The epitome of the modern heavy metal guitarist, few log-splitters play with the speed, dexterity, and complexity of Zakk Wylde. Chosen in 1987 by rock legend Ozzy Osbourne to handle his six-string chores, the 19-year-old Wylde followed in the footsteps of acclaimed players like Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee, earning a reputation as a skilled instrumentalist while touring and recording with Ozzy. Wylde formed Black Label Society in 1998, the band conceived of as both a collaborative effort of like-minded hard rockers and as a vehicle for Wylde’s artistic vision.
As a showcase for his immense talents, Black Label Society has excelled beyond even the chainsaw guitarist’s expectations. Each album has shown Wylde evolving and growing as a musician; with Hangover Music, Vol. VI, he has taken a major step in defining himself as a legacy artist in the game for the long haul. Whereas previous BLS albums like Blessed Hellride successfully blended heavy metal chops with Southern rock aesthetics, Hangover Music takes the hybrid a step further, revealing more of Wylde’s personality and relying less on his trademark six-string pyrotechnics and more on solid musicianship and songwriting.
Backed by former Crowbar drummer Craig Numenmacher and a revolving cast of musicians including former White Lion bassist James LoMenzo, Wylde covers a lot of stylistic ground on Hangover Music, Vol. VI. “Crazy Or High” is reminiscent of late ‘70s Black Sabbath and “Queen of Sorrow” is a guitar-driven dirge that features Wylde’s tortured vocals and monster riffs. “Steppin Stone” is an atmospheric rocker long on grandeur while “Layne” is a somber tribute to the late Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley.
Adding piano to his instrumental palette, Wylde brings a previously unrevealed artistry to the acoustic-based “Woman Don’t Cry” or his inspired cover of the classic rock gem “Whiter Shade of Pale.” While there is nothing to alienate long-time fans here – there is enough string shredding to satisfy even the most die-hard headbanger – Wylde is quietly breaking new ground and taking his music to heights that few critics ever suspected he’d reach. (Spitfire Records, released 2004)
Review originally published by the Community Free Press, 2004
Nobody – and I mean nobody – can shred a set of guitar strings like Zakk Wylde. An instrumental madman, Wylde coaxes noises out of his axe that even Jimi Hendrix only imagined. The New Jersey native’s guttural, bass-heavy vocal style sounds like something straight out of Dante’s worst nightmares. Both traits are perfectly suited to the manic heavy metal style that Wylde performs, the maestro’s talents illustrated with great clarity by 1919 Eternal (Spitfire Records) from Wylde’s Black Label Society.
Wylde made his bones as the lead guitarslinger in Ozzie Osbourne’s late-eighties band, replacing popular Osbourne foil Randy Rhode after his death. After working with Ozzie on a number of albums and accompanying tours, Wylde struck out on his own, first forming Pride And Glory and later putting together the musical wrecking crew known as the Black Label Society. Wylde reunited with his mentor for Ozzie’s excellent 2001 release Down To Earth; it was during sessions for that album that many of the songs found on 1919 Eternal were written.
Metalheads that prefer Wylde’s guitar-heavy style above Ozzie’s relatively tame sound need not fear. 1919 Eternal has a little of everything that you love Zakk Wylde for – rampaging riffs, powerful rhythms and the staccato-like sound of notes being drilled into your brain through your ears. Tunes like “Battering Ram,” “Genocide Junkies” or “Lords of Destruction” lay a mighty smackdown on the listener. Honorary BLS bassist Robert Trujillo and tag-team drummers Christian Werr and Craig Nunemacher struggle at times to keep up with Wylde’s aural assault, the magnificent bastard spreading layer upon layer of stinging guitars and throbbing bass above his somber vocals. 1919 Eternal is a rock-solid collection of songs, pyrotechnic performances your parents are certain to hate, your enemies will fear and your friends will listen to with awe.
One of the most criminally-overlooked British bands to enjoy a stateside cult following, The Chameleons U.K. continue to be ignored by a mainstream audience in favor of flashier, less-talented outfits with better press agents. Since 1981, however, the band has quietly, and without fanfare, trickled out a handful of lush, textured albums that have withstood the test of time to become true classics of the pop/rock genre. Reuniting to record their first studio album in fifteen years, the Manchester quartet has created a powerful musical statement in Why Call It Anything (Cleopatra Records).
The music of the Chameleons U.K. has always seemed more about tone rather than cheap hooks and a catchy chorus, every song awash with ringing six-string and driving rhythms. Why Call It Anything carries on in this tradition, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, drummer in John Lever and vocalist/bassist Mark Burgess weaving an extraordinary, mesmerizing tapestry of sound on songs like “Lufthansa” and “Dangerous Land.” Burgess’ friendly vocals are threaded throughout the songs on Why Call It Anything, sometimes lost in the mix while other times soaring high above the melodic din. The Chameleons U.K. don’t so much build a wall-of-sound in the studio – an overdone trick – rather they cement all of the cracks and crevices with a joyful noise, creating a seamless texture to their material. Overlooked even in critical circles, the Chameleons U.K. are worth another listen, Why Call It Anything as good a place as any to start.
