It's been seven long years since we've heard anything new from the mighty Zao, the legendary (pun intended) metalcore act that's never quite gotten the proper due they deserve. After an unofficial five-year hiatus, the band entered the studio in early 2015 to record a new album, and we'll at last reap the fruits of that come December 9, when Zao unleashes their 11th (!) LP onto the world, appropriately titled The Well-Intentioned Virus.
After sharing the first taste of the album in the form of "Observed/Observer," Metal Injection is absolutely thrilled to premiere the title track from the long-awaited return of Zao. Get infected by "A Well-Intentioned Virus":
The song starts with a downright sinister riff before the inimitable shriek of Dan Weyandt bursts forth from the noise and carries the song through darkened melodies and a bleak ambience that could only be pulled off by Zao. The lyrical content of the song also fits in with the overall mood of it. Weyandt comments:
"[It's about] the idea that the human race has a collective, cognitive dissonance about itself where we perceive our intentions/purpose/actions as good (well-intentioned) or at least justified. In the end, regardless of good intention, a majority of our actions blindly cause destruction to ourselves, our loved ones, society, nature etc. The 'effect' of our actions spread like a virus to everything it comes into contact with, slowly destroying the host."
Musically speaking, Zao are on top of their game in the song as well. Drummer Jeff Gretz said of "A Well-Intentioned Virus":
"This song is a good example of how us taking our time paid off. The bulk of this song is in 14/8, which is weird for us. The music came together really quickly but getting a vocal phrasing that worked took longer. Dan was able to try a version, sit with it, and go back to it a week or so later and try something totally different. Over the course of a month, it went from a song we thought wasn't going to work and possibly get cut from the record to becoming one of our favorites and basically the 'title track' for the album."
It's damn good to hear Zao at it again. They've always been one of the more underrated bands in the whole "metalcore" scene, but then again, they transcended that label long ago. If cuts like this track and "Observed/Observer" are any indication, it seems as though The Well-Intentioned Virus could be a last minute addition to be counted among the best albums of 2016.
The band secured a worldwide distribution deal with RevDistribution to get The Well-Intentioned Virus to as many ears as possible. The album drops December 9 via the band's own Observed/Observer Recordings, and is available for pre-order over at the band's official website.
