Zao may refer to:
The James Bond novels and films are notable for their memorable villains and henchmen. Each Bond villain has numerous henchmen to do their bidding.
There is typically one particularly privileged henchman who poses a formidable physical threat to Bond and must be defeated in order to reach the employer. These range from simply adept and tough fighters, such as Donald 'Red' Grant, to henchmen whose physical characteristics are seemingly superhuman, such as Jaws.
Zao /ˈzeɪ.oʊ/ is a metalcore band from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Founded in March 1993, Zao has hosted several musicians and endured numerous roster changes to the point where no original members remain. Former drummer Jesse Smith, singer Daniel Weydant, and guitarists Scott Mellinger & Russ Cogdell are seen by most fans as the "core" of Zao.
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. Former drummer Jesse Smith slowly changed the band's vision. 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. Lyrics in future productions may or may not include Christian messages, but Zao has stated they would have loved to return to the Christian Cornerstone Festival when it was still active. As of 2015, only one member of the band claims Christianity as their beliefs.
I can see my teenage father standing straight on a
desolate corner,
in the shadow of tentacled towers by the red light of
America,
I imagine how his mother felt when she heard that her
husband was dying,
and that underground heroes of the tarmac
shooting smack were blowing up worlds
and Damned out loud,
he, can you tell me how does it feel?
yeah, tell me, can you imagine, for a second,
doing anything that you don't have to?
well that's what I'm accustomed to so hooray for me
when I slept with stony faces on the riverbank,
my angeldevil reveller shook me desperately in dying,
I don't exactly want to apologize for anything, and now
we're all mad and tangled in secret rooms with roman
candles,
on an endless graveyard train
yeah, tell me, can you imagine, for a second, doing
anything just 'cuz you want to?
well, that's just what I do so hooray for me
yeah, I was dreaming through the "howzlife", yawning,
car black, when she told me "mad and meaningless as
ever..",
and a song came on my radio like a cemetery rhyme,
for a million crying corpses in their tragedy of
respectable existence
oh, yeah, I'm not respectable, and never sensible,
I've been incredible so damned irascible