Christianity has been a key influence in the band's work; because the founding members claimed to have a strong relationship with God, they were considered a devoted Christian band, which changed as time passed. Jesse Smith slowly changed his vision for the band, preferring it to be not a 100% Christian band. As Dan Weyandt entered the band, the lyrics changed drastically, mostly leaving a message that he is alive because of God, not with the intention of spreading the religion, but to let know how it helped him in his personal struggles. Because only half the band's members identified themselves as Christians, Zao no longer considered itself a Christian band but rather a group of open-minded artists. However in an interview posted on their myspace, their manager pointed out that due to another line up change they were all Christian. Guitarist Scott Mellinger described the bands view on religion by saying this "We're not selling Christ. We're just following Him!." Lyrics in future productions may or may not include Christian messages, but they have also stated they would love to play at Cornerstone again, which is an exclusively Christian music festival.

To date, Zao has completed nine full-length albums, three EPs, a two-disc DVD documentary and multiple concert tours, garnering a limited but global fanbase and setting genre standards in the process.

The First Era (1993-1997)

Zao began in the Parkersburg, West Virginia, area as an evangelical group of acquaintances with a passion for aggressive music: vocalist Eric Reeder, guitarist Roy Goudy, bassist Mic Cox, and drummer Jesse Smith. The band's name comes from the Greek word (ζάω), which means "alive" or "to have life". Zao vocalist Eric Reeder has been credited with coming up with the band's name.[4][5] Calling their sound "Christ centered hardcore", they sought to reach an audience that they felt has been pushed away from the organized church.[5] Most of their early songs, which appeared on their first two full-length albums, All Else Failed and The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation (which saw the band re-recording much of the "All Else Failed" material), contained explicit references to God and centered on the theme of the peace of God. [6] Reeder left before Zao recorded All Else Failed and was replaced by Shawn Jonas; original bassist Mic Cox left the band, and Kevin Moran took his place. Ron Gray also joined the band as a second guitarist after the recording of The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation. All of the band members, except for drummer Jesse Smith, quit Zao following the 1997 Cornerstone festival and a couple of shows they played on the way back home.

The Second Era (1998 - 2002)

In 1998 Smith recruited Greensburg, PA guitarist Brett Detar to help him build a new incarnation of Zao. Detar suggested a pair of his friends, guitarist Russ Cogdell and enigmatic writer / poet (and future tattoo artist) Dan Weyandt. Smith would drive several hours to Greensburg to co-write and rehearse what would become the first (and in many ways, defining) album from the new Zao, "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest." The group played fewer and fewer songs from the old version of the band as "Blood and Fire" took hold. They toured without a bass player and set stages ablaze with Weyandt's personal onstage storytelling about the hardships that informed their songs. With a rockabilly look and plenty of leaping, raw emotion and Smith's oddly engaging habit of setting up his drums facing away from the audience, their live reputation grew large in the underground. Not long after recording their half of a split EP with labelmates Training For Utopia in California, Detar left the group to focus his energy on his emo-pop side-project The Juliana Theory, who would eventually sign to Sony and enjoy a reasonable level of success relative to the "scene."

Scott Mellinger joined the band on lead guitar, with Rob Horner coming in on bass, before the recording of another landmark Metalcore album, "Liberate te ex Inferis" (Latin for "Save Yourself from Hell," a line from the movie "Event Horizon"). Cogdell left the band in 2000 to go to film school. Weyandt left at the same time, leaving Smith, Mellinger & Horner to embark on a tour with singer Corey Darst. Weyandt returned and Horner left, with Weyandt handling bass as well as vocals for a time.

Mellinger and Smith wrote and recorded all of the music for Zao's "Self-Titled" album, with Dan coming by for a few days to contribute his lyrics and vocals. The album is notable for Smith's dark pop interludes, the V-Drum sound and the song "Five Year Winter," which remains a signature Zao song.

Corey Darst replaced Weyandt for the majority of the touring in support of the album, w