What is YOUR favorite ZAO album? Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE for more content. Check out the full review of the latest album here: ruclips.net/video/CUIl8SkQC5A/видео.html
Love all the albums. Ranked from favorite to least favorite. *The funeral of God ( favorite) *Where blood and fire bring rest *Liberate te ex inferi save yourself from hell *The well intentioned virus album and the pyrric victory ep *The fear is what keeps us here * The crimson corridor *Awake? *Parade of chaos * Self titled * Splinter shards the birth of speration * All else failed original * Preface the early recordings * All else failed remake * The remix album (least favorite) All albums are great
No The Crimson Corridor is many steps above Liberate, and Where Blood, and I even have a tattoo on my back of "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" the Crimson is amazing!!
Zao was the band that turned me onto metalcore in the early 2000s. Liberate was a life changing album for me along with Living Sacrifice’s the Hammering Process.
You're doing excellent job spreading the word about Zao - they're still deep underground and, I guess, that the way it should be - "Liberate Te Ex Inferis" easily my favorite ahead of "The Funeral Of God"
Their Split EP with Training for Utopia was what got me into them. Talk about deep underground back then… Zao and Embodyment were my late teens… late 90s.
Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest will always be so iconic for me. I am really enjoying their new album as well. There is alot of these albums I havent revisted in a long time but I threw together a playlist for this for tonight. I get what you mean about albums that u respect but cant listen to all the time. I feel that way listening to Anaal Nathrakh or Fluids lol.
Love ALL of their stuff, but there’s something about “The Fear” that really rung my bell and stuck with me. From the ominous intro to the glitchy “THE FEAR! THE FEAR IS WHAT KEEPS US HERE!” drum & vocal outro, it’s a RIPPER
Ok. I have known and still know the original members for years. Went to church with them before the band even began. I got their first demo somewhere around here with original singer Eric Reeder. Eric left right before to pursue ministry work They also did another demo. One song to look for that was good for the time was "Flight".
Nice man. Was checking out some Zao and what do ya know lol. I never saw them but I live and grew up next to what used be Cornerstone festival. A huge Christian music festival. They played there before and I've got to see tons of bands there underoath, as I lay dying, demon hunter, pod and a lot more. The self titled album is my favorite and nostalgic to me. The raspy vocals have always sounded unique to me and they kinda broke the barrier as a "Christian" band for being original. I went to a drug rehab in my late teens and one of the joys was being able to listen to cds. I met a few metalheads there and we shared music. One guy could play acoustic guitar and he knew all the system of a down songs. They loved zao when I introduced them. Haste the day burning bridges was an album I had at that time also and extol undeceived. Good times.
I assumed you would put Blood and Fire at S and self-titled lower so it was cool to see you actually have your own opinion separated from the general consensus. I like the self-titled more than alot of them but it's also their first CD I had and only one for years
I would drop self titled to c and move WBFBR to A. Other than that I’m totally in agreement with you. Zao is the only Christian band I held onto when I left religion, but I also am super happy they dropped the Christian band thing.
@@srsucioguapodelsur8845 I agree. I go to that stuff and the chariot and Norma jean often as well. Really any 2000 solid state band. Just those are touch and go with me. Zao is on heavy weekly rotation with me.
I know I'm in the minority, but my favorite is the self titled album. That was my first album that I got from them. Sooo many memories spinning that cd again and again.
S: The Fear/Well-Intentioned Virus/Crimson Cooridor A: Liberate/Funeral of God/Blood and Fire B: Self-titled/Parade of Chaos C: Splinter Shards/All Else Failed Thanks for keeping it ZAO-positive! 😃
Would definitely agree with the 3 S teir; me The Crimson Corridor is definitely my favourite album, but Funeral probably has my favourite tracks. I love listening to The Rising End from Funeral, awesome riffs and just overall fun flow to it.
