Black Label Society
Stronger Than Death
Spitfire
Zakky, baby, what¹s going on here? Alas, Zakk Wylde¹s Black Label Society returns for another round of drinks with Stronger Than Death, their second, the Wylde One appearing quite fond of the hops n¹ barley, as "The Bylaws and Code of Honor" of the Society dictates, among other things, "God, Family, Beer," "Refuse to Lose/Born to Booze," and ahem "Thou Shalt Not Spilleth Thy Beer." Nice words to live by, Œcept maybe for that God part. And Zakk¹s also looking quite buff these days, reportedly power-lifting rocks and dead-lifting 405, both handsome amounts for such a nimble-fingered guitarist. But Stronger Than Death? Uh, no. Call it what you will, but I¹d call it talent wasted. Much like Max Cavalera¹s Soulfly, BLS sadly and obviously wastes Wylde¹s gift of riff, sounding way too much like a half-baked Pantera (execution-wise, that is, but come to think of itŠ), too much like there¹s nothing on the line, too much like less flash (erroneously) equals more power, too-simplified ideas for even-simpler minds. Snooty that may sound, but I guess I¹m just not the punter to wash this down with relish and vigor. Ring me up when you do that next Ozzy record, okay?
Spitfire, http://www.spitfirerecords.com
Nathan T. Birk