Tommy Walter left behind a promising future as a member of Eels, his musical contributions to their 1996 debut Beautiful Freak certainly helping cement the enigmatic trio’s rep as critical favorites. Walter left Eels after that album, preferring to forge his own path across the musical landscape, which has brought him to Abandoned Pools. Essentially, Tommy Walter is Abandoned Pools, the multi-instrumental talent playing almost every instrument on Humanistic (Extasy Records). Wearing his heart (and musical influences) on his artistic sleeve, Walter has delivered a debut that is full of potential.
Working with famed alt-rock producers Paul Q. Koderie and Sean Slade, Walter has crafted a careful selection of songs for Humanistic. Adding a soupcon of Britpop, a measure of hard-rock distortion and a spoonful of blue-eyed soul, Walter blends the disparate styles into an entertaining musical experience. Kurt Cobain is Walter’s most obvious influence, the former Nirvana frontman’s personalized angst and stuttering musical style mimicked by Walter on songs like “Blood” or “L.V.B.D.” Whereas Cobain drew his inspiration solely from the punk and heavy metal bands he listened to as a teen, Walter’s Beatlesque pop roots keep his songs from veering off the road onto darker musical trails. Humanistic is an ambitious, multi-layered album that takes a spin or two to develop a taste for. Once you embrace the new pop aesthetic created by Tommy Walter, however, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.
Kim Cooper is the editor of Scram, an intelligent and entertaining publication that covers the complete spectrum of pop culture. As a long-time reader and fan of Scram, I can’t think of another writer that could have exceeded Cooper’s efforts as editor of Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth (Feral House). Subtitled “The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop,” the book is the ultimate authority on this often-maligned and popular, if overlooked genre of music. Along with co-editor David Smav, Cooper has assembled an impressive roster of contributors, writers like Lisa Sutton, Metal Mike Saunders, Dave Thompson, and Chuck Eddy. From the people who made the music, like the Ohio Express, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Cowsills to the producers and writers like Boyce and Hart, Neil Bogart, and Jeff Barry who shaped the history of bubblegum, you’ll find them all here. (The View On Pop Culture, March 2002)
Reviews originally published as a “Buzz Kuts” column, Alt.Culture.Guide™,
August 1999
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Sonic Brew Wunderkind guitarist Zakk Wylde may have earned his rep while
apprenticing with Ozzy in the shadow of Randy Rhodes, but his chops are entirely
his own. Sonic Brew, Wylde’s Black Label Society debut, opens with a
trembling riff that sounds like the mighty fist of one pissed off thunder god,
Wylde’s throaty vocals roaring above the din of “Bored To Tears” while he tears
off bloody chunks of highly-amped hard rock riffage. Most of the rest of
Sonic Brew follows the same pattern – solid heavy metal instrumentation
backing Wylde’s awesome six-string pyrotechnics, the guitarist hitting both
monstrous bottom-heavy rhythms and surgical-sharp, lightning quick fretboard
runs. Wylde’s lyrics, preoccupied with death, drugs, and debauchery, are mostly
lightweight and somewhat cliched, but nobody listens to a musician of Wylde’s
caliber to pore over the lyric sheet. This is no-frills molten slag for
listeners who like to hear the sound of guitars crashing about inside their
skulls, two-fisted rock ‘n’ roll for those who like it loud and rough. If that
sounds like your kind of musical libation, I’d highly recommend a shot or two of
Black Label Society’s Sonic Brew. (Spitfire Records)
THE KATIES The Katies Hailing from the unlikely rock capital of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the
Katies manage to deliver big city thrills with their self-titled debut. Expertly
blending heavy metal riffs, pop harmonies, and wonderfully choreographed hard
rock hooks, the Katies have created an uniquely enjoyable set of songs. They
manage to keep the voltage cranked up, providing their material with boundless
amounts of energy while never overpowering the underlying melodies of songs like
“She’s My Marijuana” or “Tappin’ Out”. There’s a lot of good work going on in
these grooves. I hear British invasion type harmonies here, some 1970s-styled
six string work, a fair amount of “wall of sound” dynamics, lots of well-placed
feedback and a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll attitude. Most importantly, the Katies
are never predictable – they fill their songs with careening chords and time
changes, screaming leads, syncopated rhythms and vocal gymnastics that a lesser
band wouldn’t even attempt, much less pull off the way this talented threesome
have. If “Modern Rock” radio had any balls, they’d be programming half a dozen
cuts from The Katies, but I’d heartily recommend the infectious “Drowner”, the
guitar-driven “Miss Melodrama”, and the disc’s first single, “Noggin’ Poundin’”,
with its powerful rhythms and clever lyrical twists. The Katies draw from a
musical tradition that includes the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks, Led Zeppelin,
punk rock, heavy metal, grunge, and a thousand and one unknown and unforgotten
bands. They are nonetheless an entirely original outfit, their debut disc a
strange but tasty fruit plucked from the abundant tree of rock ‘n’ roll.
