While Zeal & Ardor may be conveniently positioned within the metal genre, that placement is simply too limiting for their experimental metal style incorporates black metal, melodic metal, and industrial metal cues with numerous other musical influences including African American and blues rhythms. They’re unique and have never sounded as influential, all-embracing, and fired up as they do on this eponymous release; their third studio album.
Produced and written entirely by founder and lead singer, Manuel Gagneux, Zeal & Ardor once again showcases what a creative genius Gagneux is. While many of us wonder what the future of music is, especially when we contrast modern releases against those that came before, Zeal & Ardor prove that the future of metal music is alive and well.
Every aspect of the production has been meticulously considered. From the songwriting to the recording, even the mix and mastering represent some of the very best within the respective genres. The result is an album that is full-bodied, dynamic, spacious, and immersive while also being impactful. It really is an experience that needs to be heard firsthand and as revolutionary as Devil Is Fine (2017) and Stranger Fruit (2018) were, Zeal & Ardor takes their music to a whole nother level.
From a sonic perspective while I often look to vinyl releases for the pinnacle of sound quality, the lossless Apple Music stream, an Apple Digital Master, is so good that I see no need to search for better. Seriously, there’s no unnecessary clipping or distortion, the soundstage is wide and enveloping, and most importantly it simply sounds right; a subjective perspective, yes, but one that is valid nonetheless.
Zeal & Ardor will wake the senses. It’s bold, reminiscent of the music that you’re about to hear, and arguably heavier than their previous releases thereby signifying a shift in their chosen style. My only complaint is that it’s too short, yet in a contradiction, it is the perfect length for it gets to the point without any extraneous elements to weigh it down. I couldn’t imagine a better title track; could you?
Run has demonic undertones that reach into your soul. It’s an example of the alter-ego that Gagneux puts into his music and while scream metal is often an acquired taste, Gagneux hits the intonations perfectly. Thematically, regardless of your beliefs, Run makes you think and ponder your life, your actions, and ultimately, despite the knee-jerk reaction that some will have towards the negative side of the scale, Run asks that you don’t give up. At least, that is the message that I get from this song.
The music video offers a terrifying look into the mind. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a brilliant musical accompaniment, but it will simultaneously shock you to your core.
Death To The Holy is more musically upbeat with a touch of soul music threaded throughout. The pounding drum and bass rhythm is infectious and reminds me of Korn’s music.
The music video is odd. While it questions what we know about our existence and societal belief systems, it isn’t quite as uniform with the music as the music video for Run was.
Emersion is interesting for it isn’t the song you initially think it is as it weaves in and out of a kaleidoscope soundscape only to re-enter as frenetic moments in time. As an instrumental with an occasional vocal growl, it’s a solid tune that splits up the album nicely.
Golden Liar is an absolute masterpiece! Gagneux's vocal delivery on Golden Liar is next-level and while I’ve no doubt Zeal & Ardor will continue to evolve, I hope it is in a similar direction to the performance captured here for when music is this good you simply want to experience more of it.
The music video simply exists. It doesn’t build upon the song in the ways that I’d like to see from such a massive tune. That isn’t to say that it’s irrelevant, but that I feel it could have been something far greater than it is.
Erase, despite not being out-of-place, isn’t the strongest song on the album from both a lyrical and musical perspective. It works within the album structure, but it’s unlikely that you’ll seek it out on its own.
Bow is, however, a song that you will want to play on repeat for it’s astonishingly good. It’s metal, it’s soul, it’s blues, it’s simply a killer tune!
Feed The Machine intertwines musical styles as many of the other songs on Zeal & Ardor do but it’s the playful nature of the non-metal elements that shine here and in some ways, I hear two different songs within this single composition and I can’t help but wonder what the song would sound like if it were recorded in both manners.
I Caught You is a bit of a mixed bag. While it continues the overall style fluidly, it isn’t as groovy as many of the other songs on Zeal & Ardor thereby resulting in I Caught You being album filler.
Church Burns redeems I Caught You with a groove-infused tune that is an amalgamation of musical influences. A great song!
Götterdämmerung is a solid scream metal tune that shifts to a more common vocal structure throughout. This approach won’t appeal to all, but if it appeals to you, you’re bound to thoroughly enjoy Götterdämmerung. I know I do and that charging rhythm reaches into my soul.
Hold Your Head Low is a little like I Caught You whereby it isn’t a bad tune but is most certainly filler. Yes, not every song can be genre-defining or single-worthy, but Hold Your Head Low is so close that the differentiation needs to be mentioned for there is a killer song to be heard here if it had only been pushed further with a more vicious soundstage.
J-M-B shifts the style of the album, arguably a little further than one would expect. It simply sounds a little too alternative and post-grunge for my liking.
A-H-I-L is sonically awesome. Take a listen on headphones and you’ll understand what I mean. It’s immersive and sensory, but most importantly it leaves you wanting more, even though it’s an instrumental track, thereby ensuring you’ll play Zeal & Ardor again for it is one of the best releases of 2022 and is the pinnacle of Zeal & Ardor’s music to date.
While the cohesiveness and drive of Zeal & Ardor may have started to wane towards the end of the album, the diversity of musical styles is to be celebrated. Zeal & Ardor is genre-busting; a rare occurrence that not only brings more awareness to the metal genre but also informs those with a solitary focus that crossovers into other styles are as important as the genre’s legacy. With that in mind, I can’t wait to see what Zeal & Ardor will do next.
