Black Label Society's Order of The Black - A Re-inspired Zakk is Back!

Zakk is back!!

Indeed. I couldn’t find any more appropriate three words to begin this. For five years I had been growin’ roots in my ass out of snoozfest from anything post- Mafia. Even Zakk’s presence in Ozzy’s band had been of the same serving. But at fuckin’ last, fate throws in the bucket of cold water, and the beast awakens.

It could’ve been one or all factors together. Ozzy’s firing, blood clotting, alcoholism, whatever it is, there must be something that had finally summoned guts of steel to make Zakk finally put all overused stuff aside, and  bring everything ‘back to basic’. A true return to form, I must say.

Before spinning this record, I honestly felt a need to duck in a quasi-cringed manner in anticipation of a salvo of pinch harmonics and wound string vibratos, three repetitions of each for every riff. But God was I surprised to hear all those had been virtually laid to rest. It will not be until the fifth track, Black Sunday, before this record greets you with the standard BLS sound. And, besides being blown away right off the bat by the preceding tracks, it’s not that much of his ‘template’ either. Notice how it starts with a shredfest of insane legatos and howls (reminiscent of those from that Tesla song) before it explodes into the berserkin Sonic Brew fashion.

My personal pick here, Parade of The Dead, should have been placed as the first track in my opinion. It steps away as a typical southern metal song, and even farther from slow sludge that is trademark BLS. Instead, it hits you so fast on all eight cylinders and lets you feel how Zakk and his boys are so damned dead serious in doing this record. The riff is so tailored-fit for his left-right headshakin and hair-whippin’ move. It opens up with.. Exterminate..! A word that’s in the ranks of Mafia lingo makes me wonder how much of the gangster fascination made it again into this record. The first track, Crazy Horse, also as you may observe is the name of that infamous night club of Adriana from The Sopranos. It could be some Neil Young trib, but I can't help but ponder..

Anyhow, it’s a different ride for every track here but every bit is just killer. War of Heaven starts in slow dark devil’s thirds yet it ignites in a bluesy main riff. Godspeed Hellbound, which is another favorite, employs a fast chugging rhythm but one that is unmistakably fast rock n’ roll. Clearly a biker’s anthem. Chupacabra, smart title choice for such brazen display of talent. Zakk really need not prove how fast his pentatonic is, but as always, he would want it delivered raw, with no effects.

The ballads here, which have been making a fuss about how utterly creative this album is, (or how disappointingly lame and anti-climactic, depending on which perspective you’re at) are of all in an assortment of genres. Darkest Days is a soulful piano ballad. Time Waits for No One (child!), is slow classic rock in the likes of early Elton John and Bob Seger. Shallow Grave is a bit American folkish of a piano ballad, and a darn sad one at that. January, is the 80s rock acoustic session touch thrown in for the finale. There is no doubt this record is some serious display of musicianship, undermining all accusations that Zakk is but pure image antics. 

Overall, Order of The Black, in spite of being so diverse and multifarious, is one unabashed BLS smokin' record. It's evident that as much as I hate doing track by track account of songs, it was to be a necessary evil in this case. As well, I had to point out that however liberal and wide-encompassing my usage of the word metal goes, this for me is wickedly heavy rock n roll. One so heavy that it borders to the extreme its almost heavy metal.

So celebrate all you Berserkers old and new, for this one great record that can make us proud to waive the flag high once again: Strength, Determination, Merciless Forever!