History Music / ZealAndArdor

* OminousLatinChanting: “Coagula” features the words “''solve''” and “''coagula''” repeated constantly throughout the entire song. ''Solve'' (present active imperative singular of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solvo#Latin solvō]]'') and ''coāgula'' (indicative/accusative/vocative plural of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coagulum#Latin coāgulum]]''), like most Latin words, have several different meanings, but the phrase "Solve coāgula" (particularly in the context of the album) can be translated roughly as "Untie the bonds" or (more metaphorically) "Break the shackles".

* SelfTitledAlbum: The demo.

* TitleTrack: The self-titled EP, ''Devil Is Fine'', ''Stranger Fruit'', and ''Wake of a Nation'' all have examples.

* TBA - Zeal and Ardor

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: 1, 10, and anywhere in between, often within the same song, though not always.

* HollywoodSatanism: Averted, with the satanic elements meaning to invert but also reflect the rebellion and freedom at the core of American Slave Spirituals. Because of this, their music somehow manages to bring the core element of liberation that runs through both Satanism and Christianity to the forefront, revealing how in practice they are NotSoDifferent, and it feels genuinely religious in a way that is very uncommon in modern music.

* OminousLatinChanting: “Coagula” features the words “''solve''” and “''coagula''” repeated constantly throughout the entire song. ''Solve'' (present imperative singular of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solvo#Latin solvō]]'') and ''coāgula'' (indicative/accusative/vocative plural of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coagulum#Latin coāgulum]]''), like most Latin words, have several different meanings, but the phrase "Solve coāgula" (particularly in the context of the album) can be translated roughly as "Untie the bonds" or (more metaphorically) "Break the shackles".

* OminousLatinChanting: “Coagula” features the words “''solve''” and “''coagula''” repeated constantly throughout the entire song. ''Solve'' (present imperative singular of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solvo#Latin solvō]]'') and "coāgula" (indicative/accusative/vocative plural of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coagulum#Latin coāgulum]]''), like most Latin words, have several different meanings, but the phrase "Solve coāgula" (particularly in the context of the album) can be translated roughly as "Untie the bonds" or (more metaphorically) "Break the shackles".

* OminousLatinChanting: “Coagula” features the words “''solve''” and “''coagula''” repeated constantly throughout the entire song. ''Solve'' (present imperative singular of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solvo#Latin solvō]]'') and "coāgula" (indicative/accusative/vocative plural of ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coagulum#Latin coāgulum]]'', like most Latin words, have several different meanings, but the phrase "Solve coāgula" (particularly in the context of the album) can be translated roughly as "Untie the bonds" or (more metaphorically) "Break the shackles".

* OminousLatinChanting: “Coagula” features the words “''solve''” and “''coagula''” repeated constantly throughout the entire song.

* TitleTrack: The self-titled EP, ''Devil Is Fine'', and ''Stranger Fruit'' all have examples.

* BadassBoast: "From Servants"

--> ''I come in the breath of the dead//''
--> ''Bathing in my papa's blood//''

--> Bathing in my papa's blood//
--> Bare-boned and covered in red''

''Bathing in my papa's blood//''
''Bare-boned and covered in red''

--> ''I come in the breath of the dead//
Bathing in my papa's blood//
Bare-boned and covered in red''

* AlbumTitleDrop: In addition to the TitleTrack (obviously), the title of ''Stranger Fruit'' also appears in “Built on Ashes”.

* LyricalDissonance: Done intentionally on several songs. “Waste” and “You Ain’t Coming Back” are two examples, both mixing pleasant melodies and arrangements with dark lyrical content.

* HollywoodSatanism: Averted, with the satanic elements meaning to invert but also reflect the rebellion and freedom at the core of American Slave Spirituals. Because of this, their music somehow manages to bring the core element of liberation that runs through both Satanism and Christianity to the forefront, and it feels genuinely religious in a way that is very uncommon in modern music.

* TitleTrack: The self-titled EP, ''Devil Is Fine'', and ''Stranger Fruit'' also have examples.

