Black Label Society - 1919 Eternal (CD)

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There is no doubt that Zakk Wylde is one of the few great guitarists to come out of America.  Ever since he was plucked from obscurity by Ozzy Osbourne to play on No Rest For The Wicked, his grinding riffs and virtuoso solos have left fans in awe.  Part doom, part southern rock, and part blues, this man has done everything.  His current band, Black Label Society, if you haven't already heard them, are by far one of the most heaviest bands around at the moment.  Their first 3 albums are exceptional quality, full of hard rocking metal, it's hard to place this band in a pigeonhole because it has elements of so many different kinds of metal and rock.

My favourite track of the album was the ballad Bridge To Cross, other highlights were Demise Of Sanity, which had the best riff of the album, and was more like the BLS I first got into than most of this album.  Mass Murder Machine had a great Stoner sound to it, Graveyard Disciples had an excellent chorus, and Refuse To Bow Down had some more great riffing.

1919 Eternal is a bit different to what has come before it by BLS.  It seems to have less of Zakk's great soloing and not as many heavy riffs, which is basically BLS's best point.  It kind of makes me think Zakk has spent too much time around the pop bands he travels with for Ozzfest.  The songs aren't bad, some of them just lack the spark their earlier albums had.  If you haven't tried this band yet, I'd suggest listening to Stronger Than Death first.