''Liberate Te Ex Inferis'' is the fourth studio album by American

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

band Zao. It is considered by many to be their most experimental and darkest album. It was released on

Solid State Solid state, or solid matter, is one of the four fundamental states of matter. Solid state may also refer to: Electronics * Solid-state electronics, circuits built of solid materials * Solid state ionics, study of ionic conductors and their u ...

/ Tooth & Nail. With the album came the addition of bassist Rob Horner. ''Liberate'' is the first Zao album to feature Scott Mellinger, who replaced

Brett Detar Brett Detar is an American singer, songwriter, film composer, and music producer. He is perhaps best known as frontman for the band The Juliana Theory and as former guitarist in Zao. Detar launched a career as a singer/songwriter in the Americ ...

after his decision to pursue

The Juliana Theory The Juliana Theory is an American rock duo from Greensburg and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, United States. They signed to Tooth & Nail Records, and later to Epic Records for the release of the album ''Love''. They released four studio albums before ...

full-time. Drummer Jesse Smith has stated that ''Liberate'' is his favorite Zao album. The staff of

Ferret Music Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an imprint called ...

also favor this record. Both drummer Jesse Smith and vocalist Daniel Weyandt have stated during interviews that the music of

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way simil ...

band

Neurosis Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations. The term is no longer used by the professional psychiatric community in the United States, having been eliminated from t ...

had a heavy influence on this album's overall sound. The album received the vinyl treatment in May 2011 from Broken Circles Records. The album features new cover art, designed by Brent Lakes. It was re-issued on vinyl again in 2022 by

, featuring all new artwork by Dave Rankin, who had previously done the artwork for Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest.

Content

The theme of the album art is based on

Dante's inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by '' Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, ...

, as the songs are grouped in pairs named after the rings in hell. Because of this arrangement, the album is often mistakenly labeled as a concept album. The band members themselves, however, had nothing to do with the idea and very little input on the artwork and layout.Interview with Dan Weyandt (2001)
, Bandoppler. Retrieved July 22, 2007 The album contains several samples from the science fiction

horror movie Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

Event Horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact ob ...

''. The title of the album is also a quote from ''Event Horizon''.

Track listing

Personnel

Zao *

Daniel Weyandt Daniel Weyandt is the third and current vocalist of the American metalcore band, Zao. He was also the bassist for Seasons in the Field and current bassist for Lonely//Ghost//Parade. Weyandt is also a tattooer and owns a shop in his hometown, Gr ...

– vocals *Scott Mellinger – guitar *Russ Cogdell – guitar * Jesse Smith – drums *Rob Horner – bass Production *

Brandon Ebel Brandon Ebel is the founder, president and CEO of Tooth & Nail Records. He founded the label in 1993 in California, United States. The label has since grown to include sub-labels BEC Recordings, Solid State Records and Uprok Records. Ebel has ...

- Executive Producer *Bernie Grundman - Mastering *David Johnson - Photography *Jason Parker - Artwork, Graphic Conception, Graphic Design * Barry Poynter - Producer

References

{{Authority control Zao (American band) albums 1999 albums Concept albums Tooth & Nail Records albums Solid State Records albums Music based on Inferno (Dante)