Zeal and Ardor is an [[AvantGardeMetal avant-garde]] musical group created in 2013 by Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux. It combines elements of {{blues}}, {{gospel|Music}}, traditional African-American spirituals, and BlackMetal. The idea for this unusual combination originated on 4chan’s music board, when Gagneux was challenged to create a song combining black metal and traditional black American music. Gagneux, the son of an African-American mother and a Swiss father, has also stated that a significant idea behind the project was asking [[AlternateHistory what would have happened]] if African-American slaves had embraced Satanism rather than Christianity (based on the observation that both they and Scandinavia were forcibly converted to Christianity in real-world history).

* HollywoodSatanism: Averted, with the satanic elements meaning to invert but also reflect the rebellion and freedom at the core of American Slave Spirituals.

* AlbumTitleDrop: In addition to the TitleTrack, the words “Stranger Fruit” also appear in “Built on Ashes”.

Zeal and Ardor is an [[AvantGardeMetal avant-garde]] musical group created in 2013 by Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux. It combines elements of {{blues}}, {{gospel|Music}}, traditional African-American spirituals, and BlackMetal. The idea for this unusual combination originated on 4chan’s music board, when Gagneux was challenged to create a song combining black metal and traditional black American music. Gagneux, the son of an African-American mother and a Swiss father, has also stated that a significant idea behind the project was asking what would have happened if African-American slaves had embraced Satanism rather than Christianity (based on the observation that both they and Scandinavia were forcibly converted to Christianity in real-world history).

* LyricalColdOpen: Some songs such as "Blood in the River" open with Gagneux's voice unaccompanied.
* MetalScream: Wouldn't be BlackMetal without some, being especially present in ''Stranger Fruit''. Type 3 is most common, though Type 2 shows up briefly in “Don’t You Dare.”

* SatanIsGood: Played straight, though in a GoodIsNotNice fashion.

* TitledAfterTheSong: ''Stranger Fruit'', of course, is a reference to Music/BillieHoliday’s SignatureSong, “Strange Fruit”.

** NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Being primarily a mix of Slave Spirituals/Field Hollers, blues, and satanic black metal. The project has also incorporated elements from GospelMusic, {{djent}}, {{Industrial}}, MelodicDeathMetal, Creator/{{Motown}}, ElectronicMusic, DrumAndBass, and even NuMetal (Gagneux has described bands like Music/{{Deftones}} and Music/LimpBizkit as “guilty pleasures”). The band has also cited Music/TomWaits and Music/WendyCarlos as influences. (As for writers, Gagneux cites Creator/PhilipKDick and Creator/OctaviaButler as particular literary influences.) In some cases this also crosses over into GenreRoulette territory.

* SopranoAndGravel: Alternates soulful clean singing with some ''intense'' {{Metal Scream}}s. Notably, the vocals are so well executed that some critics initially assumed that Gagneux had sampled them from obscure old soul or blues recordings, which Gagneux sharply denies. Given that he pulls them off live, he's almost certainly telling the truth about this.

Zeal and Ardor is an [[AvantGardeMetal avant-garde]] musical group created in 2013 by Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux. It combines elements of {{blues}}, {{gospel|Music}}, traditional African-American spirituals, and BlackMetal. The idea for this unusual combination originated on 4chan’s music board, when Gagneux was challenged to create a song combining black metal and traditional black American music. Gagneux has also stated that a significant idea behind the project was asking what would have happened if African-American slaves had embraced Satanism rather than Christianity.

** NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Being primarily a mix of Slave Spirituals/Field Hollers, blues, and satanic black metal. The project has also incorporated elements from GospelMusic, {{djent}}, {{Industrial}}, MelodicDeathMetal, Creator/{{Motown}}, ElectronicMusic, DrumAndBass, and even NuMetal (Gagneux has described bands like Music/{{Deftones}} and Music/LimpBizkit as “guilty pleasures”). The band has also cited Music/TomWaits and Music/WendyCarlos as influences. (As for writers, Gagneux cites Creator/PhilipKDick and Creator/OctaviaButler as particular literary influences.)

* LiveAlbum: ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Live in London]]''.

* MoodWhiplash: Songs can transition from blues and gospel style to BlackMetal on a dime.

* SopranoAndGravel: Alternates soulful clean singing with some ''intense'' {{Metal Scream}}s. Notably, the vocals are so well executed that some critics initially assumed that Gagneux had sampled them from old soul recordings, which Gagneux sharply denies. Given that he pulls them off live, this seems unlikely.