The Bottom Line
Guitar wizard Zakk Wylde and company deliver another solid CD.
Pros
- Excellent guitar work.
- Nice mix of fast and slow songs.
Cons
- Nothing new or groundbreaking.
Description
- Released in North America September 12, 2006 on Roadrunner Records.
- Produced by Zakk Wylde and Michael Beinhorn (Ozzy Osbourne, Korn).
- This is Black Label Society's 8th album.
Guide Review - Black Label Society - Shot To Hell
With Black Label Society you pretty much know what you're going to get on each album: rousing anthems with plenty of guitar virtuosity from Zakk Wylde. And they deliver plenty of that on Shot To Hell, but they also show a mellower side. We saw that side previously on Hangover Music, and this album is a pretty equal mix of the rockers and the ballads.
Wylde's vocals are solid enough, and use quite a bit of effects and processing. He focuses mainly on his lower register, and only does the higher pitched Ozzy styled vocals sparingly on this CD. Black Label Society's recording process is different than most bands. They show up to the studio with little or nothing written in advance and create nearly everything on the spot. That has both pros and cons. It allows for spontaneity and creativity, but also sometimes a few less than stellar songs make the cut. This CD has a few of those, but for the most part it's a nice combination of frenzied guitar wizardry and mellow ballads. You'll be able to both bang your head and fire up those lighters (or hold up the cellphone).
