Zao

About

Few metalcore bands have survived as many lineup upheavals as Zao, the West Virginia outfit that has kept going since 1993 through what amounts to an almost entirely different roster of musicians. Their early material leaned hard into Christian themes, but that identity became contested within the band over time, and they have long since stepped away from that label. What stayed consistent was the intensity: albums like Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest and Liberate Te Ex Inferis, the latter named after a line from the film Event Horizon, became touchstones of the genre. Dan Weyandt's raw, personal lyricism and the band's ferocious live shows built a cult following that spans well beyond the United States. Eleven full length albums and a sprawling collection of EPs and splits make up their catalog, and the current lineup is the most stable in the band's history. Guitarist Scott Mellinger, drummer Jesse Smith, vocalist Weyandt, and guitarist Russ Cogdell are the names fans tend to think of when Zao comes up.