Review: “Pillars” by Zao

“These four bands/songs influenced us in ways that run deeper than I can fully explain. The riffs, the rhythms, the way songs were built, the urgency and style of the vocals, the conviction and chaos on stage—so much of what found its way into us all started here with them. Our Western Pennsylvania Big Four. They were pillars of a scene that felt like a lightning strike in the mid-to-late ’90s. Something very rare and powerful that formed in our area and changed the course of our lives. That scene didn’t just inspire us, it also brought us all together. Without it, and without these bands, without these songs, there never would have been the “Blood & Fire”-era of Zao, or anything from us that followed. So this is our small way of saying thank you. Of stepping back into these songs for a moment. Of honoring the foundation” ~ Dan Weyandt

As long time fans will know the 1998 album “Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest” from Zao was actually the bands third and was their first to feature harsh vocalist Dan Weyandt and guitarist Russ Cogdell. The pair are the sole surviving members of the line up that recorded that album and currently have guitarist Scott Mellinger, bassist Martin Lunn and drummer Jeff Gretz flanking them. Some refer to the current incarnation of the band to be its fifth era, the line up first appearing in 2005 and remaining in place since 2010, so for them to open their personal history books and effectively go back to the start to pay tribute to local heroes makes for a unique offering some thirty years on.

While not officially retired, Creation Is Crucifixion are a Mathcore band known for their complexity and diversity of sound. They began in 1995 as Chapters and have been largely inactive since 2002. As it so happens, Zao guitarist Scott Mellinger was one of the bands original members so the band taking on a cover of “The Data Body” isn’t necessarily a cover, if you catch our drift. What it is however is a powerhouse offering of caustic Death Metal vocals and “Calculating Infinity” era The Dillinger Escape Plan style riffs that end a shiver down the spine. The drumming is furious and frantic, the tempo shifts malevolently glorious and by the end if you’re not chanting “live and die by the code” along with Weyandt then you might want to go and see a shrink because it fearfully additive.

Next up is Passover who were a noisy Metallic Hardcore band who had a run from 1995 to 1997 before reuniting and re-releasing some material in 2023. The cut of theirs that Zao have chosen to make their own is “Since Birth“, a track front loaded with adrenalized mid-tempo chugging riffs of the menacing and sinister variety. In the final third, there are some haunting moments and a spoken word that build atmosphere, the five piece demonstrating how to capture the imagination.

A frantic fusion of Sludge Metal, Hardcore and Emoviolence is what Puritan had to offer between 1995 and 1997, some of their members resurfacing in Death Metal project Pissgrave at some point further down the road. Zao have always been able to produce earworm riffs in masterful fashion and “Indoctrination” is cut from the same cloth, offering up old school Death Metal vibes as it churns and burns.

Unlike other cover albums, say for example “The Anatomy Of” covers album from Between The Buried and Me, which is eclectic and eccentric in equal measure in part because its drawing from a wide variety of influences, thus ends up a little bit confuddled as a result, “Pillars” doesn’t suffer from any of the same issues. The songs actually fit very well together as a single piece of work to the point that if you weren’t any the wiser, you might think this sounded like original cuts. The performances are all incredibly consistent, which adds to the listen-ability of the record as a single entity.

Formed in 1992, Abnegation started out as a Melodic Metalcore band before evolving their sound into one of Brutal Death Metal further down the line. This rendition of “Hopes Of Harmony” actually falls between the two sounds, Weyandt’s brutal dry throated vocals nothing short of savage and the spoken word moments are ice cold. Another rhythmic skull battering from start to finish, this one has the quality to appear in the bands live set as they carry the torch into the next decade [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Data Body (Creation Is Crucifixion cover)
2. Since Birth (Passover cover)
3. Indoctrination (Puritan cover)
4. Hopes Of Harmony (Abnegation cover)

“Pillars” by Zao is out 26th June 2026 and is available over at bandcamp.