[IMGLEFT]http://www.russell.ultimatemetal.com/Interview/zaogroup.jpg[/IMGLEFT] By Jason Jordan
Since their formation, Zao have endured line-up changes, serious injuries, and multiple break-ups, but have persevered and then returned stronger than ever. Not only have they managed to recently hit the ten-year mark as a unit, but they’ve also issued 10 records that document the hardship that seemingly clings to them. The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here, Zao’s second full-length for Ferret Records and eighth overall, sees the beginning of a new chapter – one of cohesion, with little chance for failure. Though the questions were originally intended for long-running vocalist Dan Weyandt, drummer Jeff Gretz was kind enough to step in when Weyandt proved unavailable.
Ever since the band’s inception, you all have been plagued by a lot of unfortunate occurrences, yet Zao has always managed to return with a renewed sense of vigor. What’s the driving force behind your music, and why have circumstances failed to get the best of you?
I think, overall, the band has existed because everyone feels there is something still to say. Dan (vocals) and Scott (guitars, vocals) have been the main songwriters since the late 90s. So for about 8 years now, 90 percent of the Zao material has come from the combination of those two. While line-up changes hurt progress sometimes, it was always for the better. It’s gotten to the point now where everyone involved in the band is so confident in this line-up that there won’t be any more changes from hereon out. If anyone leaves now, it’s done.
On a similar note, when you have been down and out and the future of Zao looked bleak, what stopped you from either walking away from the group entirely or starting anew with a history-free project? Did you ever think about changing the band’s name and moving on from there?
Well, Dan has left before. There have been a couple Zao tours over the years without him. He always ended up coming back for the records at the last minute because Scott won’t do a Zao record without him, and honestly, rightfully so. It’s hard, sometimes you feel, “why bother, where is this going?” and it seems like the logical thing to do is walk away before the ship sinks, but in the end, the music is bigger than that for the members, and so it’s not that easy. The drama is gone now, we all get along and have known each other since before Zao existed. It’s a good line-up of friends, so that helps us weather the chaos. The band did try to change its name right before The Funeral of God, but the label wouldn’t have it, so we’re stuck now.
It seems you guys have accepted the metalcore label even though your music differs considerably from others in the same subgenre. In fact, Zao were fairly well-known before the term “metalcore” – and the style itself – became basically omnipresent. Is it discouraging to be tagged with that description when you sound worlds apart from bands such as As I Lay Dying, Unearth, Caliban, et al?
We haven’t accepted it in the least. I personally hate it. I have yet to figure out what it is. Every time I hear someone say, “so and so is metalcore,” I usually end up thinking they suck. I think what happened was that Zao started out as a pretty straightforward hardcore band, and when Scott and Dan joined they were more fond of metal and gradually pushed it away from hardcore and more towards metal. If you heard a fusing of styles it was unintentional. I don’t think any of us have any affinity for hardcore really. Our histories and backgrounds are more rooted in metal. It’s discouraging to be lumped in with bands that I don’t think we have anything to do with, but it’s also discouraging to be lumped in with anything current, because I think most of it is garbage.
What’s happened within the Zao camp since The Funeral of God hit in 2004? Describe for us, if you would, the events that occurred between the previous record and the latest one.
Well, lots of touring, more than the band had ever done in one stretch. Zao really hadn’t done a lot of support work in the past. It was usually headlining, so it was decided after The Funeral of God to actually start opening more to get a wider audience. I think as a result, the new guys in the band just couldn’t take the touring and barely enough money to pay the bills, you know? So the bass player and drummer from Funeral left and Marty Lunn (bass) and I stepped in. Marty had been around the band since almost the beginning either booking shows for the original line-up or tour managing. I have known Dan, Marty and Scott since the early 90s when we all used to play shows together in our various bands in our hometown. Russ (guitars) left when his knee basically exploded on Warped Tour and then he got married. We didn’t replace him at first because we didn’t know when he was coming back. He eventually just quit, he had long gone back and forth on whether he wanted to do the band or not, and towards the end, it became obvious to everyone around him that he did not want to be in Zao anymore. Even though there have been a lot of line-up shifts, it’s always been friends. We don’t put up auditions, and as long as Dan and Scott are there, we keep plugging on. But yeah, between the two albums, it’s been a lot of line-up turmoil and touring.
The striking thing about The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here is the packaging. Some print is backwards, while the lyrics require two sheets – one overlapping the other – in order to read them. There’s also interesting photographs included, in addition to a making-of DVD. In short, it appears as if Zao and Ferret Records pulled out all the stops for your most recent full-length, and I read that it sold almost 4400 units during the first week. Who had the ideas for the package? How much say did you guys have in what was included?
