I have always admired Zao because of their dedication to music, their leading position in the underground scene, for their strength to go on after a few problems, changes in their line up, and because of their melodic, melancholic and yet so brutal music. The only thing where I sometimes had tiny ‘problems’ with, are their Christian lyrics, and the need to put it in their songs.

There almost wasn’t a new Zao album. They released a retake of All Else Failed and Legendary and it was meant as the end of Zao, a sort of goodbye statement. But they couldn’t let it rest. They needed to do what they were good at: making music. The power was just too strong.

Funeral Of God, their 7th studio album is an album that combines everything Zao has ever stood for. The keyword on this album is: balance. The brutal lines from The Splinter Shards The Birth Of Separation, the groovy lines from Save Yourself From Hell, the melody from Parade Of Chaos, etc. This album is just… this is a statement; the title as well as the whole cd.

Funeral of God: a statement. What if God decides that humanity just think they don’t need him anymore; a life without god, the disappearance of a myth or the fate of mankind? I myself am not religious, but it is an interesting idea to make an album about.

The album is something you wanted Zao to make. The groovy lines in “Live From The Funeral Of God” and “The Lesser Lights Of Heaven” make you want to dance. Did I say dance? I did. Songs like “In Time Comes Past”, “Praise The War Machine” and “Breathe Of The Black Muse” are heavy fast black metalcore songs (the riffs are pretty much black metal). Then the best song on the record: “The Rising End”… if they wouldn’t be Christian I would say: evil! But it is so fucking brutal, it will pulverize the audience live (and it did, believe me).

This is an album you at least have to listen to. Maybe, some persons will dislike the Christian aspect of this band, but with Zao it’s all about the music. Give this band the chance they deserve. You won’t regret it.