Reviewed by Dave Palmer
You know, it seems like only yesterday that we were being introduced to Zakk Wylde as a musician. Remember all of those comparisons to Randy Rhoads as far as looks were concerned? It would be safe to say that Zakk has more than earned his way at this point. Through his years with Ozzy and more recently Black Label Society, he has become very influential to many young guitarists. For very good reason too. This album is a compilation of BLS material that also includes a little Pride and Glory and Book of Shadows stuff. You also get two new tracks to round the whole thing out. For those not in the know, Pride and Glory had a very Southern feel. Book of Shadows also had it's own feel, maybe in the depth area. Black Label Society was definitely the raging rhino of his career to this point and probably my personal favorite era. If I had to pick a favorite album, 'Stronger than Death' would leap out very quickly with 'The Blessed Hellride' following as a close second. There are 19 total tracks on the album obviously giving the listener alot of bang for their buck. The tracks are spread out fairly evenly across the catalog and I feel that track selection is pretty decent. As far as the two new tracks 'Doomsday Inc.' and 'SDMF', they are typical of what you would expect from the more recent BLS stuff. Both are similar in nature and tempo. The guitar work in 'SDMF' as far as rhythms go is a bit different, maybe slightly flashy which is why I like to listen to Zakk in the first place. He makes one of the meanest snarls come out of his axe in the entire biz. This album is a pretty decent compilation although I wouldn't feel it was complete enough to carry own solely.
Overall
A pretty decent compilation. I would recommend this to new listeners to Zakk Wylde's fanbase. This will give you a basic idea of what each era of Zakk's work sounds like. You could consider it as a sampler as there is much more in his catalog than this, but this will get the job done as just that. I prefer his heavier stuff that is also represented here. The 2 new tracks are on par and good. Consider this a glimpse into one of metal's best guitarists. Can't wait for more new stuff!
Questions or Comments? Email Dave by clicking here.
Reviewed by Dave Palmer
If you had never heard of this project you may not have a clue just how cool it is, and for a very good reason. Who remembers Waysted or maybe even Tyketto? I'll even bet you are sensing the connection. Yep, Danny Vaughn. This project to me is pretty interesting. Frontiers Records had done a project like this with Kelly Hansen and had success with it. Danny Vaughn was then approached with a bunch of tunes written by outside sources and after adding a few of his own, the project was ready. I think fans of early Tyketto are really going to eat this album up. There is some very good melodic hard rock on this record. I have been a fan of Vaughn since his days with Waysted and really have liked just about everything I have heard his vocals added to since. The album starts off right with the track 'Nothing at All' which is also the subject of a bonus video on the disc. As it flows from there, the music never really gets off track. I do have my favorites. While I think that just about every track is great, I also think that there are some that are really great. These would include 'Suddenly' which has very infectious choruses, 'Fight for Love' which is my absolute favorite of the album, 'Losing Game' which is just great aor, 'Blessing in Disguise', and the closing track 'Beautiful Goodbye' which I think really showcases Vaughn's vocal work. I believe that this is exactly the kind of album that fans have been missing. I hear from people all the time that wonder where the melodic rock that was so prominent in the late 80's and early 90's went. Well, it never went away. It just flourished in other markets. Thanks to some of these good labels, we are seeing this stuff on our shores again.
Overall
I really like this record...alot. I was a big fan of Danny Vaughn while he was with Waysted. I followed him a bit from there, but kind of lost him in the mid to late 90's. I was very happy to receive this album as a promo. It reminded me where my roots were. I like all kinds of stuff, but this is the stuff that I listened to early on. It's great melodic aor type hard rock. You know you have been wanting and waiting, so here it is. Go out and grab this one. Recommended!
Questions or Comments? Email Dave by clicking here.