Zao are one of my favourite bands of all time. I think the well intentioned virus and the crimson corridor might be my favourite albums by them, I think fast forward the clock they'll be seen as classics in their discography.
Zao has been my favorite band since 05, for the most part I agree with list with the exception being that fear is ranked B, my opinion pound for pound it’s one of their best albums. Zao doesn’t fuck around anymore. From funeral on their albums have been consistent bangers. Before every track on every album was hit or miss
I disagree only slightly. Self-titled hit me hard in 8th grade, but it just hasn't aged as well for me. I'm also just coming back to metal for the first time in years, as Crimson Corridor shook and shocked me back. So, well-intentioned virus needs some more listens before I'll really feel like I can place it accurately, but I'm not ready to place it quite as high as you did. Awake is so groovy and fun, and was a fresh sound which, at the time didn't register with me, but listening again 10 years later, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it, in a way, but found the album a touch formulaic and forgettable in that nothing aside from Romance made me pause, relisten, and remember the track title. S - Crimson Corridor, Funeral of God, Liberate A - WBFBR, Well-Intentioned Virus B - Awake?, Self-Titled C - Parade of Chaos, The Fear D - All Else (Remake), All Else Failed F - The Splinter Shards
Funeral of god is my favorite, followed by probably Liberate. There almost all S tear haha. Where blood and fire is a metal core classic. Virus brought them right back to the top now crimson.
OH MY GOD (pun intended) THANK YOU YES. In all seriousness I love this band and pretty much everything they have put out S: Blood/Fire, Liberate, ST, Funeral, The Fear A: Virus, Crimson, Splinter B: Awake, Parade Of Chaos C: All Else Failed
Gold: Self Titled, The Well Intentioned Virus, Liberate Te Ex Inferis, The Crimson Corridor Silver: All Else Failed, Parade of Chaos, Awake? Bronze: Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, The Funeral of God, The Fear is What Keeps Us Here Aluminum: The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation
'Virus' was pretty amazing I'll agree, I wasn't too hopeful tbh when it came out. I had thought they were kind of has beens but I was extremely pleasantly surprised & Corridor just keeps the quality coming so yes it's amazing! The first album I bought was self titled but I'm not much of a fan, too lean on the bone I thought. Funeral of God, is musically really good & thematically so dark. I'm still a sucker for 'Blood and fire' that album art really tells you everything you need to know.
I think Blood and Fire is still my favorite just for the mems, but IDK, Crimson Corridor is getting real close to dethroning it. I’ll have to stew on my own ranking for a little while.
I would swap Liberate (-->S) and Funeral (-->A), but I generally agree. Virus is overlooked, very very strong release. Crimson should be A. Other than that, yes sir! Also, Live from the church is A
Great list. Overall I share a similar sentiment. Although, Awake, I just can't take it. I would put it down on D. Dan's hard vocals are one of my absolute favorites in the heavy genre scene but his clean singing is like nails on a chalk board. Funeral of God is great but, again, because of the clean singing moments, it generally takes me right out of the experience and I would put it down on A or even B. Dan's singing is try-hard cringe. I think he has certainly improved with age though.
Scott is singing clean vocals. I agree with you but understand they were trying to change it up during that time. Can't blame them. Production could've been better overall and buried the clean vox or put the right effects on them so they're not so in your face.
Zao deserves all the recognition they get. Such an immensely important and influential metalcore band. And still making some of their best music to this day. S- The Fear../Blood and Fire…/Liberate A- Crimson corridor/ Well intentioned virus/Selftitled B- Funeral of god/Splinter shards… C- Awake/all else fails D- parade of chaos/all else re-recorded
I've listened to their entire discography multiple times the last few weeks.... And I think that Crimson Corridor has the best highs and best songs, ever.... But Funeral of God is the very best album they did, front to back. It's so damn good. In fact, the close out - - - Truly This is the End, As I Lay Sleeping in My Grave, Psalm from the City of the Dead - - - might be the best finale to any metal blalbum ever.
