What’s the 4-1-1?
Zakk Wylde began his rise to rock godliness at the age of 19 as the guitar player for Ozzy Osbourne’s band. On the side Zakk did two solo projects and of course formed the band Black Label Society. Spitfire Records has decided to honor Zakk’s legacy (and most likely fulfill contract obligations) with this release that gathers his solo material from Pride & Glory and Book of Shadows, plus his five Black Label Society Albums (and two unreleased tracks).
Genre
Heavy metal / hard rock
The Good
If you haven’t heard Zakk Wylde’s early material, you may be a little surprised early on in this collection. He wasn’t exactly the metal powerhouse he is today. There was a lot of southern rock and country influence on “Losing Your Mind” from the Pride & Glory days. I wasn’t a big fan of Book of Shadows, but they picked probably the best two songs from that record that represent the Zakk of today; “Between Heaven and Hell” represents his softer acoustic side (with some great guitar tones), while “Sold My Soul” crossing the bridge from acoustic to electric mayhem. I would say these are the most commercial songs Wylde has ever done.
I was a bit disappointed that only one song from Sonic Brew was chosen, because that was by far the best BLS album in my opinion, but at least they picked the thunderous and devastating “Bored to Tears." “Bleed for Me” showcases a monstrous chugga-chugga riff and a vocally melodic Zakk Wylde. “Stillborn” is where Ozzy Osbourne helped out his faithful guitarist out with vocal; although, both men sound pretty much the same. “Crazy or High” revisits Zakk’s early days of acoustic-based rock, but combines it with Zakk’s new-found vocal style and always consistent solos. There are two unreleased tracks included in the best of collection; “Doomsday Inc.” is a balls-to-the wall metal thriller, and “SDMF” is just as powerful with a lot of enhancing electronic effects.
Article comments
1 - Chris Beaumont
Very cool! I have always liked Zakk's playing, but have failed to keep up on BLS. I have the first album and the DVD they released. I may pick this up to get myself back up to speed. I did really like the Book of Shadows disk. It gave more dimension to him while he was doing the Ozzu thing.
2 - RAY
Let me tell you something about BLS! Every Album he puts out gets better and better If you dont have em all your a fool. Fire it Up! Let the engines ROLL!