Black Label Society: Any Good?
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danlo
- Lord
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Black Label Society: Any Good?
Heard a pretty cool song by Black Label Society tonight on the way home from my Grad School class. Didn't catch the name think it's What's in You? thought it was Ozboring at first (they're apparently on Ozfest this year) but abit more interesting...quick search reveals that Zakk Wilde has something to do with it. What are your takes? Any good? Worth looking into?
fall far and well Pilots!
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theDespiser
- <i>Haruchai</i>
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yeah, its Zakks band...guiatar and vocals...kinda like...dirty biker Metal...some songs are better than others...the blessed hellride was better than the new one, mafia somethin or other...though ive only heard a few songs from each...
Think on that, and be dismayed
What do you do to a man who has lost everything?
Give him back something broken
What do you do to a man who has lost everything?
Give him back something broken
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Luke The Unbeliever
- Elohim
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I bought their <i>1919 : ETERNAL</i> CD, and I love it.
They have the feel of a basement project, but it's straight ahead metal with good solos and good riffs. Plus I happen to like Zakk's voice, it's distinct.
And they aren't all speeder songs, they do some good slow songs with really good emotional guitar solos....although, I'm a little biased here, because I play guitar and love Zakk's work.
I say definitely check them out.
They have the feel of a basement project, but it's straight ahead metal with good solos and good riffs. Plus I happen to like Zakk's voice, it's distinct.
And they aren't all speeder songs, they do some good slow songs with really good emotional guitar solos....although, I'm a little biased here, because I play guitar and love Zakk's work.
I say definitely check them out.
Brian: Who cured you?
Ex-Leper: Jesus did, sir. I was hopping along, minding my own business, all of a sudden, up he comes, cures me! One minute I'm a leper with a trade, next minute my livelihood's gone. Not so much as a by-your-leave! "You're cured, mate." Bloody do-gooder.
Brian: Well, why don't you go and tell him you want to be a leper again?
Ex-Leper: Uh, I could do that sir, yeah. Yeah, I could do that I suppose. What I was thinking was I was going to ask him if he could make me a bit lame in one leg during the middle of the week. You know, something beggable, but not leprosy, which is a pain in the @$$ to be blunt and excuse my French, sir.
Ex-Leper: Jesus did, sir. I was hopping along, minding my own business, all of a sudden, up he comes, cures me! One minute I'm a leper with a trade, next minute my livelihood's gone. Not so much as a by-your-leave! "You're cured, mate." Bloody do-gooder.
Brian: Well, why don't you go and tell him you want to be a leper again?
Ex-Leper: Uh, I could do that sir, yeah. Yeah, I could do that I suppose. What I was thinking was I was going to ask him if he could make me a bit lame in one leg during the middle of the week. You know, something beggable, but not leprosy, which is a pain in the @$$ to be blunt and excuse my French, sir.
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Cord Hurn
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I saw BLS opening for Judas Priest back on October of 2011. I thought they sounded all right, so I bought a compilation of theirs, called Skullage. I'm going to post my thoughts on the latest listen of that, because I just did it and because I think this thread could use a good bump.
Skullage
Machine Gun Man - This comes on with some sweet-sounding picking, very adroitly played (but I'd expect nothing less from somebody like Zakk Wylde who first came to prominence being hired for his ability to play Randy Rhoads solos). This has a country music sound in the verses and southern boogie in the choruses. And that's okay when I'm in the mood for that, like about right now.
Dead As Yesterday - Adding a violin helps further communicate the melancholy bent of the lyrics. It's got pretty good singing from ZW, and it doesn''t go on too long for you to get really tired of the melody.
All For You - Some entertaining noise in this one, through the rhythm section turns in a somewhat uninspired performance. But this one seems to be about the axe grinding, musically and lyrically. Not great, but passably listenable.
13 Years Of Grief - On this listen, I'm not much for the shrill tone in this song to someone facing incarceration. I don't think Black Label Society exhibits first-rate songwriting, which is why they have kind of a garage band sound. And usualy they can rock out enough to partially cover for the mediocre songcrafting---usually.
Bleed For Me - The closest I've heard to a BLS song with hit single potential, with its catchy chorus, a short-and-stirring solo, and fairly memorable lyrics.
Doomsday Jesus - I was getting more into a metal-listening mood by the time I started into this one, and I give it an enthusiastic "thumbs-up" for its formidable avalanche of a melody.
Stillborn - ZW's sometime boss Ozzy dropped by to inject more sincerity into the song for a line like "waited here for you for so very long", and he truly sounds worried. An okay rocker, but it never makes me want to playback and repeat.
Won't Find It Here - Disappointment expressed with a melody I find easy to like, though the music seems to wander aimlessly for and moment in the solo section and drags down the song a bit.
Suicide Messiah - Yeah, it rocks and it sports a quasi-infectious chorus, along with an economical solo that won't wear out my interest. So, I think I can say this tune will work well with me more oftentimes than not.
In This River - Another ballad, and the violin has been called back into service for a song I find unremarkable except for how well the vocal harmony clicks along.