@@MetalTrenches totally. I think I like the concept and execution and melodic additions of FOG. But I honestly think Croatoan, RIPW, and Nothing's Form are some of my absolute favorite Zao cuts ever. Croatoan and RIPW are my top 2,ever probably. Thanks for helping rekindle my love for my favorite band. Eternally grateful 🙏
@@MetalTrenches also, while Jeff Isa very good drummer, I think Jesse is without a doubt their most technically sharp and dynamically interesting drummer. I'd love to see what they'd sound like now with Russ and Scott maturing and improving as musicians, and the addition of legitimate bass work with Marty. Also including Scott's singing improvements. They're significantly better as musicians, years and years later... And I'd love to see how that'd work with Jesse's drumming.
Liberate Funeral Well Intentioned Virus Blood & Fire Parade Self Titled Awake Fear Jury's out on Crimson still. I love it so far though. Never listened to the pre-Dan stuff.
definitely don't agree with your ranking. for me it's 1. The fear, 2. Awake, 3. The funeral of God, 4. Parade of Chaos, 5. The well intentioned virus, 6 The crimson Corridor, 7. self titled, 8. Where blood and fire bring rest, 9. Liberate te ex inferis 10. the splinter, 11 and 12 all else failed in any order.
I think the rating of "The Splinter Shards..." was really bad 😅 Although not one of my favorite albums, it is a technical beast of fury. That lineup was very talented and the song writing was kick ass. There is NO WAY that Parade of Chaos is better than it! Parade was forcibly made with little heart & effort and you can tell. The songs are bland. My S Tier: Blood & Fire... Liberate....Funeral of God...maybe Well Intensioned Virus.
splinter shards in D..... Yeah, i trust your judgement...........................................................................................................................................................................
What is YOUR favorite ZAO album?
Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE for more content. Check out the full review of the latest album here: ruclips.net/video/CUIl8SkQC5A/видео.html
The Fear Is What Keeps Us Hear is my personal favorite just love the chaotic vibes
Legendary, because all the best songs are on it, but for actual studio albums, I would have to pick self-titled.
The newest one crimson corridor is my favorite
Love all the albums. Ranked from favorite to least favorite.
*The funeral of God ( favorite)
*Where blood and fire bring rest
*Liberate te ex inferi save yourself from hell
*The well intentioned virus album and the pyrric victory ep
*The fear is what keeps us here
* The crimson corridor
*Awake?
*Parade of chaos
* Self titled
* Splinter shards the birth of speration
* All else failed original
* Preface the early recordings
* All else failed remake
* The remix album (least favorite)
All albums are great
Any ZAO ablum
"Where blood and fire bring rest" and "Liberate Te Ex Inferis" are the best ones
I agree with you. The two newest records are super good and ambitious, but you cannot deny the power in those two.
No The Crimson Corridor is many steps above Liberate, and Where Blood, and I even have a tattoo on my back of "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest" the Crimson is amazing!!
Agree. Those are their teir S records because they made their sound.
100%
@@allencarey7336 You TEASE! We gotta see that badass tattoo! 👀
Funeral of god is by far my favorite not that their other albums are bad but funeral of god was just a legendary album
Zao was the band that turned me onto metalcore in the early 2000s. Liberate was a life changing album for me along with Living Sacrifice’s the Hammering Process.
You're doing excellent job spreading the word about Zao - they're still deep underground and, I guess, that the way it should be - "Liberate Te Ex Inferis" easily my favorite ahead of "The Funeral Of God"
I’m sure that’s a common choice
Their Split EP with Training for Utopia was what got me into them. Talk about deep underground back then… Zao and Embodyment were my late teens… late 90s.
🤘🏻
Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest will always be so iconic for me. I am really enjoying their new album as well. There is alot of these albums I havent revisted in a long time but I threw together a playlist for this for tonight. I get what you mean about albums that u respect but cant listen to all the time. I feel that way listening to Anaal Nathrakh or Fluids lol.
