The Funeral of God is the seventh full-length album by metalcore

Metalcore

Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 band Zao. Released on July 13, 2004 on Ferret Records (U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

) and on July 12, 2004 on Roadrunner and Ferret Records (Europe, Asia). Saw the return of guitarist, Russ Cogdell, and the addition of bassist Shawn Koschik and drummer Stephen Peck after the departure of Jesse Smith. A music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 was made for the song "The Rising End (The First Prophecy)" and is one of their most popular songs.

Title Note

Originally the album was going to be called, "Live... From the Funeral of God," but the band's management was concerned that fans might construe that to mean it's a live recording, so the title was shortened.

Concept

The album is in fact a concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

, narrating an apocalyptic story in which God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

, fed up with the path chosen by humanity, decides to disappear, leaving humanity to its fate. Subsequently, the world falls into a state of war and self-destruction. However, man soon reverts to a state in which he waits for God to return.

Sound

Sounding different than most albums Zao have released, this record is a swing towards bands such as Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...

 and Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy and some references to the Rastafari culture...

. It also goes for a more melodic sound than their past albums, such as in the song "Psalm of the City of the Dead".

Track listing

1. "Breath of the Black Muse" – 4:00
2. "The Rising End (The First Prophecy)" – 3:27
3. "The Last Revelation (The Last Prophecy)" – 3:56
4. "The Last Song From Zion" – 4:47
5. "Live...From the Funeral of God" – 4:11
6. "The Lesser Lights of Heaven" – 4:15
7. "In Times Gone Past" – 4:33
8. "Praise the War Machine" – 4:06
9. "Truly, Truly, This Is the End" – 4:22
10. "I Lay Sleepless in My Grave" – 1:32
11. "Psalm of the City of the Dead" – 8:09
12. "Romance of the Southern Spirit" (Japanese bonus) - 4:48

Credits

• Dan Weyandt - vocals
• Scott Mellinger - guitar, vocals
• Russ Cogdell - guitar
• Shawn Koschik - bass
• Stephen Peck - drums
• Sara George - Additional vocals on track 11

Quotes

"The story is unique, the vocals are vicious, the guitars are cacophonic, and the barrage is relentless. Zao has returned with a preeminent fury and have outdone themselves once again."
- Outburn (9/10)

"If the melodic end of the genre has been taken by Killswitch Engage then the extreme end of the Kingdom belongs to Zao. No question."
- Metal Hammer UK (9/10)