Order of the Black

Order of the Black is a BLACK LABEL SOCIETY–style work that foregrounds Zakk Wylde’s thick guitar riffs, heavy groove and bluesy melodic sense. After a few years of recharging, the band returns to the heavy sound it excels at. The pressure of heavy songs and the shadow made by piano and acoustics appear in turn, giving the music depth. On “Crazy Horse,” “Overlord,” “Parade of the Dead” and “Godspeed Hellbound,” aggressive riffs and heavy groove generate overwhelming force. Songs like “Time Waits for No One” and “January” hold lyrical melody and melancholy. It is worth listening to the afterglow of the riffs and the melancholy of the melody, not only forceful pushing. Balancing heaviness and melodic sense at a high level, it is a powerful record conveying the fullness of a revived BLACK LABEL SOCIETY.