A staple of the annual Cornerstone festivals, Zao are perhaps the first metalcore band with roots in the Christian music scene to enjoy a credible, respected position in the mainstream halls of the hardcore and metal realms. Their Carca**-inspired vocals have inspired a slew of imitators of their own. Multi-instrumentalist/drummer/founding member Jesse Smith has long been recognized as one of the best percussionists in heavy music. And the band's lack of apprehension about straying from proven formulas, genre restrictions, and labels of any kind is astounding. Their live performances are nearly a thing of legend in the underground, with bandmembers often flailing about, emoting and connecting with the crowd with intense pa**ion. Zao began in 1996 when Smith gathered some friends together with the intention of starting a ministry-oriented, faith-based hardcore band similar to so-called "spirit filled" bands like Unashamed and secular acts Unbroken and Earth Crisis. He bought his first drum kit the weekend he formed the band. Their first release was a split with the band Outcast on a small Ohio label, followed by the All Else Failed full-length album. This gained the attention of Seattle's Tooth & Nail Records, who signed the band to a lengthy contract and released The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation in 1997. Zao became the flagship act for the label's hardcore-oriented Solid State imprint. After touring for the album, Smith found himself without a lineup as every other member exited. Determined to press forward, he recruited guitarists Brett Detar and Russ Cogdell and vocalist Daniel Weyandt, and without a ba**ist redefined the Zao sound and produced the awe-inspiring Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, a mournful, poetic, and incisive metallic testament to perseverance and overcoming all odds. The album signaled a shift in focus from an outright preaching of Christianity to more personalized wordplay. It also saw the band musically moving far away from their initial influences and defining themselves as a formidable entity all their own. Zao toured relentlessly behind the album's release, and in 1998 produced a split with one of their touring mates, Sacramento, CA's Training for Utopia, dubbed simply Split [EP]. Detar left the group shortly after the EP's release to focus on his then side project the Juliana Theory. He was replaced by former Creation Is Crucifixion guitarist Scott Mellinger. Rob Horner was the next man to join the group, filling the long-vacant ba** position. This lineup crafted Liberate Te Ex Inferis, a slightly more experimental yet still heavy album, in 1999. The album incorporated Neurosis-like meditations, further lyrical storytelling (including the tale of a doomed, true-to-life p**n star), and flashy photography. Horner left briefly and Weyandt took over ba** duties in addition to singing. Cory Darst replaced Weyandt for one tour as Horner returned. Cogdell left next as Weyandt returned, with Zao making Zao in late 2000 as a four-piece and releasing it that same year. The eponymous album served as an all-new Zao mission statement, building on the band's past strengths while dipping into moody atmospherics reminiscent of Portishead, Ma**ive Attack, or perhaps even the often-cited Radiohead. Shortly after the album's release, Darst replaced Weyandt full-time as an official member of the band. In 2001, Zao recorded three songs at a Seattle studio and toured with renewed vigor. In early 2002, both Horner and Darst exited the band, with Weyandt and Cogdell coming back aboard as Zao resigned to Solid State for two more albums. By 2002, Zao was a three piece with Smith, Mellinger, and Weyandt; Parade of Chaos appeared in July. ~ Ryan J. Downey, All Music Guide