The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation [SEP] record label
The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation
The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation is the second full-length release by metalcore band Zao, released on Tooth & Nail Records on April 1, 1997.
This album is considered to be Zao's last album that leaned toward a more hardcore sound, after which the band demonstrated more of a metal influence. Many of the tracks (such as "Exchange", "Endure", and "In Loving Kindness") are re-arranged and re-recorded versions
to form Symphony in Peril. Jonas left the band after recording two albums and is now a youth pastor at New Life Church in West Virginia; original bassist Mic Cox left the band, and Kevin Moran took his place. Ron Gray also joined the band as a second guitarist after the recording of "The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation". All of the band members, except for drummer Jesse Smith, quit Zao following the 1997 Cornerstone festival and a couple of shows they played on the way back home.