Love ALL of their stuff, but there’s something about “The Fear” that really rung my bell and stuck with me. From the ominous intro to the glitchy “THE FEAR! THE FEAR IS WHAT KEEPS US HERE!” drum & vocal outro, it’s a RIPPER
Underrated album from an underrated band. It’s one of my favorite Zao albums but even Zao fans don’t tend to give it enough love.
Ok. I have known and still know the original members for years. Went to church with them before the band even began. I got their first demo somewhere around here with original singer Eric Reeder. Eric left right before to pursue ministry work They also did another demo. One song to look for that was good for the time was "Flight".
I also knew Eric he was my youth pastor
Nice man. Was checking out some Zao and what do ya know lol. I never saw them but I live and grew up next to what used be Cornerstone festival. A huge Christian music festival. They played there before and I've got to see tons of bands there underoath, as I lay dying, demon hunter, pod and a lot more. The self titled album is my favorite and nostalgic to me. The raspy vocals have always sounded unique to me and they kinda broke the barrier as a "Christian" band for being original. I went to a drug rehab in my late teens and one of the joys was being able to listen to cds. I met a few metalheads there and we shared music. One guy could play acoustic guitar and he knew all the system of a down songs. They loved zao when I introduced them. Haste the day burning bridges was an album I had at that time also and extol undeceived. Good times.
Hell yeah, ZAO! The Funeral of God is def S tier. But man Into the Jaws of Dread is the best metal album intro in a very long time!
It's cool to see their self-titled album getting some love.
Saw them twice. On touring Where Blood... and again on Liberate albums. Jesse was such a beast live.
Solid ranking. Nice work!
The Funeral of God 💪
I assumed you would put Blood and Fire at S and self-titled lower so it was cool to see you actually have your own opinion separated from the general consensus. I like the self-titled more than alot of them but it's also their first CD I had and only one for years
Towing the line it boring. More fun to share varied opinions 🤘🏻
I would drop self titled to c and move WBFBR to A. Other than that I’m totally in agreement with you. Zao is the only Christian band I held onto when I left religion, but I also am super happy they dropped the Christian band thing.
I feel like Most of those bands did later on lol
Same
I agree with elevating Blood & Fire, which has Lies of Serpents and A Fall Farwell which raise it to A tier on their own.
Bruh you shoulda brought Living Sacrifice and Extol/Lengsel with ya, still some quality heavy stuff there
@@srsucioguapodelsur8845 I agree. I go to that stuff and the chariot and Norma jean often as well. Really any 2000 solid state band. Just those are touch and go with me. Zao is on heavy weekly rotation with me.
I know I'm in the minority, but my favorite is the self titled album. That was my first album that I got from them. Sooo many memories spinning that cd again and again.
Whatever makes you love this band \m/
S: The Fear/Well-Intentioned Virus/Crimson Cooridor
A: Liberate/Funeral of God/Blood and Fire
B: Self-titled/Parade of Chaos
C: Splinter Shards/All Else Failed
Thanks for keeping it ZAO-positive! 😃
Now this is a list I can agree with! Love the more chaotic stuff
This 🔥
Would definitely agree with the 3 S teir; me The Crimson Corridor is definitely my favourite album, but Funeral probably has my favourite tracks. I love listening to The Rising End from Funeral, awesome riffs and just overall fun flow to it.
So many choices, all so different. It was a tough one.
Zao are one of my favourite bands of all time. I think the well intentioned virus and the crimson corridor might be my favourite albums by them, I think fast forward the clock they'll be seen as classics in their discography.
Where blood an fire brings rest is hands down the best
Comparing "The Crimson Corridor" to "Requiem for a Dream." That's perfect!
