Zeal & Ardor

Zeal & Ardor started in 2013 as a solo experiment by Swiss-American musician Manuel Gagneux. After asking users of an online forum which genres he should combine, he set out to answer one question: what if African American slaves had embraced Satan instead of Jesus? The result fused black metal with spirituals, blues and work songs.

The debut Devil Is Fine appeared on Bandcamp in 2016 and went viral. Gagneux then put together a full live band in Switzerland for a 2017 appearance at Roadburn Festival, and followed with Stranger Fruit (2018) and the live album Live in London (2019).

The self-titled third album (2022) broadened the sound further, with industrial, punk and electronic touches alongside the trademark chants. Bassist Lukas Kurmann had replaced Mia Rafaela Dieu in 2019.

Greif, released on 23 August 2024, is the first album Gagneux wrote and recorded together with the full touring band. Named after the griffin figure of Basel’s carnival, it pushes the project into funk, classic rock and fragile indie territory.

Current line-up: Manuel Gagneux (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Denis Wagner (backing vocals), Marc Obrist (backing vocals), Tiziano Volante (guitar), Lukas Kurmann (bass), Marco Von Allmen (drums)