Black Label Society – Kings of Damnation

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Spitfire Records
Produced by Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society released five studio albums, a live DVD and a live record on Spitfire records between 1998 and 2004. Spitfire also have Zakk’s solo record Book of Shadows from 1996 and the self-titled album by his first post-Ozzy band Pride & Glory. Black Label Society have now moved on to Artemis Records for their sixth studio effort Mafia, but Spitfire have seen fit to issue a Best Of album ahead of the forthcoming live DVD recorded on the European leg of the Mafia World Tour in June.

This release is strange. Firstly, it’s called Kings of Damnation 98-04 and secondly it’s meant to be a Black Label Society record. Yet, the first four tracks on the CD (and three tracks on the special edition bonus CD) are from the Pride & Glory album and the solo album. Not only are these not Black Label Society records, but they were also recorded before 1998. “94-04 The Best of Zakk Wylde” would make much more sense.

Originally, the tracklist for this album was set to included four previously unreleased live acoustic renditions of classic BLS tracks on the first disc. This was later changed just before release. All four of the live acoustic tracks have now been removed, to be replaced by the studio versions of Stillborn and The Blessed Hellride, Bored To Tears and Speedball. When the tracklist for this release was first released, the feeling was that it was far too light for a BLS best of. Only six tracks out of a total of twenty three were actually heavy.

Elsewhere the song selection is pretty good. All the major tracks from the Spitfire releases are present, including Losin’ Your Mind and Horse Called War from Pride & Glory, Between Heaven And Hell and Sold My Soul from Book of Shadows and BLS classics Counterfeit God, Bleed For Me and Stronger Then Death. The inclusion of no less than three instrumental tracks (TAZ, Speedball and Takillya) is a little strange. Proper tracks would have been a much better idea. However, the major highlight is saved until the end. Two unreleased studio tracks. Entitled Doomsday Inc. and SDMF, both tracks are heavy but sound quite different to most BLS material, while still retaining the classic sound of the early albums. It is known that Doomesday Inc. dates back to 2001 thanks to a recent discovery at the US Copyright Agency that turned up many song titles copyrighted by Zakk but never released.

Disc two of the set is a covers CD. There’s nothing new, it’s just a seven track CD containing all the cover songs Zakk has released in his career so far (except I Never Dreamed from Mafia, obviously). Personally, I think this bonus disc could have been put to much better use by putting all the unreleased live acoustic songs on it. It has had three enhanced videos added to it though (not present on the original tracklist). These are the promo videos for Stillborn (also on the Boozed, Broozed & Broken-Boned DVD) and Counterfeit God and a live video of Bleed For Me taken from the DVD.

Overall, somewhat of a missed opportunity in places, particularly with the second disc, but nonetheless, an excellent introduction to Zakk’s music for the uninitiated, and the new songs will probably attract most of the older die-hard fans. Some will remain reluctant to part with the cash, preferring to acquire the songs for free on the Internet, but I guess they’re not quite the fans the others are.

“ excellent introduction ”

Tracklist:
CD1 – Losin’ Your Mind / Horse Called War / Between Heaven And Hell / Sold My Soul / Bored To Tears / Bleed For Me / TAZ / Counterfeit God / Stronger Than Death / Speedball / Demise of Sanity / We Live No More / Stillborn / The Blessed Hellride / Crazy Or High / House of Doom / Takillya / Doomsday Inc. / SDMF
CD2 – No More Tears / White Shade of Pale / Heart of Gold / Snowblind / The Wizard / In My Time of Dying / Come Together

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Heavy Metal, Black Label Society