Black label Society - Are a little self indulgent in Belgium!

June 29th 2014

Dessel, Graspop Festival, Belgium

**1/2

Not their day... but it's not the end of the World!

Graspop Metal Meeting

Black label Society **1/2 are a band I have always kept an eye on. I really liked Zakk's work with Pride and Glory and Black label Society continued on from their with some really good releases. I had seen them live at the Graspop festival before and found their set really enjoyable, but today their set is a real let down. I think we all expect a lot from any band that guitar wizard Zakk Wylde is in, so he has to pull out all the stops for it to be a great live set by him and his fellow Black Labellers.

I found todays performance just a little self indulgent and similar to the time I had seen them before at the same festival. One of the biggest factors and low points in this short set is the whole big guitar solo segment that seems to go on a bit and just is too much of Zakk showing off, when he could have easily fitted another song in it's place. I also don't like the fact he hasn't seemed to make any effort with the choice of songs or backdrops, it's all too similar to when I have seen him before on countless occasions.

When I heard about the bands new album 'Catacombs of the black Vatican' I expected so much but it really feel short and wasn't another 'Mafia' or '1919 Eternal' both albums that really showed Zakk and the boys off at their best. Maybe 'Catacombs of the black Vatican' isn't that bad and just bands around their have been releasing such strong material that it looks like an average record in comparism. They open with one of the better songs off the new record 'My dying Time' which has some amazing guitar work in it. The thing I like about the new album is that Black label Society do verge into different styles of music that they have not done before, but that kind of makes it disjointed at the same time.

'Godspeed Hell Bound' has some nice harmonics in it and is one of the best tracks in the bands set and resembles Pantera / Down in places and grabs people in a little bit to the bands set, but is soon tapered by 'Heart of Darkness' which falls really short today and doesn't show off the bands new material to it's best potential. 'Suicide Messiah' has lost a little of it's original impact over time, but is still a very well put together track and one the bit with the megaphone comes in you can't stop yourself from singing a long to it. 'Concrete Jungle' has a almost Velvet Revolver feel to it and drives at you nicely but a little two late and it doesn't help that after it that guitar solo segment comes up to kill the pick up in the set.

They end the set with 'Stillborn' a track that has nice harmonics in it and shows off Zakk's vocals to the best of their abilities and even has a hint of the material he did with Ozzy Osbourne. You could imagine the prince of darkness singing this song, maybe it was originally meant for him. I would not write off Black label Society even though this wasn't a good performance for them, they have a lot of great songs and material to check out and I am sure I will see them again at a festival or gig. If you like Ozzy Osbourne, Velvet Revolver, Pantera or Down this is a band for you.

Black label Society - Setlist
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My dying Time
Godspeed Hell Bound
Destruction Overdrive
Heart of Darkness
Suicide Messiah
Concrete Jungle
Zakk Wylde (Guitar Solo)
Stillborn

Review and Photo's by Dave Deadsy