Black Label Society
Hangover Music Vol. VI

LA RECENSIONE

This is a unique chapter in the saga of the Black Label Society; the unaware buyer can easily be deceived by the two large skulls that dominate the cover: what lies inside goes far beyond the now tiresome race to transgression undertaken by many modern heavy groups.

The album exudes an air full of grunge (one can especially feel the influence of Alice in Chains, to whose late leader the song "Layne" is dedicated). It is a mostly acoustic album; Zakk handles almost everything: vocals, guitars, piano, and even bass on some tracks. Nevertheless, here and there you can find Les Pauls "turned up to eleven" and the classic, magical solos and licks typically in Wylde's style, which make the uninformed listener (yes, always him!) understand who they are dealing with, but never appear as mere displays of technique for its own sake.
The highest points are reached with the wonderful ballad "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow," with "Won't Find It Here" - even though it brazenly echoes U2's "One" - and with the most exciting songs on the record "Crazy or High" and "Queen of Sorrow" in which Zakk once again shows his love for southern rock. Lastly, it is also worth mentioning the little gem "Takillya (Estyabon)": 36 seconds of pure Wylde magic on the acoustic guitar, introducing his "version" of One.

An extraordinary album, therefore, in which Wylde never ceases to move us whether he shouts or whispers, but which we will never hear on the radio or see on MTV.