🤘🏻
Zao has been my favorite band since 05, for the most part I agree with list with the exception being that fear is ranked B, my opinion pound for pound it’s one of their best albums. Zao doesn’t fuck around anymore. From funeral on their albums have been consistent bangers. Before every track on every album was hit or miss
The Crimson corridor for me takes everything I love about Zao and put it together in one album. My favorite is probably self titled though
I disagree only slightly. Self-titled hit me hard in 8th grade, but it just hasn't aged as well for me. I'm also just coming back to metal for the first time in years, as Crimson Corridor shook and shocked me back. So, well-intentioned virus needs some more listens before I'll really feel like I can place it accurately, but I'm not ready to place it quite as high as you did. Awake is so groovy and fun, and was a fresh sound which, at the time didn't register with me, but listening again 10 years later, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it, in a way, but found the album a touch formulaic and forgettable in that nothing aside from Romance made me pause, relisten, and remember the track title.
S - Crimson Corridor, Funeral of God, Liberate
A - WBFBR, Well-Intentioned Virus
B - Awake?, Self-Titled
C - Parade of Chaos, The Fear
D - All Else (Remake), All Else Failed
F - The Splinter Shards
Funeral of god is my favorite, followed by probably Liberate. There almost all S tear haha. Where blood and fire is a metal core classic. Virus brought them right back to the top now crimson.
It's so hard to choose!
OH MY GOD (pun intended) THANK YOU YES. In all seriousness I love this band and pretty much everything they have put out
S: Blood/Fire, Liberate, ST, Funeral, The Fear
A: Virus, Crimson, Splinter
B: Awake, Parade Of Chaos
C: All Else Failed
You really can't go wrong with any of them
Gold: Self Titled, The Well Intentioned Virus, Liberate Te Ex Inferis, The Crimson Corridor
Silver: All Else Failed, Parade of Chaos, Awake?
Bronze: Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, The Funeral of God, The Fear is What Keeps Us Here
Aluminum: The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation
I watched the video and cannot believe that parade of chaos is where it is
'Virus' was pretty amazing I'll agree, I wasn't too hopeful tbh when it came out.
I had thought they were kind of has beens but I was extremely pleasantly surprised & Corridor just keeps the quality coming so yes it's amazing!
The first album I bought was self titled but I'm not much of a fan, too lean on the bone I thought. Funeral of God, is musically really good & thematically so dark.
I'm still a sucker for 'Blood and fire' that album art really tells you everything you need to know.
🤘🏻
fite me, parade of chaos is one of the best albums
I think Blood and Fire is still my favorite just for the mems, but IDK, Crimson Corridor is getting real close to dethroning it. I’ll have to stew on my own ranking for a little while.
Listened to Liberate almost every night going to sleep when it came out.
🤘🏻
I would swap Liberate (-->S) and Funeral (-->A), but I generally agree. Virus is overlooked, very very strong release. Crimson should be A.
Other than that, yes sir!
Also, Live from the church is A
Good breakdown of ZAO!
Liberate
Wfbbr
Wiv
Cc
Splinter
Aef
Funeral
The fear
Parade
Awake and self titled don't deserve my time
But at the same time if I went by song this order wouldn't match up at all
You should do a Norma Jean Album ranking
I do have an old one up already, though it's... unique lol. I plan on redoing it at some point.
@@MetalTrenches ah yes, the infamous IRL tier list. Do you plan on adding The Chariot ranking in again when you re-do it?
@@tpags7398 I’ll probably do them separately
Great list. Overall I share a similar sentiment. Although, Awake, I just can't take it. I would put it down on D. Dan's hard vocals are one of my absolute favorites in the heavy genre scene but his clean singing is like nails on a chalk board. Funeral of God is great but, again, because of the clean singing moments, it generally takes me right out of the experience and I would put it down on A or even B. Dan's singing is try-hard cringe. I think he has certainly improved with age though.