The packaging ideas were all Don and Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) and Asterik studios. They came up with all of that – we approved everything of course – but they have done enough work with Zao and have been friends with the band for so long, they kind of know what we want. The DVD was our manager/good friend Ryan Downey’s thing. The record actually sold 5400 the first week. There was a computer screw-up and the 1000 pre-orders didn’t get included in the first week sales. Had they been, we would have actually cracked the Billboard Top 200 for the first time in the band’s history. Oh well, good thing we don’t care about stuff like that.
What’s your favorite thing about The Fear Is What Keep Us Here? Least favorite?
I really like the production. I think it adds to the songs. It’s what is missing in metal records these days – grit. I honestly can’t think of my least favorite aspect about it – the fact that we didn’t get it out on vinyl too. We still may, though.
In an effort to deter individuals from downloading albums rather than purchasing them, record labels are doing more to attract listeners. Besides ornate artwork, DVD audio discs, and actual DVDs, what else can be done to entice people to buy albums? Is there a way to take it “too far”?
As long as you don’t do 10 reissues of the album, I don’t think it’s too far. I think the extra goodies are great. I just kind of wish that they weren’t “limited edition.” I think if bands and labels put 100 percent energy into one package that had all of that stuff and was really involved, it would start to up the standards. Yeah, it’s a little more costly, but I think in the long run it helps make the records more attractive. I mean, when I think back to records that I was into when I was young, those extra goodies and weird packaging things were part of the experience. That’s why I cherish my Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd vinyls to this day. They were a whole little world.
Photo copyright Gary Strack 2006
Since Zao has a large discography with no shortage of songs that translate well to the live setting, how does a Zao song make it into your set list?
Well, lately we’re tending to sit more heavily on the newer stuff. I usually make up the general set list for any given tour and I try to change them as much as possible. There are a few songs you have to play every tour. You can’t get around it. But a lot of it is based on the flow of the set. You want to start off strong for the first couple but then you need to lay back to give yourself and the audience a rest. And you want to finish strong, so it takes awhile to find the right flow for a set. A lot of times a song that we’d really like to play gets left off of a set list for something that we may not be as into strictly because it helps the overall set.
If you had to tour with one of your labelmates and another band of your choosing, who would you play with and why?
Labelmates? Maybe Every Time I Die. They’re fun. Non-label? Slayer. Why? Dude, they’re Slayer.
UM’s Review of Zao – The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here
Official Zao Website
Official Ferret Records Website
Since their formation, Zao have endured line-up changes, serious injuries, and multiple break-ups, but have persevered and then returned stronger than ever. Not only have they managed to recently hit the ten-year mark as a unit, but they’ve also issued 10 records that document the hardship that seemingly clings to them. The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here, Zao’s second full-length for Ferret Records and eighth overall, sees the beginning of a new chapter – one of cohesion, with little chance for failure. Though the questions were originally intended for long-running vocalist Dan Weyandt, drummer Jeff Gretz was kind enough to step in when Weyandt proved unavailable.
Ever since the band’s inception, you all have been plagued by a lot of unfortunate occurrences, yet Zao has always managed to return with a renewed sense of vigor. What’s the driving force behind your music, and why have circumstances failed to get the best of you?
I think, overall, the band has existed because everyone feels there is something still to say. Dan (vocals) and Scott (guitars, vocals) have been the main songwriters since the late 90s. So for about 8 years now, 90 percent of the Zao material has come from the combination of those two. While line-up changes hurt progress sometimes, it was always for the better. It’s gotten to the point now where everyone involved in the band is so confident in this line-up that there won’t be any more changes from hereon out. If anyone leaves now, it’s done.
On a similar note, when you have been down and out and the future of Zao looked bleak, what stopped you from either walking away from the group entirely or starting anew with a history-free project? Did you ever think about changing the band’s name and moving on from there?
Well, Dan has left before. There have been a couple Zao tours over the years without him. He always ended up coming back for the records at the last minute because Scott won’t do a Zao record without him, and honestly, rightfully so. It’s hard, sometimes you feel, “why bother, where is this going?” and it seems like the logical thing to do is walk away before the ship sinks, but in the end, the music is bigger than that for the members, and so it’s not that easy. The drama is gone now, we all get along and have known each other since before Zao existed. It’s a good line-up of friends, so that helps us weather the chaos. The band did try to change its name right before The Funeral of God, but the label wouldn’t have it, so we’re stuck now.
It seems you guys have accepted the metalcore label even though your music differs considerably from others in the same subgenre. In fact, Zao were fairly well-known before the term “metalcore” – and the style itself – became basically omnipresent. Is it discouraging to be tagged with that description when you sound worlds apart from bands such as As I Lay Dying, Unearth, Caliban, et al?
