Remember Zao at Cornerstone ‘98?
The chapped wood of the stage shook down into the mud a little bit more when Russ Cogdell landed from his Olympic like jump; he never stopped playing the metallic screeches on his guitar even while in mid air. A couple of times during this Cornerstone Festival set I thought the stage was going to collapse into a mesh of firewood and broken amps as a result of the thundering collisions of Jesse Smith’s Slayer gone rock and roll style drumming. The crowd didn’t ease my feeling of possible disaster either. Their waged war to get on stage to jump and scream was just as relentless as Zao’s.
A year ago at this fest all this was different; Zao was an evangelical version of Earth Crisis whose set ended by transforming into a Benny Hinn revival with an oversized crowd falling to writhe and scream out to their specific God. At this moment of 1998 Zao was introducing themselves as a new entity to the Christian underground scene. This new Zao was unlike anything else at that time to bear heavy guitars and say the word hardcore. Zao didn’t feed off e-crunch riffs, sport basketball jerseys, and demand circle pits before every song. Before this moment all hardcore that got branded as Christian seemed like carbon copies of different bands from the Revelation Records roster. But in a year all that would change thanks partly to Zao’s performance at Cornerstone Festival 1998.
The tent smelled like the carcass of a dinosaur, which is also the odor of well-trampled mud and sweat that never escapes but hovers overhead like smoke. The sides of and behind the stage were filled with other hardcore bands and the crowd was filled with fans that would be inspired to start their own metallic hardcore bands due to this performance - everyone knew the show was going to be one to remember.
Zao blasted into Lies Of Serpents, A River Of Tears from the newly released and now hailed by Alternative Press as “one of the most influential albums in 1998,” Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest. Three fourths of the crowd screamed along, while the other part of the crowd stood in an awe over the band that resembled nothing of their former line up. Only one old song was played, Exchange, which led the entire crowd to sing along to its praise and worship like chorus, but still with the new guitars and serpentine vocals over it the song had entered the witness protection agency; it was barely recognizable to the ones that loved it now.
What made Zao shine was dual nature and a ravenous feeding that took place on the stage. Jesse and Brett displayed a rock and roll joy when playing. Jesse smiled on each breakdown he slammed into and Brett smiled like a kid at recess even when he had to scream out about death and suicide, all the while Brett threw his guitar around like it didn’t weight more than himself. Dan and Russ were the vision of the darkness escaping from each song. They snarled through each song. Zao for them was an exercise of their own demons. Both factions of the band fed off each other to create a live show that still is hard to describe ten years later.
After this set, and after Zao spent the rest of the year touring, Christian hardcore began to change. Dan’s deep hiss screaming was seen to be impersonated in almost every band starting out, while influences from the darker realm of metal finally became an okay influence for young Christians in hardcore bands to embrace. On that July weekend in 1998 Zao didn’t just introduce themselves as a new band, they let everyone get a glimpse of where an underground movement was headed.
Photos by Matt Debenedictis.
48 Responses to “Remember Zao at Cornerstone ‘98?”
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On 10/22/08 2:32 PM, kyle u said:
uh…bret’s guitar DIDN’T weight more than himself…so how else would he throw it.
or is it a skinny reference.
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On 10/22/08 2:55 PM, Bradley Spitzer said:
I was at Cornerstone ‘99 and Zao’s set was INCREDIBLE. At the end, you knew you had just witnessed something amazing, memorable and perhaps historical.
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On 10/22/08 3:01 PM, Brian said:
I saw them at Cornerstone ‘01 and was blown-away… I wish I would have seen them in ‘99 though.
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On 10/22/08 3:07 PM, Matthew Moore said:
I was there. I got my shit kicked in a pit where dudes used boxing gloves with X’s duct taped on them haha.
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On 10/22/08 3:08 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:
kyle u, you lose. haha
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On 10/22/08 3:18 PM, Jordan said:
i love that this super hard band is sporting a Joy Electric shirt
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On 10/22/08 3:29 PM, Jay DiNitto said:
Anyone remember .hopesfall. (before they were Hoepsfall) at C-stone 2000? Wowza.
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On 10/22/08 3:43 PM, Nartan said:
I miss the old days of Cornerstone when the hardcore bands were few and far betweens and the ones that did play were really special.
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On 10/22/08 3:47 PM, rojas said:
While I was never able to go to Cornerstone, I did see Zao in Texas when they toured that record.
Their live show was a thing of beauty. To remember hearing “Lies of Serpents, River of Tears” live still gives me goosebumps.
p.s. Kudos on the great article.
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On 10/22/08 4:06 PM, thestormmaster said:
I personally thought i was going to die during The Crucified 92′ show at Cstone, between the smoke bombs and knives in the pit. That was hardcore!
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On 10/22/08 4:08 PM, thestormmaster said:
But I have seen Zao a few time and everytime during the last song a figth has broke out that is pretty hardcore too!
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On 10/22/08 4:14 PM, DXCBoy said:
I love Dan’s bowlcut.
