some quieter moments to offset the disquieting nature of the overall picture. They'll lull you to a false sense of security in one moment, then jar you into shards the next-take track three, "A Tool To Scream" for starters and then move carefully forward from there. Led by the one original member that's been able to weather the storm as well as create some of the most turbulent this side of the South Pacific, Zao's existence is one of an evolving yet principled nature. "Witch Hunter" is one of those songs where if a listener didn't know better they'd think it was a totally different band-and one that goes down much more smoothly than would've otherwise been thought possible. This one's got a solid lift to it, generally straightforward and direct, simple, melodic, nearly calm, fascinating and far reaching, another angle for the band to explore. For all their unique ambitions, Zao's a definite hybrid of musical styles, traditional and still brand new, yet cliché-bound they are not. "Self Titled" is another telling example of their diversely textured Progressive Hard-Core style fueled with complex arrangements that all at once stir confusion, convulsion and chaotic consonance. Released bySolid State
Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |