Zao
Legendary (Solid State)
by Adrian Bromley
Over the years, few bands have left a mark on the metal/hardcore scene like Zao have. The Christian outfit have massed such a following over the years that they could easily be considered a “cult act.” Vibrant, emotional, and always forging forward with their blend of hardcore, metal, and rock, Zao positioned themselves as leaders, not followers. Take a quick look at the track listing of this “best of” album (it’s in chronological order, including early demos) and you can definitely see where loads of metalcore acts got their sound (or is that ripped off/rehashed their sound?). Inspirational and marking their territory with fiery bursts of extremeness and catchy bits, Zao are indeed unmatched. If you don’t know Zao, this compilation may have you combing used record stores for their back catalog. And those albums are well-worth searching for.
(www.solidstaterecords.com)