Mafia - Black Label Society

...on your hands. You see, Mafia is barely recognisable as BLS except for the guitar solos. I am all for bands progressing, and trying new things, but this latest installment from Mr Wylde says to me that he has either forgot where his roots are, or is doing what he can to get more record sales. This comes as a disappointmentto me, after seeing BLS live, and hearing Zakk preach about how he will stay true to his roots and not "sell out".
...album: YOU HAVE.

With the solitary exception of "Suicide Messiah", I wuld say that this album lacks the attitude, conviction and trademark sound of the previous BLS albums I have come to know and love. Zakk seems to think that as long as he throws in the odd pinch harmonic, that all will be well, and fans will be happy. Not true. This album is great for newer BLS fans - ie. those who like the "lighter" side of rock ... more

I have been a fan of Zakk Wykde and his Black Label Society for nearing 7 years or so, first really getting into them via albums such as "Sonic Brew", "Stronger Than Death" and "1919 Eternal". Sadly though, after the former, Zakk and Co appear to go downhill.

When you compare the tracklisting from "Sonic Brew" to that of "Mafia", you have quite a problem on your hands. You see, Mafia is barely recognisable as BLS except for the guitar solos. I am all for bands progressing, and trying new things, but this latest installment from Mr Wylde says to me that he has either forgot where his roots are, or is doing what he can to get more record sales. This comes as a disappointmentto me, after seeing BLS live, and hearing Zakk preach about how he will stay true to his roots and not "sell out".

Well sorry, Zakk, but looking at this album: YOU HAVE.

With the solitary exception of "Suicide Messiah", I wuld say that this album lacks the attitude, conviction and trademark sound of the previous BLS albums I have come to know and love. Zakk seems to think that as long as he throws in the odd pinch harmonic, that all will be well, and fans will be happy. Not true. This album is great for newer BLS fans - ie. those who like the "lighter" side of rock music, more mainstream sounding music, and who either do not like, or have simply not bothered to listen to, earlier BLS releases.

Gone are the days of classics such as "Born To Lose", "Stronger Than Death", "Spoke In The Wheel" and TAZ. The trademark chugging riffs just don't feel the same, and the vocals are not even close to the Southern-Fried metal-esque grunts that we are accustomed to. Zakk says his biggest influence in terms of vocals is Ozzy. Well on this album, he is turning into Ozzy, but can't pull it off.

Some of the vocals remind me of classic Sabbath, but without the substance of a decent riff and rythm behind them. Without these two things, you are left with a substandard release that does absolutely nothing for me as an "old school" metal fan.

The tribute to Dimebag "In This River" is obviously heartfelt, but is one of those generic tracks on an album that people give lip service to out of duty. it's almost like "that's about Dimebag, so it must be good". Well, I disagree. It's a personal song to Zakk, no doubt, but I can't help feeling it is out of place on this album, and on the whole, pretty poor, if I'm honest.

I hoped for a lot with this album. "The Blessed Hellride" was a step in the right direction - great, beer swigging metal, with quality tracks, and quality acoustic/electric guitar work. It was very different to the previous releases, but in a good way. it was a progression. I can't help but feel that with this album, Zakk has taken two steps back.

I hope for the next BLS release, we see either a return to the classic side of things a lá "Sonic Brew", or a more adventurous album akin to "Book of Shadows" and "Hangover Music".

For the average metal fan, and for a fan of Zakk Wylde, this album is not great. By most standards it is "ok", "satisfactory" and "not bad".

But from a perspective of knowing what Zakk and BLS are capable of, it is a poor effort that is really a waste of money. If you want quality BLS albums, get Sonic Brew, 1919 Eternal or Stronger Than Death. Hell, even The Blessed Hellride is a great album. However, this, much to my disappointment, is not. 

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