Photo of Zakk Wylde courtesy of Epiphone.com
The Black Label Society with Black Stone Cherry and Priestess
Nov. 12 at the Beaumont Club
Who needs Ozzy?
The presence of iconic heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne could hardly have improved the towering performance of Zakk Wylde and the Black Label Society Sunday night at the Beaumont Club.
Osbourne may be effectively out to pasture, but his former guitarist demonstrated that heavy metal is in extraordinarily capable hands during his 95-minute show for a crowd of approximately 1,200 loyal fans. Black Label Society deftly updates the classic sound of Black Sabbath and Osborne’s solo career by making it faster, louder and more melodic.
Sure, it’s a bit cartoonish. But it’s rarely dumb.
While in full thrash mode, a Black Label Society concert sounds like a prison riot. And the slightly disturbing ritualistic response of the quartet’s audience resembles a fanatical political rally. Songs like “Suicide Messiah” and “Concrete Jungle” rage with ferocity. The intensity of the attack is enhanced by Wylde’s appearance. With his long blond hair, Wylde resembles a viking warrior in full battle mode.
But it’s not all about bringing the noise. Wylde put down his guitar to play three ballads while seated at a keyboard. He dedicated one song to “No. 58, Derrick Thomas” of the Chiefs, and another to the late Dimebag Darrell, the slain guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan.
The low point of his performance was an excruciating 10-minute guitar solo. There wasn’t a cliche Wylde didn’t embrace, from playing behind his back to picking his guitar with his teeth. He even reprised Hendrix’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” It’s confounding that a man widely considered to be one of metal’s top guitarists has nothing of interest to say in his solos.
"The Kansas City chapter of the Black Label Society,” as Wylde called the biker-oriented crowd, also embraced tour companions Black Stone Cherry. Like the homely offspring of an unholy union between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Sabbath, the Kentucky good ol’ boys impressed with their sturdy Southern-fried boogie.
Songs like “Lonely Train” and “Hell & High Water” are timeless, in the sense that they wouldn’t have sounded out of place in 1976. Black Stone Cherry only faltered on a woefully sodden cover of Muddy Water’s “Mannish Boy.” If that’s the blues, then Josh Groban is the new Robert Johnson.
Canadian band Priestess opened the show with an effective set of psychedelic-tinged metal. Ozzy would have approved.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
The interesting information, the tonic on a note! Like the homely offspring of an unholy union between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Sabbath, the Kentucky good ol’ boys impressed with their sturdy Southern-fried boogie.
Posted by: russische frau | May 25, 2011 at 07:22 AM