Black Label Society – "Engines of Demolition"

When there's not a lot left to prove...

Black Label Society is yet another group I haven't been following, (on account of them not being Iron Maiden). It's around 20 years ago since I heard a new full-length of theirs, but I did see them at Wacken in 2015, which was a gloriously back-to-basics top-off to a prog-heavy day with Queensrÿche, Opeth, and Dream Theater.

Indeed, BLS is a very back-to-basics kinda deal altogether. And waddyaknow, "Engines of Demolition", their 12th LP, demonstrates this right away. Opener "Name in Blood" is driven by a steady, axe-chopping drive on a 4/4-time so equally unchallenging and unchallenged that the drummer doesn't even bother switching from hi-hat to cymbal during the chorus – a prevalent feature here, in fact. But we're expecting simplicity, and how lovely that it's this pronounced.

In fact, purely dynamics-wise, there's hardly any difference between verse and chorus. But it's still a goddamn banger, because just fucking listen to that chorus ONE single time. And while main man Zakk Wylde may rightly be called the king of pinched harmonics, I hereby vouch that nobody is able to keep a steady open Eb power chord chug going like him. This makes me wanna drive a motorcycle – and that's probably the biggest criterion of quality with this band.

Something else that's prevalent here are the obvious echoes of one John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne in the melodies. If you're too deaf to pick it up in the opener, you'd still hear it on follow-up "Gatherer of Souls", which has a more bouncy, swinging feel to it that we've also heard from BLS before. (You know, that kinda feel that's inspired Volbeat both before and later on.)

Shit, this could've been written by Saxon or another musically conservative metal group that's basically rock'n'roll in a cooler packaging.

I'm also getting hints of Corrosion of Conformity here, but those guys are, of course, also harvesting heavily among Ozzy's artistic outputs. But whatever; the decisive factor here is, the whole thing stinks of gasoline and leather. It is in no way intellectually challenging, let alone elegant in any way, but go ahead and try to convince anyone that that's the idea.

If there's any standout, it's first single "The Gallows", based on a riff that's pure Tony Iommi (speaking of Ozzy). In fact, that riff gets to loop a lot, and that totally holds up. This is no classic, but it rocks your dumbass face, and it makes me wanna throw down a bunch of coldies on a sunny patch of grass with some of my idiots back in Denmark – another criterion of quality with this band.

Staying with Sabbath for a bit, the ensuing "Above and Below" sounds like one of their slower tracks – think something off of "Master of Reality" ('71) or "Vol. 4" ('72). And then, of course, there's the ending acoustic ballad "Ozzy's Song" – an inevitable tribute to Wylde's old mentor and friend through almost 30 years. As such, it doesn't stand out nearly as much as it should, but has its heart in the right place – and at least it's not "In This River". This, by the way, is symptomatic of the three ballads here: Rather than memorable songs, they act like atmospheric palate-cleansers, featuring some yummy David Gilmour-like guitar tone and equally yummy western-style harmony voices.

The decisive factor here is, the whole thing stinks of gasoline and leather. It is in no way intellectually challenging, let alone elegant in any way, but go ahead and try to convince anyone that that's the idea.

Also second single "Lord Humungus", based on a badass, deep-end biker riff, is no exact hit, but kicks ass and is liberatingly anti-hip. Coming to thing of it, perhaps exactly the un-hip element is a big part of why I or anyone else would dig a band like BLS. Shit, this could've been written by Saxon or another musically conservative metal group that's basically rock'n'roll in a cooler packaging and that nobody under 30 will ever again understand, alas.

After this, however, the album starts to outstay its welcome a bit. But please note that modifier: A bit. Because while I may not be able to recall subsequent tunes like "Pedal to the Floor" and "The Stranger", they, too, live exactly their intended purpose: To haul ass and make you wanna get drunk, high, and laid – depending on your preferences, possibly in that order. And as such, side 2 is pretty representative of an album that's equally representative of the main character's career outside of Ozzy's ditto.

Being a review of a musical release featuring Zakk Wylde, this would perhaps feel incomplete without mentioning his leads. However, while he's still shredding as we know him, he's skimping heavily on aforementioned pinched harmonics. Those impossible runs above the 12th fret are still gloriously legato, but overall, the man is much more relaxed. And this seems to reflect his songwriting itself: When there's not a lot left to prove, there's no need to try too hard.

Cool with me.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

Genre: Heavy metal
Release date: 27/3/2026
Label: MNRK Heavy
Producer: John DeServio, Adam Fuller, Zakk Wylde

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