Agreed that singing has never been his strong suit
Scott is the one singing. Not into the singing either but I guess it’s improved a bit over the years.
Scott is singing clean vocals. I agree with you but understand they were trying to change it up during that time. Can't blame them. Production could've been better overall and buried the clean vox or put the right effects on them so they're not so in your face.
Zao great band with unique style.
Zao deserves all the recognition they get. Such an immensely important and influential metalcore band. And still making some of their best music to this day.
S- The Fear../Blood and Fire…/Liberate
A- Crimson corridor/ Well intentioned virus/Selftitled
B- Funeral of god/Splinter shards…
C- Awake/all else fails
D- parade of chaos/all else re-recorded
I totally agree that the funeral of God is S tier.
They're all amazing
I've listened to their entire discography multiple times the last few weeks.... And I think that Crimson Corridor has the best highs and best songs, ever.... But Funeral of God is the very best album they did, front to back. It's so damn good.
In fact, the close out - - - Truly This is the End, As I Lay Sleeping in My Grave, Psalm from the City of the Dead - - - might be the best finale to any metal blalbum ever.
They each have such different merits. Very unique discography
@@MetalTrenches totally. I think I like the concept and execution and melodic additions of FOG. But I honestly think Croatoan, RIPW, and Nothing's Form are some of my absolute favorite Zao cuts ever. Croatoan and RIPW are my top 2,ever probably.
Thanks for helping rekindle my love for my favorite band. Eternally grateful 🙏
@@MetalTrenches also, while Jeff Isa very good drummer, I think Jesse is without a doubt their most technically sharp and dynamically interesting drummer.
I'd love to see what they'd sound like now with Russ and Scott maturing and improving as musicians, and the addition of legitimate bass work with Marty. Also including Scott's singing improvements. They're significantly better as musicians, years and years later... And I'd love to see how that'd work with Jesse's drumming.
@@Arminian100 comments like these keep me going 🖤
@@MetalTrenches good to hear. I love your channel. 😍
WHERE🔥&🩸BRiNG REST, should’ve been in the S tier alone!
Splinter is on the S or A tier
Well guess I'll be listening to one of their albums all the way through for the first time
Report back! 🤘🏻
Let me know what you think
I'm liking the earlier stuff better, funeral sounds good as well!
Don't dig the vocals on liberate tho
@@tpags7398 times of separation is my favorite song so far
@@seemann2401 I’m glad you’re liking them so far. To me they kinda sound like a mix of Shai Hulud, Every Time I Die, and Converge
Liberate
Funeral
Well Intentioned Virus
Blood & Fire
Parade
Self Titled
Awake
Fear
Jury's out on Crimson still. I love it so far though. Never listened to the pre-Dan stuff.
Where blood and fire not being A tier at a minimum is criminal behavior.
Then arrest me.
@@MetalTrenches 👮♂️🚓
Scott Mellinger escape plan
definitely don't agree with your ranking. for me it's 1. The fear, 2. Awake, 3. The funeral of God, 4. Parade of Chaos, 5. The well intentioned virus, 6 The crimson Corridor, 7. self titled, 8. Where blood and fire bring rest, 9. Liberate te ex inferis 10. the splinter, 11 and 12 all else failed in any order.
I think the rating of "The Splinter Shards..." was really bad 😅 Although not one of my favorite albums, it is a technical beast of fury. That lineup was very talented and the song writing was kick ass. There is NO WAY that Parade of Chaos is better than it! Parade was forcibly made with little heart & effort and you can tell. The songs are bland.
My S Tier: Blood & Fire... Liberate....Funeral of God...maybe Well Intensioned Virus.
Agree to disagree 🤷🏻♂️
If where blood and fire bring rest and all else failed (remake)
aren't at opposite scales this video is pointless.
splinter shards in D..... Yeah, i trust your judgement...........................................................................................................................................................................
…because this music was built on towing the line of other people’s expectations…right? 🐑