-Black Label Society-

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY have given you a taste of the old Sonic Brew, showed you they were Stronger Than Death and made themselves Eternal. Now, from the depths of the Rock 'n' Roll underworld, Zakk Wylde and his legion emerge to grab 'n' drag you to take The Blessed Hellride, their latest infernal rollercoaster ride filled with plenty of curves, sharp turns and steep plunges.

Ringleader Zakk Wylde is certainly no stranger to the scene, and he carries a resume many a six-stringer would die for. At the age of fourteen, Zakk’s attention started to turn away from sports and towards the guitar. He took lessons from several instructors and eventually delved into the highly-disciplined world of classical music, as well as that of his favored rock and metal gods, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and AC/DC. After paying his dues in local bands, the New Jersey native was discovered by rock photo legend Mark Weiss and Dave Feld, who scored the young lad an audition with metal godfather Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath fame. Zakk landed the gig and became the newest heir to rock's greatest guitar dynasty, preceded by maestros Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Brad Gillis and Tony Iommi. These were big shoes to fill, but Zakk met all songwriting and recording expectations, leading the charge through several multi-platinum Ozzy albums, including No Rest For The Wicked, No More Tears, the Grammy-winning Live And Loud and Ozzmosis. Like Ozzy, Zakk was quite the showman. No one could miss his spread-eagle playing position, long blonde locks, retro bell-bottomed pants and trademark bulls-eye guitar design. Zakk made his own mark by helping to beef up Ozzy's overall sound. His knack for fat, chunky riffs and liberal doses of string harmonics would carry through to his own projects, including the Skynyrd-meets-Metallica musings of Pride & Glory and the ultra-heavy Black Label Society. Amidst the carnage, Zakk has always shown an open mind for more subtle dynamics, from Ozzy ballads like 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' to his acoustic solo project Book of Shadows to BLS material like 'Spoke In The Wheel' (from Sonic Brew) and 'Bridge To Cross' (from last year's 1919 Eternal). Given all this, it's no surprise Zakk has been embraced by music fans and musicians alike. The 2003 Guitar World Readers' Poll is proof of this, where Zakk emerged victorious as Most Valuable Player. In the same poll, 1919 Eternal nabbed the number-three spot in the 'Best Metal Guitar Albums' category, and Zakk landed right behind Pantera buddy Dimebag Darrell in the 'Best Metal' player slot. 1919 Eternal also made an impressive showing on the Billboard charts, debuting at #149 in the top 200, #6 on the Heatseeker charts and #7 on the Top Independent Albums list.

On The Blessed Hellride, BLS continue to preach the gospel of 'God, Family, Beer' via their trademark, slack-tuned guitar barrage, thunderous rhythm mechanics, raw-but-melodic vocal strains and gritty lyric arsenal. Zakk and Co. retain their heavyweight title as purveyors of everything down and dirty, from the inebriated anthem 'Stoned And Drunk' to the brutal punch of 'Doomsday Jesus' to the meaty shuffle of 'Suffering Overdue' to the locomotive drive of the first single 'Stillborn.' As always, Black Label Society balance the aural assault with beautiful, poignant balladry such as 'Blackened Waters,' 'The Blessed Hellride' and the melancholic, piano-driven 'Dead Meadow.' The results are amazing, considering everything was basically done in the studio with Zakk handling all vocal and bass duties, as well. The main man wastes no words in describing the basic setup.

Says Zakk, 'I don't have any fuckin' songs at all. We just go into the studio, and as soon as we get in there, I just start writing. After five or six weeks, something like that, from the beginning with no songs, it’s written, recorded, mixed and mastered.'
'I always write riffs while I'm sittin' around the house but, you know, when we get into the studio, everything just sounds ass-kickin.' So, it just inspires you in a way.'
'Once we start playing, I know what I want. I know what I'm hearing in my head and I start playing it. I enjoy the whole process of just having nothing and then all of a sudden…it's like building a house, you know? You’ve stuck in the foundation and, all of a sudden, it's just like the house starts coming together. I enjoy the whole thing - writing lyrics, writing melodies and going different places with some of the songs, as opposed to going 'I fuckin' did something like that on the last record,’ or 'I did this with Ozzy back in whatever,' you know what I mean? I’m just tryin' to challenge myself, fuckin' outdo what I did last time.' When asked whether the recording experience behind The Blessed Hellride was any different from past ones, Zakk said:
'I think the alcohol bill might have been a little bit higher, that's about it. We all had a fuckin' ass-kickin' time while we’re makin' the album. We just made music that we like fuckin' listening to.'

Prepare to board The Blessed Hellride, ready for passengers on April 22, 2003 through Spitfire Records. Wylde is also released a live DVD in late July 2003, Boozed, Broozed & Broken Boned: Live With The Detroit Chapter, a visual feast that captures the onslaught of the Black Label metal machine in all its debauched glory.