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On 10/22/08 4:15 PM, Firekid said:
Me Too. Oh, and live they sound like they’re playing in a bucket.
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On 10/22/08 4:17 PM, sir jorge said:
…and much like the Chenua Achebe book “Things Fall Apart” the christian underground fell, a mere 10 years later there is nothing but these black and white photos, and random memories on a blog style music zine.
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On 10/22/08 4:23 PM, tAlex said:
Oh this brings back the memories. Remember when EVERY hXc vocalist held their non-mic arm behind their back.
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On 10/22/08 4:25 PM, George said:
They always wrapped that mic cord too.
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On 10/22/08 4:31 PM, Nick said:
My brother in law has photos of him doing a backflip in the .hopesfall. 2000 c-stone pit. He tells me about it all the time, how it was completely incredible.
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On 10/22/08 4:37 PM, Matthew Moore said:
I saw Hopesfall at 2000. It was one of the most spiritually moving experiences of my life!
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On 10/22/08 4:39 PM, George said:
Hey! I just spotted myself in that first picture of Dan. I’m the bald one on the left with the glasses.
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On 10/22/08 4:43 PM, Brian said:
Jay:
I remember that show! Wowza in deed!
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On 10/22/08 5:50 PM, trego said:
Sean Laf told me about old Zao…I didn’t into them until parade of chaos came out…more like parade of gay-os…
…horrible joke.
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On 10/22/08 7:50 PM, adam said:
any video of this set anywhere?
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On 10/22/08 9:36 PM, matt.f said:
ya i was at hopesfall 2000. pretty awesome show. i never did care for them in any of their later line-ups though.
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On 10/22/08 10:07 PM, Seth Werkheiser said:
@ George : you know, when I was posting this I thought, “Man, I wonder if anyone will recognize anyone in these photos?”
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On 10/22/08 10:21 PM, matthew said:
yes, i was there…standing on the back of the stage. it was cathartic to say the least. they had just been in my hometown recording “where blood and fire..” and had played at the loacl joint, vinos. once again, i was standing sidestaged in awe. one of the best shows ever for me at the time.
and jay, yes i remember hopesfall at c-stone 2000. that was intense. i still have that record as well. good times. great post debenedictus!
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On 10/23/08 12:04 AM, kyle u said:
I lose maybe (even though its still an inane sentence), but can I win if I add a”‘98″ to my zao tattoo on my hand?
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On 10/23/08 12:29 AM, steven andrew said:
Most Influential bands of 98, eh? I wonder what unmentioned Alternative Press staff that hovers around Buzzgrinder help hail that album?
Hmm….
Good times… I have VHS video from that set… and from NIV and Strongarm’s final performance (or so it was supposed to be)
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On 10/23/08 1:13 AM, yeah said:
I saw NIV’s return performance a few summers ago, their three songs.
I came onto this whole “scene” in 2000 (a little bit) and then really dived into it all in 2001 (Circle of Dust, Precious Death, Zao, Embodyment, (old) .hopesfall., Six Feet Deep, FewLeftStanding, Luti-Kriss, etc.). Went to my first Sonshine in 2002, Cornerstone in 2003.
I know from hearing back from those days, that all of that was special.
I am now 22.
I really wish I would’ve seen Life In Your Way (Indianola era, Ignite and Rebuild), earlier Zao (like this one), old .hopesfall. (I saw em on that one Underoath, Fear Before, Chariot tour, such a let down, I fell asleep, couldn’t keep myself awake, lol), and Luti-Kriss when they were just another band.
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On 10/23/08 9:40 AM, George said:
@ matthew
One time, during a set, you handed me the splintered shards of a drum stick you were playing on that tire rim set up you had. It was awesome. Forget Zao, LS! JK, Zao’s cool too.
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On 10/23/08 10:13 AM, wes allen said:
Ah, Zao ‘98. That was a great show- I remember at one point, Dan was lying on my head. Which was okay, I guess.
Though I couldn’t tell you the last time I listened to any of this stuff, there are still a few bands who’s records I still own. Dan-era Zao and the mighty Warlord. Where’s the pics of them, Matt?
That was one of the best shows I remember from Cstone. -
On 10/23/08 10:23 AM, stephenmarksarro (X-TOTM) said:
Hmmm, my Zao experiences… well first of all i was never a big fan of the music, although i really dug them in the first few years. I first saw Zao at Cornerstone 96 on some generator stage. My band opened up for them in 1997, splinter was just coming out. Then in saw them/played with them several times until around the self titled album came out, and Jesse went nuts. Last time i saw Jesse, he was living in York, and would occasionally hang out, and we (TOTM) bought some music gear from him. Last I heard, he was a wiccan, but i could be wrong. I wish all of those guys the best though, and hope all is well.
