Review: Zao

Zao
“Parade Of Chaos”
(Solid State)

The world is slowly rejecting our advances as a pollution and garbage-producing plague, but she won’t be able to stave us off forever. Granted, I drive my car and help with ozone depletion and toxic smog, but some people couldn’t be bothered to consider the planet or it’s other inhabitants. So, when I’m in traffic and I see someone toss a cigarette out the window, there is no describing the harm that I wish upon that environmental terrorist. I would rampage on them, and the newest Zao release would be blaring from my stereo, egging me on with pummeling ferocity. In all honesty, Zao’s fifth release is more refined than any standard riot inducing brutal-core album. Melodic and elegant, this bionic assault on heavy music and its conventionalities is astounding in its creativity. Opening track, “The Buzzing” is a metal mosh-bomb with the power to destroy all, leaving the door open for the following nine tracks, which are filled with beautiful vocal harmonies, industrial electronic accents, rock riff guitar solos and even an acoustic folk number entitled “Man In The Womb”. Led, through all of its incarnations, by Jesse Smith, whose guttural rasps seem to invoke the devil himself, the talented and technical Zaoists demonstrate an impressive amount of finesse, creating a metal masterpiece that should not soon be forgotten. There have been rumors circulating about the demise of this excellent band. What a shame that would be, because we should all be marching in this “Parade Of Chaos”.