Customer Reviews

Order of the Black

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After being summarily dumped by Ozzy Osbourne for drinking too much and making Ozz sound like B.L.S., Zakk made a hasty self-imposed retreat to the Black Label bunker to regroup. The result is a brutal and sometimes beautiful return to Sonic Brew, Book Of Shadows, and Stronger Than Death. All SDMF's know blood cots, alcohol, and being released from "The Bosses" gig wasn't gonna stop him. Refreshed and inspired, Zakk puts together an excellent collection of brewtality and what few people realize, Zakk is a total musician at his core. One of the hardest working performers out there and one of metal's last true guitar heroes. Berzerker's rejoice, Order Of The Black indeed!!!!

01. Crazy Horse - Zakk wastes no time and the first track is excellent. Could have been from Stronger Than Death and a precursor to what the listener is in for.
Great start for a strong album. 9/10

02. Overlord - Great riff with the classic Zakk tone. Song sticks in your head after just a few listens. 8.5/10

03. Parade Of The Dead - Another go for the throat song continuing the punishing assault on the listener. Classic B.L.S. with drummer Will Hunt pounding the skins like a man possessed. Great tune with palm muted riffing and insane pinch harmonics only Zakk can deliver. 10/10

04. Darkest Days - after being pummeled for the first 3 tracks, Zakk shifts gears Book Of Shadows style with a piano fused ballad. It's a nice change a pace and illustrates he is first and foremost a musician, and not just a shredder. 8/10

05. Black Sunday - opens with a dizzying, blistering legato lead. The pedal is back to the floor and this tune reminds me of something from Sonic Brew. Another strong track with a tight rhythm section from bassist John DeServio and drummer Will Hunt. 8.5/10

06. Southern Dissolution - Classic Zakk with heavy riffage, pinch harmonics, and a Southern rock/Sabbath feel. Another solid rocking tune B.L.S. All killer no filler on this release. 8/10

07. Time Waits For No One - Another piano ballad and a good one, Book Of Shadows style. A nicely paced disc, needed after such adrenaline filled tunes in succession.
Excellent solo on a disc filled with them. 8/10

08. Godspeed Hell Bound - Will Hunt is excellent on this cd and starts another killer track with a sonic assault on his drum kit. Great tone again from Zakk, and this tune brings the cd Stronger Than Death to mind. Nice mid-tempo pace change mid song building nicely into Zakk's solo. 8.5/10

09. War Of Heaven - at the risk of sounding redundant, another punishing B.L.S. bezerker track. Classic SDMF tracks with everything you want and expect. 8.5/10

10. Shallow Grave - another strong piano ballad to slow the pace. You can see the pattern where B.L.S. kicks your a$$ then lets you recover only to have your ears bl&*d again. 8/10

11. Chupacabra - wicked acoustic solo in the T.A.Z. vein that doesn't dissappoint the listener. Insane chicken pickin and fretboard blistering licks in 51 seconds of glorious shred. 8.5/10

12. Riders Of The Damned - One of my personal faves and a great riff. Cool piano section mid-tune, into another Wylde solo. DeServio and Hunt are solid together and this track is no exception. 8.5/10

13. January - an acoustic ballad and a solid one. 8/10

14. Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Amazon bonus) - Originally done by Simon and Garfunkel, Zakk adds his personal touch to this song. A decent version of a classic that fans will either love or hate. Always liked this song but i would have preferred this disc go out heavy. Nonetheless, that is my only gripe with an otherwise return to form for Zakk. 8/10

Everything a B.L.S. fan could want is in here. Don't even think about not purchasing this release if you haven't already. A must have for guitar fans, or metal fans in general. 8.75-9/10. Just about 4.5 stars but 5 stars are in order.

Thank you for reading!!!!

This album is an absolute must have. Shreading metal, monster guitar solos, perfect ballads, powerful vocals and above all an etheral sense of clarity that for most is impossible to harness. I can't wait for the Berzerkus Tour to hit Houston on October 28th so I can see some of this live.
As much as I like Ozzy, it will become very apparent that he made a dreadful mistake in not retaining Zakk's services.
If you do not have this CD, drop everything you're doing and go get it now. Your brain will thank you later.
SDMF

This album smokes! One of the best from BLS! Godspeed Hellbound, War of Heaven, Parade of the Dead, Overlord, Riders of the Damned, Black Sunday all smoke heavy crushing riffs! Personally I enjoy the heavy riffs more than the ballads, but even the ballads are great especially the song "Darkest Days"! Zakk is back!