Fire It Up - Nice and funky, this number, and I think I like it the best so far of any selection in this compilation. It just slithers along with style and ease.
New Religion - Well, I certainly can't accuse Black Label Society of having a bunch of songs that sound alike, not with the extended intro of strings and piano that is found here. More heavy metal music follows the intro. "My new religion is you" sounds rather strange, but it's the only real blemish on this song, in my opinion.
"Slightly Amped" - Enjoyable acoustic picking, with a down-home flavor like your favorite family recipe resurrected unto gastronomic glory. Ol' Zakk can almost make his whining sound like Layne Staley, and that's a compliment coming from this Alice In Chains fan.
The Blessed Hellride (acoustic) - This sounds fairly fitting when a single acoustic guitar carries the melody of a song about being unwilling to roll off the wagon for even a short while. It makes the song a bit more of a lament, and the vocals sound like they're dispensing some bone-dry honesty.
Spoke In The Wheel - Soothing without becoming soporific, though it almost becomes sleep-inducing because it drags on too long for my taste. There are no interesting melodic changes that I could find.
Stillborn (acoustic) - The song sounds more mournful in its acoustic version, and Zakk's voice without Ozzy's vocal support changes the tone of the words from anxiety to bitterness. But this version can't be too much of a "downer", thanks to the upbeat-sounding picking in the solo.
I'd never consider this to be a great band, with its feel of side project garge band with money to burn. But BLS is kind of enjoyable, when I'm in the mood for either acoustic ballads or fairly heavy metal.
Skullage
Machine Gun Man - This comes on with some sweet-sounding picking, very adroitly played (but I'd expect nothing less from somebody like Zakk Wylde who first came to prominence being hired for his ability to play Randy Rhoads solos). This has a country music sound in the verses and southern boogie in the choruses. And that's okay when I'm in the mood for that, like about right now.
Dead As Yesterday - Adding a violin helps further communicate the melancholy bent of the lyrics. It's got pretty good singing from ZW, and it doesn''t go on too long for you to get really tired of the melody.
All For You - Some entertaining noise in this one, through the rhythm section turns in a somewhat uninspired performance. But this one seems to be about the axe grinding, musically and lyrically. Not great, but passably listenable.
13 Years Of Grief - On this listen, I'm not much for the shrill tone in this song to someone facing incarceration. I don't think Black Label Society exhibits first-rate songwriting, which is why they have kind of a garage band sound. And usualy they can rock out enough to partially cover for the mediocre songcrafting---usually.
Bleed For Me - The closest I've heard to a BLS song with hit single potential, with its catchy chorus, a short-and-stirring solo, and fairly memorable lyrics.
Doomsday Jesus - I was getting more into a metal-listening mood by the time I started into this one, and I give it an enthusiastic "thumbs-up" for its formidable avalanche of a melody.
Stillborn - ZW's sometime boss Ozzy dropped by to inject more sincerity into the song for a line like "waited here for you for so very long", and he truly sounds worried. An okay rocker, but it never makes me want to playback and repeat.
Won't Find It Here - Disappointment expressed with a melody I find easy to like, though the music seems to wander aimlessly for and moment in the solo section and drags down the song a bit.
Suicide Messiah - Yeah, it rocks and it sports a quasi-infectious chorus, along with an economical solo that won't wear out my interest. So, I think I can say this tune will work well with me more oftentimes than not.
In This River - Another ballad, and the violin has been called back into service for a song I find unremarkable except for how well the vocal harmony clicks along.
Fire It Up - Nice and funky, this number, and I think I like it the best so far of any selection in this compilation. It just slithers along with style and ease.
New Religion - Well, I certainly can't accuse Black Label Society of having a bunch of songs that sound alike, not with the extended intro of strings and piano that is found here. More heavy metal music follows the intro. "My new religion is you" sounds rather strange, but it's the only real blemish on this song, in my opinion.
"Slightly Amped" - Enjoyable acoustic picking, with a down-home flavor like your favorite family recipe resurrected unto gastronomic glory. Ol' Zakk can almost make his whining sound like Layne Staley, and that's a compliment coming from this Alice In Chains fan.
The Blessed Hellride (acoustic) - This sounds fairly fitting when a single acoustic guitar carries the melody of a song about being unwilling to roll off the wagon for even a short while. It makes the song a bit more of a lament, and the vocals sound like they're dispensing some bone-dry honesty.
Spoke In The Wheel - Soothing without becoming soporific, though it almost becomes sleep-inducing because it drags on too long for my taste. There are no interesting melodic changes that I could find.
Stillborn (acoustic) - The song sounds more mournful in its acoustic version, and Zakk's voice without Ozzy's vocal support changes the tone of the words from anxiety to bitterness. But this version can't be too much of a "downer", thanks to the upbeat-sounding picking in the solo.
I'd never consider this to be a great band, with its feel of side project garge band with money to burn. But BLS is kind of enjoyable, when I'm in the mood for either acoustic ballads or fairly heavy metal.
Crap. Zakk's tone is crap, his pinch harmonics are crap, and he's stolen every look he's had from someone else.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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