Liberate Te Ex Inferis

Liberate Te Ex Inferis is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Zao. It is considered by many to be their most experimental and darkest album. It was released on Solid State/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 after his decision to pursue The Juliana Theory full-time.

Liberate Te Ex Inferis
Studio album by Zao
Released	August 10, 1999
Recorded	1998–1999
Studio	Poynter Studios (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
Genre	Metalcore
Length	40:13
Label	Solid State/Tooth & Nail
Producer	Barry Poynter
Zao studio album chronology
Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998) Liberate Te Ex Inferis (1999) Self-Titled (2001)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
HM	(not rated)[1]
Exit Zine	[2]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[3]

Drummer Jesse Smith has stated that Liberate is his favorite Zao album. The staff of Ferret Music also favor this record.^{[citation needed]}

Both drummer Jesse Smith and vocalist Daniel Weyandt have stated during interviews that the music of post-metal band Neurosis 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 Solid State, 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, as the songs are grouped in pairs named after the rings in hell.^[4] 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.^[5]

The album contains several samples from the science fiction horror movie Event Horizon. The title of the album is also a quote from Event Horizon.^[6]

Track listing

Circle I: Limbo

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	3:38
2.	"Savannah"	2:46

All lyrics are written by Daniel Weyandt; all music is composed by Zao.

Circle II: The Lustful

No.	Title	Length
3.	"Autopsy"	2:12
4.	"If These Scars Could Speak"	4:43

Circle III: The Gluttonous

No.	Title	Length
5.	"The Ghost Psalm"	5:42
6.	"Desire the End"	4:58

Circle IV: The Hoarders and the Spendthrifts

No.	Title	Length
7.	"Dark Cold Sound"	3:10
8.	"Skin Like Winter"	2:23

Circle V: The Wrathful

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Kathleen Barbra"	3:35
10.	"Man in Cage Jack Wilson"	7:00
Total length:		40:13

Personnel

Zao

• Daniel Weyandt – vocals
• Scott Mellinger – guitar
• Russ Cogdell – guitar
• Jesse Smith – drums
• Rob Horner – bass

Production

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