Album Review: Zeal and Ardor – Zeal and Ardor (MVKA)

It’s been an incredible near decade for Zeal and Ardor. The avant-garde metal band started and led by Manuel Gagneux in 2013 has grown a huge following thanks to the unique blending of African American spiritual music, black metal, industrial, synth and so much more.

Now, 9 years on from their birth, Zeal and Ardor return with their most important work to date. Releasing their 3rd alum, self-titled on the 11th of February 2022.

Beginning with a jarring industrial landscape, the title track is an ominous introduction to this new album. The vocals deliver an impassioned pop-style performance but it’s with Run that things really take off. The rolling drum beat and barrage of riffs, complimented by soulful vocals. It’s pointed and dangerous, especially when you hear the scathing scream of ‘Where’s your fucking God?’

With Death to the Holy, Zeal and Ardor lean into their black metal side to deliver a harsh but thoughtful blast of heavy noise. Whereas Emersion is packed with starry electronica but sees the band drift into blackgaze for something unlike anything they have ever done before. An absolute slice of wonder from a band that continuously surprises and consistently challenges.

The atmosphere and melodic grandeur of Golden Liar is another strong showing before Erase gets downright ferocious. One of Zeal and Ardor’s most focused blasts of heaviness, the riffs are crushing here, and the varying vocal styles keeps things on edge. Followed by the industrial buzz and hip-hop infused Bow, the bluesy and black metal mash-up that is Feed the Machine, and synth-heavy chase rhythm of I Caught You. A wide and eclectic array of ideas from a band that reveals in delivering the unexpected.

It’s what we love about them and with this new album, they continue to prove that every release is great in its own way.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all though is just how focused it is on delivering heavier and brutalising hits. Church Burns is a more traditional Zeal and Ardor track as it brings back the African American spiritual soundscape and has nods to black metal traditions. Before, Götterdämmerung showcases a blistering blur of contemptuous savagery. A track that is partially sung in German and has some of the album’s strongest riffs.

The last part of the album gives us the soft guitar twangs, bassy rhythm, soulful vocals and blackgaze eruptions of Hold Your Head Low. Before a peppy blast of intense metal and playful guitar tones comes with J-M-B and the industrial fuzz of A-H-I-L closes out yet another stellar release from Zeal and Ardor.

Zeal and Ardor – Zeal and Ardor Full Track Listing:

1. Zeal & Ardor
2. Run
3. Death to the Holy
4. Emersion
5. Golden Liar
6. Erase
7. Bow
8. Feed the Machine
9. I Caught You
10. Church Burns
11. Götterdämmerung
12. Hold Your Head Low
13. J-M-B
14. A-H-I-L

Links

Website | Bandcamp