Black Label Society - Catacombs of the Black Vatican - Music & Performance - CD

CATACOMBS OF THE BLACK VATICAN is the 2014 album from the heavy metal b and. The band's main man, Zakk Wylde, joked in a recent interview that the CD is 'completely the same as the last nine records, except just different song titles.' Black Label Society recently amicably parted ways with longtime guitarist Nick Cantonese and replaced him with Dario Lorina (LIZZY BORDEN). CATACOMBS OF THE BLACK VATICAN is Black Label Society's first new studio album since 2010's THE ORDER OF THE BLACK which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

On their previous release, 2013's live and mostly acoustic Unblackened, Black Label Society showed a different side of themselves, turning down the volume to expose the soul of their work. While fans might have worried that this would be a harbinger of a kinder, gentler Black Label Society, Zakk Wylde and company return to their grizzled, hard-rocking ways on the band's ninth studio album, Catacombs of the Black Vatican. If the album proves anything, it's that while times and trends might change, Wylde will always be a beacon of good old-fashioned, no-frills hard rock. Although the album does have some lighter moments, with acoustic ballads like "Angel of Mercy" and "Scars" providing some shelter from the storm of searing guitar heroics, it's clear the album's real comfort zone is considerably crunchier. Catacombs of the Black Vatican is at its best when Wylde is able to let his outlaw swagger loose. It would be hard to mistake the opening riff of "Beyond the Down," full of leather-clad confidence and pinch harmonics, for anything but Black Label Society. And though the lighter moments on the album aren't its strongest, the role they play here is a necessary one, grounding the album from time to time to make killer solos, like the insane one toward the end of "Damn the Flood," seem even more impressive. More importantly, they show that Wylde is confident enough in his inherent badassness that he doesn't need to make every single track a punishing crunchfest. Fortunately for fans of Black Label Society, however, the bulk of the album lives (and thrives) in that aggressive space, making Catacombs of the Black Vatican another solid album from one of the few true hard rock bands still out there. ~ Gregory Heaney, Rovi

Performer	Black Label Society
Music genre	Heavy Metal
Music subgenre	CD - HEAVY METAL
Music release type	Release
Media format	CD
Original release date	2014
Edition	Standard
Language	English
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Black Label Society - Catacombs of the Black Vatican [COMPACT DISCS]
Track listing	Fields of Unforgiveness, My Dying Time, Believe, Angel of Mercy, Heart of Darkness, Beyond the Down, Scars, Damn the Flood, I've Gone Away, Empty Promises, Shades of Gray
Record label	MNRK One Music
Songwriter	Black Label Society
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N