There exists a small pocket of hardcore kids who will insist that one of Zao's earliest lineups -- consisting of guitarist Roy Goudy, bassist Mic Cox, singer Shawn Jonas, and drummer Jesse Smith -- was their best, despite later incarnations' popularity.
It was precisely this lineup who recorded All Else Failed, the Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia-based band's debut album.
All Else Failed is chunky, heavy, and pummeling and derivative of the metalcore style initiated by Earth Crisis and maintained at the time of this album's release by Strife and other hardcore groups.
The lyrics are very evangelical in tone, reflecting the bandmembers' then-newfound faith in Jesus Christ.
This record -- released by the small Steadfast label -- earned Zao the attention of Tooth & Nail Records, who signed them to a multi-album deal.
Their first recording for Tooth & Nail features six of this album's songs re-recorded.
In 1999 Steadfast reissued this album with new packaging, and in 2002, the current Zao lineup, with Smith the sole remaining original member, announced plans to re-record the entire record for Solid State.
Far less innovative then the albums Zao would become known for, the original version of All Else Failed is for completists only.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ResistanceScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt, Zao | Zao | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | In Loving KindnessScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt, Zao | Zao | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | EndureScott Mellinger, Eskew Reeder, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt, Zao | Zao | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | Growing in GraceScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt | Zao | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | ForesightScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt | Zao | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | PS 77Scott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt | Zao | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 7 | ExchangeScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt, Zao | Zao | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | All Else FailedScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt | Zao | Play | 13:34 | 31 MB | 86 MB |
| 9 | All Else FailedScott Mellinger, Jesse Smith, Daniel Weyandt | Zao | Play | 13:34 | 31 MB | 86 MB |
| 55 mins | 127 MB | |||||
| 55 mins | 373 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mic Cox | Bass, Strings |
| 2 | Brian Gardner | Mastering |
| 3 | Roy Goudy | Guitar |
| 4 | Shawn Jonas | Vocals |
| 5 | Jason Magnusson | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 6 | Scott Mellinger | Composer |
| 7 | Myk Porter | Cover Photo, Producer, Vocals |
| 8 | Barry Poynter | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 9 | Eskew Reeder | Composer |
| 10 | Steve Royer | Photography |
| 11 | Ben Schigel | Engineer |
| 12 | Jesse Smith | Composer, Drums, Percussion |
| 13 | Matt Traxler | Art Direction, Design, Layout Design, Photography, Typesetting |
| 14 | Daniel Weyandt | Composer |
| 15 | Zao | Composer, Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |