Black Label Society
Sonic Brew

On the cover a sketch of "torcibudella": this is life, or at least that's what our Zakk thinks! The title is "Sonic Brew", the Black Label Society brand has never reached such heights, in my opinion, we are facing the best album of our Texan.

But Zakk Wylde, the last of the Southern Axemen, confirms in this album that he is an eclectic. After all, "Pride & Glory", his solo debut, did not neglect Metal for a dive into the beloved South of the Allman Brothers' Band? Thus, this chapter of the BLS saga dedicated to a single character alternates the fury and clamor of songs like the introductory "Bored To Tears", "Low Down", or "The Beginning... At Last" with moments of hard-blues reflection played around the fire, with the beer crate within reach, like "Hey You (Batch Of Lies)" or "Peddlers Of Death".

According to the undersigned reviewer, in this album, our Wylde gives his best both technically and vocally: nonetheless, there is no trace here of a certain syrupy complacency that ruins the final result of other works. When you listen to "Sonic Brew", you can't help but notice some of the gems offered: fantastic, for example, "Born To Lose", where Zakk Wylde's hoarse and cavernous voice (probably due to too many beers and too many smokes!) alternates with super flashy choirs, with the inevitable solos getting faster and more powerful and sudden brakes that make this album incredibly fascinating and recognizable.

There are also truly atmospheric pieces, like "Beneath The Tree" where Wylde puts aside the axe to alternate his whispers with the "usual good riffs" (to quote an MP review!), all seasoned with a splendid text, full of irony towards "the people" and full of the usual hilarious rhymes ("People so seedy/People so greedy/But in the end, /Ain't we all a little needy?" from Garzanti's rhyming dictionary!) or "Spoke In The Wheel", a piece where the voice reaches truly touching peaks (considering it comes from the vocal cords of a violent and huge Texan, it seems impossible!). A particular mention also for "Black Pearl", "Lost My Better Half", a very violent song in which our guitar hero describes his solitude and the moment when it will end, and for the instrumental track "T.A.Z.", a very pleasant piece, where Zakk confirms his skills, to the point of having earned praise from a pretentious individual like Malmsteen (for heaven's sake, a great guitarist, but certain criticisms of colleagues...).

In conclusion, fantastic album, in my opinion significantly superior to the rest of the Black Label Society's production, where every song deserves careful listening: in particular, the clash between the raw, yet harmonious and warm voice, the brilliantly ignorant lyrics, the hard-style riffs and the rhythm section (where even sophisticated sounds are used) is always impeccable. A special mention also for my favorite song: "World Of Trouble", where, besides the usual splendid solo halfway through the song, Zakk seems to shed the clothes of the tough and impure man to acknowledge that even he, in moments of drunkenness, ends up asking himself almost sensible questions, before diving back "In a world of trouble again".