Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

JFH Music Review




Zao
Where Blood & Fire Bring Rest



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 10 tracks: 39 minutes, 59 seconds
Street Date: May 26, 1998


So begins the second era of Zao. They opened up 1998 with a new lineup, a new style, and a new message. Drummer Jesse Smith took over the band after original members Shawn Jonas, Mic Cox, and Roy Goudy stepped down the previous year. From that point onward, the message of the band became more about the band members being alive because of their faith in God. Daniel Weyandt and guitarist Russ Cogdell from the Greensburg, Pennsylvania band Seasons In The Field, as well as Brett Detar of The Juliana Theory were brought in to record this dark new chapter. Many have proclaimed this album is the reason hardcore metal is what it is to this day. Bands such as Underoath, As I Lay Dying, Sinai Beach, and Killswitch Engage would not be where they are if it were not for Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest.

Dan's screaming voice is dead-on perfect on every song and fans of Haste The Day will notice where Jimmy Ryan got his influences from. Russ and Brett offer much heavier guitar riffs that completely blow away what the original lineup created. As far as the Christian message is concerned, the spiritual side of the songs has been toned down a lot for this release. A few of the songs deal with the death of loved ones who were very close to Weyandt. The lyrics from "To Think Of You Is To Treasure An Absent Memory" were written as a memorial for his stepbrother's best friend Robbie Spade, who at the time had committed suicide, "When you shut your eyes and fell asleep, Dark clouds descended on the souls of the ones who held you close to their hearts."

Finding guidance from the Lord of Lords appears throughout many of songs, including "March," but Zao never refers to Jesus by name, "A single quiet voice and the breath of His words consumed the night and brought strength I have never felt on my own, He held me up until I could walk again and promised to stay by my side forever." "Violet" is a beautiful instrumental track recorded with a piano and it closes up the album on a positive high note. If I had anything to complain about on this release, though, it would have to be the song "For A Fair Desire." Lyrically, there is a passion behind the song but musically it does not hold up well with the rest of the album. The track probably would have worked well with the Training For Utopia Split EP that Zao recorded later on that year.

Other than that, Where Blood & Fire Bring Rest is a beautiful transition for Zao. The songs are a bit shorter compared to The Splinter Shards The Birth Of Separation, but the album holds up on its own as one of the best hardcore metal albums of all time. Fans who love some of today's metal, such as Haste The Day, As I Lay Dying, and Underoath, need to do themselves a favor and pick up this album. There is a lot to like here for fans of the original lineup, but don't expect an openly Christian message on this release. The music of Zao is not for everyone. It is only for those who truly love their metal hard and very heavy.

- Review date: 12/24/08, written by Fred Keel of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

 


. Artist Info: Discography
. Record Label: Solid State Records
. Album length: 10 tracks: 39 minutes, 59 seconds
. Street Date: May 26, 1998
. Buy It: Amazon.com
  1. Lies of Serpents, a River of Tears
  2. To Think of You is to Treasure
  3. A Fall Farewell
  4. March
  5. Ember
  6. Ravage Ritual
  7. Fifteen Rhema
  8. For a Fair Desire
  9. The Taller Rain
  10. Violet

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH




This Friday, November 8, 2024
ALBUMS
Gabby Barrett Carols and Candlelight [Warner Music Nashville]
CXMMXNS CXMMXNS Chapter 1 - EP [Essential Worship]
New Hope Oahu There Is One - EP [DREAM]
Neal Morse & The Resonance No Hill For A Climber [InsideOut]
TAKE Time Bomb [Resuscitation Records]
Lauren Talley A Lauren Talley Christmas [Horizon]

SINGLES
Cory Asbury I Hope You Dance - Single [BEC]
Jordan Kauflin, Laura Story Approach, My Soul - Single [Getty]
Sam Bowman & GLADDEN Misfit Toys - Single [DREAM]
Wavorly Enemies - Single (independent)

VINYL
Michael W. Smith Every Christmas Vinyl [Rocketown]
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Vinyl [Frontiers]
TAKE Time Bomb Vinyl [Resuscitation Records]

DVD
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Blu-Ray [Frontiers]

Next Friday, November 15, 2024
ALBUMS
Dolly Parton & Family Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables [Owepar Entertainment]
The Lore Family Faith Over Fear [Horizon]
Fernando Ortega For All the Saints - EP (independent)
Earnest Pugh Worth is the Lamb
We Are Messengers Rejoice! (A Celtic Christmas) - EP [Curb]
Paul Wright III Reverie [United Alliance]

SINGLES
Big Dismal Here In My Heart - Single (independent)
Hannah Kerr It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Single [Curb]
Olivia Lane Silent Night - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Wake Up It's Christmas - Single [BEC]
Jamie MacDonald A Million Chances - Single [Capitol CMG]
Ronnie Martin On Christmas Morning - Single [Velvet Blue]
Hunter Plake Daylight - Single [BEC]
Jordan St. Cyr Christ is Here - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Sixpence None the Richer Divine Discontent Vinyl [Word]



For all release dates, click here!
 



Check out the new album from Taylor Holland Armstrong!



Listen to the new Single from Second Adam and the New Creations!

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images