(Spongebath / Elektra Records)
PORTABLE Secret Life Portable’s first full-length disc features much of the same traits as the
self-titled EP released earlier this year, reprising five of the seven songs
from that disc and adding seven more to make an even dozen for
Secret Life. Crashing guitars and bludgeoning rhythms are the secret to
Portable’s sound, frontman Chance providing the songs with a unique vocal
presence. Chance’s vocals range from bouncy Brit-pop inflections to the best
Seattle-inspired grunge-like howls, sometimes within the same tune. Guitarist
Gus Ciceri keeps things lively, his six string contributions as unpredictable
and wide-ranging as Chance’s vocals. The rest of the band does its best to help
create an atmospheric sound that’s akin to swimming through a pool of sludge,
songs like “Silence Please”, “Restraint”, or “Boy-Girl” the barbed wire and
broken glass that lie beneath the surface. Portable’s musical milieu is at once
both familiar and foreign, Secret Life presenting contemporary hard rock
with heart. (TVT Records)
SONS OF HERCULES Get Lost With their early recordings genuflecting towards the graven musical image
of punk godfather Iggy Pop, the Sons of Hercules sonic attack was definitely
influenced by the Stooges’ groundbreaking sound. With Get Lost, the Sons
have honed their two-fisted rock ‘n’ roll to a sharp cutting edge, treading the
same stylistic ground that the New York Dolls planted their freak flag on some
twenty-five years ago. Also like the Dolls, the Sons of Hercules have a great
vocalist in Frank Pugliese, a snarling, spitting frontman who can bend and slur
and screech lyrics with the best of them. Combined with the pummeling guitars of
Dan Hoekstra and Dale Hollon and a solid rhythm section of drummer Kory Cook and
bassist Phillip Plyler, the Sons of Hercules kick out fast and furious garage
punk that begs to be turned up loud! Get Lost runs through a baker’s
dozen tunes in a respectable thirty-two minutes, twisting your skull and
delighting your ears. The Sons are no mere revisionists, however. They know and
love the music they draw their influences from, building upon the past to update
the sound for a new generation. Get Lost is simply brimming over with
great tunes, rave-ups like “Don’t Wanna Be Like You”, “Some Kind of Freak”, and
a completely reckless cover of the Byrds’ “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” that
evokes the original while improving upon it. Check out the Sons of Hercules – if
you don’t Get Lost, you’re going to miss the party… (Get Hip
Recordings)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Punk-O-Rama 4: Straight Outta The Pit For those of you among our reading audience who think that punk rock
began and ended with Green Day or Blink 182, there’s some folks in Southern
California who would disagree with you. For the better part of two decades now,
the gang at Epitaph has cranked out ‘Grade A’ certified punk rock in every
flavor that you can imagine. Founded by former Bad Religion member Brett
Gurewitz to release that band’s albums, Epitaph has grown into the closest thing
that the punk world could call a major label. As for the label’s
accomplishments, look no further than the recently released
Punk-O-Rama 4: Straight Outta The Pit, a twenty-five-song compilation of
talent from Epitaph and its related label Hellcat. The fourth in a series of
low-priced samplers (I copped mine for $4.99!), Punk-O-Rama 4 does a
great job of introducing listeners to the label’s bands. No matter what style of
punk you prefer, this disc has got it all. Looking for hardcore, bunkie? Check
out the cuts by H2O, Agnostic Front, or the Dwarves. Want some socially
conscious lyrics? Look no further than Pennywise, Rancid, or the vintage Bad
Religion cut included here. Pop punk – how ‘bout NoFX, Pulley, or All? Epitaph
has even branched out into more artistic areas lately, as evidenced by their
recent release of the first Tom Waits album in years, represented on
Punk-O-Rama 4 by the excellent “Big In Japan”. Union 13, the New Bomb
Turks, Voodoo Glow Skulls…the list goes on and on. Twenty-five bands, a like
number of cuts including a previously unreleased Pennywise tune, all for a crazy
cheap price, offered in the hope that you’ll find something new here that you
like and put out for the full-length CD. Whether you’re a hardcore punk or a
weekend mosher, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of
Punk-O-Rama 4: Straight Outta The Pit. (Epitaph Records)