We haven’t accepted it in the least. I personally hate it. I have yet to figure out what it is. Every time I hear someone say, “so and so is metalcore,” I usually end up thinking they suck. I think what happened was that Zao started out as a pretty straightforward hardcore band, and when Scott and Dan joined they were more fond of metal and gradually pushed it away from hardcore and more towards metal. If you heard a fusing of styles it was unintentional. I don’t think any of us have any affinity for hardcore really. Our histories and backgrounds are more rooted in metal. It’s discouraging to be lumped in with bands that I don’t think we have anything to do with, but it’s also discouraging to be lumped in with anything current, because I think most of it is garbage.
What’s happened within the Zao camp since The Funeral of God hit in 2004? Describe for us, if you would, the events that occurred between the previous record and the latest one.
Well, lots of touring, more than the band had ever done in one stretch. Zao really hadn’t done a lot of support work in the past. It was usually headlining, so it was decided after The Funeral of God to actually start opening more to get a wider audience. I think as a result, the new guys in the band just couldn’t take the touring and barely enough money to pay the bills, you know? So the bass player and drummer from Funeral left and Marty Lunn (bass) and I stepped in. Marty had been around the band since almost the beginning either booking shows for the original line-up or tour managing. I have known Dan, Marty and Scott since the early 90s when we all used to play shows together in our various bands in our hometown. Russ (guitars) left when his knee basically exploded on Warped Tour and then he got married. We didn’t replace him at first because we didn’t know when he was coming back. He eventually just quit, he had long gone back and forth on whether he wanted to do the band or not, and towards the end, it became obvious to everyone around him that he did not want to be in Zao anymore. Even though there have been a lot of line-up shifts, it’s always been friends. We don’t put up auditions, and as long as Dan and Scott are there, we keep plugging on. But yeah, between the two albums, it’s been a lot of line-up turmoil and touring.
The striking thing about The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here is the packaging. Some print is backwards, while the lyrics require two sheets – one overlapping the other – in order to read them. There’s also interesting photographs included, in addition to a making-of DVD. In short, it appears as if Zao and Ferret Records pulled out all the stops for your most recent full-length, and I read that it sold almost 4400 units during the first week. Who had the ideas for the package? How much say did you guys have in what was included?
The packaging ideas were all Don and Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) and Asterik studios. They came up with all of that – we approved everything of course – but they have done enough work with Zao and have been friends with the band for so long, they kind of know what we want. The DVD was our manager/good friend Ryan Downey’s thing. The record actually sold 5400 the first week. There was a computer screw-up and the 1000 pre-orders didn’t get included in the first week sales. Had they been, we would have actually cracked the Billboard Top 200 for the first time in the band’s history. Oh well, good thing we don’t care about stuff like that.
What’s your favorite thing about The Fear Is What Keep Us Here? Least favorite?
I really like the production. I think it adds to the songs. It’s what is missing in metal records these days – grit. I honestly can’t think of my least favorite aspect about it – the fact that we didn’t get it out on vinyl too. We still may, though.
In an effort to deter individuals from downloading albums rather than purchasing them, record labels are doing more to attract listeners. Besides ornate artwork, DVD audio discs, and actual DVDs, what else can be done to entice people to buy albums? Is there a way to take it “too far”?
As long as you don’t do 10 reissues of the album, I don’t think it’s too far. I think the extra goodies are great. I just kind of wish that they weren’t “limited edition.” I think if bands and labels put 100 percent energy into one package that had all of that stuff and was really involved, it would start to up the standards. Yeah, it’s a little more costly, but I think in the long run it helps make the records more attractive. I mean, when I think back to records that I was into when I was young, those extra goodies and weird packaging things were part of the experience. That’s why I cherish my Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd vinyls to this day. They were a whole little world.
Photo copyright Gary Strack 2006
Since Zao has a large discography with no shortage of songs that translate well to the live setting, how does a Zao song make it into your set list?
Well, lately we’re tending to sit more heavily on the newer stuff. I usually make up the general set list for any given tour and I try to change them as much as possible. There are a few songs you have to play every tour. You can’t get around it. But a lot of it is based on the flow of the set. You want to start off strong for the first couple but then you need to lay back to give yourself and the audience a rest. And you want to finish strong, so it takes awhile to find the right flow for a set. A lot of times a song that we’d really like to play gets left off of a set list for something that we may not be as into strictly because it helps the overall set.
If you had to tour with one of your labelmates and another band of your choosing, who would you play with and why?
Labelmates? Maybe Every Time I Die. They’re fun. Non-label? Slayer. Why? Dude, they’re Slayer.
UM’s Review of Zao – The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here
Official Zao Website
Official Ferret Records Website