Note: War Of Heaven is my personal Favorite song on this album one of my all time favorite BLS songs..reminds me of Slayer and Megadeth but Zakk style to it!

Anyway this a "Must Have" for all BLS fans and fans of Metal/Hard Rock Genre!

Because I'm a man of few words I will keep it short. Order of the Black is a great hard rock/metal album. With Black Label albums don't listen for any deep hidden meanings or radically new creativity. Just listen to it loud and disconnect your head. It's like blasting down the highway on the Harley; it's not an intellectual experience, take in the road speeding at you and live for the moment. That's all a BLS album is, that's all it needs to be, hard rock blasting in your face. This album rips, as allways great job Zakk.

Zakk and BLS are back, and it was well worth the wait. This could definitely be up for metal album of the year. Zakk's guitar work and piano work are simply amazing. This thing is good from beginning to end. I like the whole thing, but Godspeed Hellbound is quickly becoming my favorite. Everything you wanted from Zakk and more.

This is without a doubt the Best Black Label Society release to date. From the blazing riffs of and solid crunch to the melodic ballads every track is a masterpiece to the ears. The sound production is by far a cut above their other releases, proving the Black Label Society Bunker is top notch! This is definitely a Must Have Album!!
Bleed Black Label
S.D.M.F.

"Order Of The Black" is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys Zakk Wylde's mixture of melody and energy. From the well-constructed slow jams like "Shallow Grave" and "Darkest Days", to the energetic, head-bang til my head falls off anthems of "Parade of the Dead" and "Godspeed Hellbound": BLS fans (new or old) shall bow before this new masterpiece. If you've heard the other BLS records and want to hear the intensity of "1919 Eternal" mixed with the head-bang of "The Blessed Hellride" and melody of "Hangover Music Vol. VI"...BUY THIS RECORD!!!

Got a chance to see BLS in Raleigh and Myrtle Beach last year and they rocked it hard. Never knew it could get any better, but I can't WAIT until this tour after the release of this album! BLS and Clutch are going to throw it down. This is definitely the best album since 1919 Eternal and Shot to Hell, and crunchier than Blessed Hellride. All in all, this album ROCKS and is a definite for any BLS fan. Some thought Zakk had little left to show anyone as far as guitar virtuosity, but he proves them all wrong on this album, and his songwriting is getting better and better. It's hard to pick a favorite song from this release as they are all very good. Crazy Horse starts you off and gets it going, and I mean going. By the time Parade of the Dead is done, you can't get enough!! Awesome album, I recommend it to everyone that loves metal. And not to dis Amazon, but if you buy at BestBuy, you get two extra tracks. Junior's Eyes (written by Black Sabbath) and Helpless. Plus, the bonus box with the t-shirt for only $19.99 is a STEAL!!! Hell, I'd pay that much for the album! Zakk is BAKK!!!!!

Zakk is definetly back. Shot to Hell was good but not as heavy as this. Don't get me wrong the slower songs were good too but Shot to Hell sounding a lil commercial sounding. Order Of The Black is a 1 2 punch in your face Old School Zakk is back from his older cds. This cd blows Ozzys new cd away. Zakk is Ozzy's Sound and riffs no doubt. Nothing gainst Gus. My favorite Guitarists are Jon Petrucci,Synyster Gates and Zakk. best 3 guitarists today.

Ozzy sure did a fatal mistake sacking Zakk from his band. Not hating on Gus G, but Zakk belongs with Ozzy. I can't even see why is Ozzy complaning he was beginning to sound like Black Label Society, it sounds way better than what he is doing now. He needs to fire Kevin Churko, instead of Zakk Wylde. As we can see Zakk is still full of surprise. The guitar work on this is as always beautiful work. Favorite track from the album is Crazy Horse and Godspeed Hellbound. Will Hunt does an exceptional job on drums, Zakk didnt make no bad choice of a drummer. I recommend this to all the Ozzy and Black Label Society fans. I hope Ozzy hears this album, fires his producer and gets Zakk back on board his band.