Black Label Society preview

Black Label Society
Congress Theatre, Chicago
Friday, November 10, 2006

It makes us tired just talking about Zakk Wylde’s workload. Since 2001 Wylde has released seven studio records: one, Down To Earth, with Ozzy and six as the frontman/guitarist for Black Label Society. He also released a live record, 2001’s Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live!!, which makes sense because he is perpetually on the road, either with Ozzy or BLS and sometimes with both; Wylde has pulled double duty on numerous Ozzfest runs.

The first reaction to Wylde’s super-human work ethic is admiration. In the day and age where three to four years has become the average length between records, Wylde is a throwback to when bands hit the studio 11 months after their most recent release. To boot, you will never see Wylde bitch about the “hardships” or recording or how difficult it is to be on the road or even about the annoyance of doing press. He takes it all in stride, knows what comes with the territory, and generally handles studio trips the same way he seems to handle everything: Crack open the brews and kick out the jams.

A different way of thinking says Wylde needs a few weeks in the Bahamas. Maybe, just maybe, he should aim for an album every year-and-a-half or two years instead. BLS’ meat-and-potato hard rock doesn’t involve a lot of intricate writing or recording sessions, but if the group’s last two records, this year’s Roadrunner debut Shot To Hell, and last year’s Mafia, prove anything, Wylde needs to recharge the creative battery. Those two records weren’t horrible, but they do give the appearance Wylde is no longer distinguishing between awesome, memorable riffs (like those found on prior BLS albums) and tossed-off, generic ones. But hey, he’s still Zakk fuckin’ Wylde and still plays guitar better than anyone you know.

Black Stone Cherry open.

— Trevor Fisher

Click here to listen to “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly