Zao - Parade of Chaos (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

A good balance

graham | coppell, TX | 07/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The cd "parade of chaos" is really, first of all, a great album from zao. After listening to it a couple time, I think it would be safe for me to call it my new favorite from the band. Too be honest, I was kinda worried about what they'd turned into since their "(self-titled)" album a while back. But I was very happy to see them return to a sound more similar to "where blood and fire bring rest", with breakdowns aplenty.The album combines the technical guitar parts of self titled with a more sludge sound like you would find in "liberate te es inferis" as well as some really great breakdown which just make you want to break out dancing. Also I think it has some really great melodies in the songs, which sound a rockish quality. The only thing i was disappointed in was the lack of the cool beats. In self-titled, drummer Jessie Smith created some rhythems i just couldn't get out of my head.Overall, this is a great mix of the awesome vocals and breakdowns on blood and fire with the slick riffs of self-titled.
Some of my favorite songs are The Buzzing, Killing Cupid, and How Are The Weak Free. Hopefully this wont be the last we see of Zao, but if it is, its a great tribute to everything they have come to be."

Swan Song

A. Kohler | Louisville, KY | 07/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the final release of the epic and masterful band, Zao. Through the years this band has been through everything you can imagine. Every year, members would come and go. Every album, the mood and the style would change. But with every release, and with every song, this band has always poured every ounce of energy and emotion into what they do. Zao have created a level of music and heaviness that no other band has ever been able to reach. Other bands have created their own levels in the genere (Converge, Coalesce, etc), but Zao is heaviness in it's puriest form. With Parade of Chaos, Zao have returned to form and have evolved at the same time. You can hear hints of past albums in each song, but they've added something new (which they have always done) to make this a unique album comparable to no other. Dan's vocals are top notch, and Jesse's drumming is good as always, but not as good as past efforts. The drums are still loud and tight and create a perfect background for each song, but there isn't really anything that stands out and makes your draw drop like some past performances. As a whole, I would say this album is mixture of the three past albums, with that little something new, and call it a great farwell album. This band has truly touched me and many others with their beautiful but heavy as hell music. This is a great place to introduce yourself to Zao, and a fitting end to the band."

Interesting

Kathy | Saline, MI. USA | 06/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I listened to Parade of Chaos when I was at a party 2 years ago. A guy who had just met me that night put in this cd and played Angel Without Wings. Surprisingly I was so excited about this song and put it in the stereo for everyone at the party to hear it. The guy who gave me a burned copy of the cd later on, became my boyfriend and got me into all of this metal phased music. Angel Without Wings has a great blend of screaming and singing that make it a song to remember. I really dont have any right to say that I am in love with this cd since I only like about 2 songs on the whole thing, and they are both soft and non-screaming, ironically not surprising for me.

I recommend listening to this song no matter what type of music you're already involved in. It's not trying to change your personality, just your perspective that all screaming bands aren't bad.

God Bless"

An album to haunt your dreams.

amy s. | Mesa, AZ USA | 10/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Parade of Chaos may not be my favorite Zao album (see Liberate te Ex Infernis) , but it scores strongly on all the points the matter. While some of the softer vocals, and even accoustic parts are suprising given Zao's agressive sound, they have always been experimental with their style, something that has helped them stand out from the other hardcore/metal bands. These softer points, make the rest of the album seem even harder while lending the effort a mournfuly beautiful effect.The lyrics are outstounding, haunting, and full of true and unforced sentiment. The guitars verge more on metal, with some hardcore riffs, and Dan's vocal's are unrivaled in raw power and intensity. The Buzzing starts the cd of with a bang and never relents, a tune that if played live could singularly move an entire crowd into action. Sunspend/Suspension is another great track, the distortion adding an eeire quality to the already poignant lyrics. In Angel Without Wings, some of the softer vocals come into play, creating a point of interest in what would have been otherwise a mediocre song. In Free the Three, the lyrics are brilliant, an entire part is simply spoken explaining the song in more depth. Man in the Womb is an entirely accoustic piece with beautifully sung vocals. How Are the Weak Free ends the album perfectly, offering raw power tempered with the almost chanted vocals.In whole listening to Parade of Chaos all the way through is like reading a very satisfying book, all the pieces fit perfectly in their own places, and the end result is a feeling of balance without sacrificing any of their raw intesity."

Nice in some ways, dull in others.

Andy Williamson | Chicago, IL | 07/23/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After the crushing self-titled disc I EAGERLY awaited new material from Zao. I do enjoy some of this album. In fact, "The Buzzing" and "Suspend/Suspension" are great songs, the latter being one of the bands best moments in my opinion. I gave up trying to keep tabs on the band members and was pleasantly surprised to hear Dan back on lead vocals. There is still nothing to compare to his voice :)While there are some great moments here, the rest seems rather blah to me. "Parade of Chaos", "Free The Three", and "A Pirate's Prayer" have some wonderful moments and breakdowns. However, I don't really care for "The Ballad of..." or the instrumental/ambient interlude before the title track. The acoustic-tinged number is interesting in a Radiohead sort-of-way, but not compelling. I find myself skipping these tracks. They don't really fit in, and they come across as the band's attempt to just throw in something a bit different without regard to a coherant whole. Granted, Zao can and do sound good even when they are not quite firing on all cylinders-at least they do everything with *extreme* conviction. Also, the final track is quite good ("We must put him down...") but is nowhere close to the intensity of "Simeon Simmons." I guess that track spoiled me.It's not so much that some of the tracks lack the trademark Zao power as it is that the song writing itself seems less inspired. I found few of the riffs to be memorable, which, up to this point has been a given with every ZAO album. I like the broadening stylistically into the more melodic realm (thus I take issue with another reviewer who talks of this disc getting back to the WBAFMR era-this disc is more straight-forward, not fractured like WBAFMR and is stylistically the furthest departure from WBAFBR in the bands catalogue), but the ambient portions seem to fall flat with my ears. A good album with classic ZAO occasionally shining thru, but nothing approaching spectacular."

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	Zao Parade of Chaos Genres: Alternative Rock, Rock, Metal, Christian & Gospel Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 Buzzing Suspend/Suspension Paradise of Chaos Angel Without Wings Killing Cupid Free the Three Man in the Womb A Pirates Prayer The Ballad of Buddy Bigsby How Are the Weak Free
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