The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: All Else Failed
Artist: Zao
Label:Solid State Records
Release Date: 2/25/03

Rating: 3 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Jotun (5/27/03):
    This is it. All Else Failed is officially the final album that the public will see from the band Zao. At least that is what they are saying now. Seriously, I think this really is the end of the line for this groundbreaking, yet indecisive, metalcore giant. But if history tells us anything, it's that you can't be sure of anything when it comes to Zao.

    Zao had humble beginnings, like many other bands that don't blow up all over the place. At the time of their inception, straight edge hardcore was still more the thing, with metal influences rearing its head here and there. Zao took this little metal influence and exploited it to create something most had not heard before, unless fans were splitting time between Earth Crisis and Slayer. My favorite Zao album, to this day, is their first official release with Solid State - Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest. They took the heavy metal styles of the day and added swirling guitars and poisoned vocals to create one of the evilest sounds hardcore kids had ever heard at the time. What was ironic was that the band was reflecting Christian values in these dark, death metal hymns.

    Now, I am a man of my word, and I generally say "Keep Jesus out of my metal" but Zao had the ability to fold in equal parts religion and violent narrative, thus able to retain freedom of speech without sounding preachy.

    Liberate Te Ex Inferis, or Save Yourself From Hell, played off the five circles of hell and surrounding areas as told in Dante's Inferno. They keep the Christian ideals, but Dan Weyandt's forked tongue would lead you to believe otherwise. "Cradled by a cold floor, Isolation shows his true motivation, Her petals are slowly torn away, Scarlet adorns the snow." Liberate showed a more experimental, electronic side of Zao that was as much a challenging listen as it was an easy favorite for many people.

    Their self-titled album incorporated the harsh metalcore of Blood and Fire with the experimental and electronic Liberate and found a common ground as the band's most mature material. I'm leaving out a few albums here and there, but these are the ones that really changed the way people looked at and listened to hardcore.

    Finally you have All Else Failed. It still amazes me that a band can transform themselves as much as Zao does on every album, yet still keep an integrity that allows the listener to immediately recognize who it is playing the song. There is no doubt that this ability is at least partially due to the fact that the band has somehow been able to strive forth despite regular lineup changes. Changes that normally would kill a band never seemed to have any effect on the product that Zao released - yet another way Zao proved themselves as one of the most essential bands of their time.

    All Else Failed incorporates a metal-cast, old school influence that has never been heard from them before. This old school presence is heard most in the rhythm section. It fails to prove itself as one of my favorite Zao albums, but it isn't a bad addition to the collection, particularly considering it is their final. The breaking and splitting of tempo used in this album isn't anything new to the band, but it is utilized in a new way. My personal favorite tracks include "Resistance," "Exchange," and the title track. The only problem is the album could use a little more variation from song to song. Some of the intricacies get lost in the mix, making the album sound a bit routine.

    THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART TO READ. To listeners who have never heard Zao before (I'm sure there are a few out there), this album is probably four-skull material. It is only because I am a fan and I have high expectations of this band that they get knocked down to three skulls. All Else Failed is not one of my favorite albums, but it is impressive when sharing the company of the band's other elite material.
    3 out of 5

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