Photo credit: Jered Scott
It had been several years since metal quintet Zao played Milwaukee. Absence must have made the hearts of extreme music aficionados grow fonder as the band brought an enthusiastic, attentive crowd to Club Garibaldi on Thursday, Aug. 8.
Zao, whose name translates from New Testament Greek roughly as “life,” executed a compelling show of rhythmic and melodic complexity. They were fronted by Dan Weyandt’s pointedly strained, gruff vocals alongside Scott Mellinger, who supplies the act’s clean vocals (that is, those that are actually sung). Mellinger also plays guitar in dual rhythm with Russ Codgell.
Sometimes interlocking, overlapping at others, the two guitarists sustained a fierce attack with plenty of nuance over Zao’s roughly hour-long, encore-free set. Drummer Jeff Gretz and bassist Martin Lunn propelled musical energy and raw textures. Mellinger acted as Zao’s mouthpiece for what little between-song interaction they allowed themselves.
A couple of compelling bands opened the night. Michigan’s Hollow Earth gave the headliners a run for their money in terms of stage presence and atmospheric sound; amidst a perma-cloud of dry ice fog, the foursome’s nearly seamless set combined epic lurches with majestic use of drone-in sound that ought to top marquees soon. Vocalist Steve Muczynski almost chided the crowd for their minimal physical action during his band’s set but acknowledged they might be conserving their headbanging for Zao.
Wolf King, relative neophytes from Northern California, harnessed their dual assault of higher and lower register Cookie Monster vocalizing to a sound that weds the relentless chug of hardcore to death metal’s instrumental wizardry.
