Blessed Hellride, The - Black Label Society

Because this album is the PERFECT soundtrack to any sun-drenched, boozed up holiday, festival of barbie in the back garden.

I always found it weird that I didn't enjoy this album in the winter, but I eventually came to realise that it is a summer album - you need beer, you need sun, and you need to be enjoying yourself to fully appreciate this album.

After the darker "1919 Eternal", I remember thinking about ...
...forward musically. Zakk had already released solo effort "Book of Shadows", proving his versatility as a musician, and although "Sonic Brew" was better, "1919..." was still a solid metal album, and had appeared to have covered all bases. Not so. Because this album is VERY different from its predecessor.

Zakk keeps his trademark chugging riffs, and his even more famous pinch harmonics, but brought a different ... more

Because this album is the PERFECT soundtrack to any sun-drenched, boozed up holiday, festival of barbie in the back garden.

I always found it weird that I didn't enjoy this album in the winter, but I eventually came to realise that it is a summer album - you need beer, you need sun, and you need to be enjoying yourself to fully appreciate this album.

After the darker "1919 Eternal", I remember thinking about how Zakk Wylde and co. were going to possibly move forward musically. Zakk had already released solo effort "Book of Shadows", proving his versatility as a musician, and although "Sonic Brew" was better, "1919..." was still a solid metal album, and had appeared to have covered all bases. Not so. Because this album is VERY different from its predecessor.

Zakk keeps his trademark chugging riffs, and his even more famous pinch harmonics, but brought a different approach to his vocals. This album, in my view, is Zakk's finest moment as a vocalist - no other album touches it. His Southern drawl is still ever-present, but the vocals are much stronger and polished, if you will. He can hold notes for longer, has a greater range, and still manages to keep his "heavy metal" grunts at the same time. Classic.

Tracks such as "Funeral Bell" and "Stoned and Drunk" provide riffs and rythms you can't hell but tap a foot and nod your head too - a hallmark of a great rock track. Added to this, the dynamics in each track are probably superior to any other BLS album. This is a great addition to the arsenal of Zakk Wylde, an already brilliantly talented musician.

In fact, for this album, Zakk layed down the bass, rythm guitar, lead guitar and piano ON HIS OWN, saying "I don't trust other people to do it the way I want it done". And this album is so Zakk Wylde, you can almost taste it.

Evident in this album are influences from some of Wylde's heroes - Black Sabbath, the Allman Brothers, and even the odd lick that is reminiscent of Tony Iommi's solo work. In fact, "We Live No More" is so Iommi that you have to remind yourself that it ISN'T. I wonder if Zakk shouldn't produce more Iommi-esque licks - they seem to suit him down to the ground, and are essentially timeless riffs.

The MAJOR downfall of this album in my eyes, is the fact that he has Ozzy cameo on "Stillborn". An already poor track that reminds me more a Chris Benoit's (WWE wrestler) entrance music than a BLS powerhouse track, is made even more corny by Ozzy providing backing vocals.

Now Ozzy suits Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbth, but he most definitely does not suit BLS.

This is my ony major complaint.

Apart from that, Wylde produces some brilliant chops, notably the solo from "Funeral Bell", as well as managing some impressive slower tracks in "Dead Meadow" and "Blackened Waters".

The title track is quite possibly the best track on the album. Contrary to popular belief, the guitar is NOT acoustic, but instead a Les Paul studio on clean channel. The rythm is simple but effective, very catchy, and the lyrics, although not the best in the world, suit the track down to the ground. The solo is one of the best Wylde has wrote, beaten only, in my view, by the solos to "Perry Mason" and "No More Tears" in Zakk's axe work for Ozzy. The solo shows Zakk's heavy influence from blues: using the pentatonic scales to huge effect, reminiscent of an Allman Brothers piece sped up 100 times over.

This may not be the best BLS album in some people's eyes, but for me, it comes damn close. Zakk's guitar playing is at it's best - his pick attack coming close to being as clean as Paul Gilbert's, his solos becoming more thoughtfull, and his tracks becoming more entertaining.

This is worth a buy. Probably one of the best metal albums of 2003. 

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