-Stephen of the muse -
On 10/23/08 10:25 AM, stephenmarksarro (X-TOTM) said:
i forgot to mention, Seth W has a fond memory of Zao and playboy bunny shirts, tell us the whole story Seth
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On 10/23/08 10:36 AM, Matt said:
Wes, I wish I would had my camera on me for Warlord’s set that year. If my mind is on rewind correctly there was lots of vomit during their set.
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On 10/23/08 10:44 AM, andy said:
Oh Lord Steve don’t bring that up! I still remember that Screaming at the Sky fest and just hearing Jesse ramble on and on about how it was just “a pink bunny shirt to me”.
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On 10/23/08 11:02 AM, George said:
At one Zao show the crowd was screaming for an encore and Jesse started tearing down his drum set and screaming at the crowd, “That’s all we’ve got! Go home!”
But that wasn’t all they had! He just wanted a smoke.
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On 10/23/08 11:45 AM, ajatfm said:
man, I caught .hopesfall. in 2000 at furnace fest, I always hear about their infamous cstone 2000 performance and wish i was there, but I didn’t start going to cstone till 2007 (definately too late for any good older bands). I’ve never seen Zao. They’ve cancelled all 4 shows I went to that they were supposed to be at. They failed me. But WBAFBR is still one of my favorite “heavy” albums.
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On 10/23/08 2:35 PM, Don said:
never have and still don’t listen to much zao but i’ve seen em once or twice in the past few years but it’s hard to keep up with who has playing with them. however, when i was a sophomore or junior in high school i remember some guy telling me about this band zao, and the singer was so badA that at the show he saw, the guy vomited from screaming so much and just kept on going. that’d be a sight to see. that was back around 2000.
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On 10/23/08 5:21 PM, Brent said:
I went into my local Urban Outfitters like 7 or 8 months ago and Jesse Smith was working there. It was really odd, but really cool to discuss Zao and such with him.
I haven’t seen him recently. I wonder where he is now. -
On 10/23/08 9:36 PM, Joel said:
ok.. this was a pretty amazing show. I was lucky enough to be one of those “band guys” up there too. Of course.. I ended up crushing a bunch of kids pretty early into the set by stage diving. (for you young kids, back in the day we used to do stuff like that.. i know it’s not cool anymore). 98 was a great year all around for Cornerstone.
Personally. I feel the barn shows in ‘94 and ‘95 at Cornerstone were much more memorable. I mean seriously.. Stongarm, Unashamed, Focused, The Blamed, MxPx all off their first albums and in that little barn. It really felt like a club show.. and for the several hundred kids from all over the country, it was their first real experience like that. Unless you were from CA or NY you’d probably never been to a completely packed hardcore/punk show.
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On 10/23/08 10:35 PM, wes allen said:
Yeah, that was the vomit show, Matt. He just fucking puked and then went back at it. You know what’s funny? Being a fan of stoner rock and doom, I will show other dudes those records and they are like “Who the hell is this? Warlord? Why have I never heard of them?!” I think there were too many people who had never heard of them. That’s a shame. In my opinion, those are the most original albums Solid State ever released. Totally brilliant.
And Steven-seeing you post on hear reminds me that I still have 3 bands from the christian music realm who’s records I still own. Tantrum of the Muse, folks. If those of you on here posting haven’t heard them, you’re missing out. It wasn’t typical, carbon-copy, “Christian Hardcore/metal”. It was brilliant art. They were the last band I ever listened to from that world that I loved and respected. You are a true artist, sir. Matt turned me onto you guys. Thank him for my weinery gushing. Also, I understand we’re both fans of horror.
So kids, to recap-Warlord, Tantrum of the Muse. Go find the records. Then email the members and thank them for breaking ground. -
On 10/24/08 1:18 AM, Ryan @ Milkweed Records said:
Man… I loved those Warlord albums. I don’t know what ever happened to ‘em. Must have lost them over the years.
Someone should rip them, upload them to mediafire, and send me the links. ryanfairfield(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh shit. I would appreciate that so much.
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On 10/24/08 9:19 AM, George said:
I’ve never seen Zao perform live with a bass player.
BTW, who played bass on the “Where Blood and Fire…” album?
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On 10/24/08 10:35 AM, Joel said:
There isn’t a bass player on WBAFBR.. Brett played all the bass in the studio using my old GTX and a Rickenbacker that Jason (Barry’s assistant at the time) ran down somewhere. Not sure which one you hear on what tracks.
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On 10/24/08 3:02 PM, andy said:
I saw Zao w/out a bass player at Messiah College in 99 then I saw them in Lebenon and their singer played bass in like, 2000.
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On 10/24/08 6:04 PM, wes allen said:
Hey Ryan if I get time this weekend, I’ll hook you up. I’ll try and get those posted so you can doom on.
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On 12/26/08 12:56 PM, lynn said:
steven. where can i find a copy of…well, all i can really remember at this point are the lyrics “you know the devil loves religion. religion makes you kill” or something along those lines. which album was that, anyway?
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On 12/26/08 6:35 PM, jordan said:
oh the good ole days
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On 12/28/08 7:35 PM, Nate said:
Zao is legendary.
