Black Label Society – “Grimmest Hits” [Album Review]

“In the void where you reside.” Hellz yeah!!! A bitchin’ new lyric from the kick-ass upcoming album from Black Label Society, this one lifted from “All That Once Shined”. There’s a dozen incredible new songs on this menacing beast of an album, Grimmest Hits, released worldwide January 19th. Zakk Wylde, the virtuoso deliverer of guitar-laden doom, hits every damn song out of the park on this killer album – my new personal favourite of Zakk’s entire discography.

For a guy who never seems to stop touring, it’s mind-boggling to ponder just where he found the time to fit in creating these tracks. For the most part, this is some of the hardest material Wylde has delivered in a while. He still dabbles in multiple genres on Grimmest Hits, delivering some sizzling blues and heartfelt southern-rock ballads, but what comes through the most on this album is a focus on heavy hitting riffs. I’ve had this album on repeat for a while now – and it just keeps getting sweeter with each listen.

The best song? It would be a slightly easier feat to try and pick the album’s weakest track because picking the strongest is impossible – it’s full of best moments. “Bury Your Sorrow,” “Disbelief,” “The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away,” “The Betrayal,” “Trampled Down Below” and “All That Once Shined” – well, there’s half the recording, and I could keep on going. There’s an underlying feeling of timeless ease to these new songs. They go down easy and taste so good they leave you immediately wanting more.

Zakk Wylde, John DeServio, Dario Lorina and Jeff Fabb have hit their stride on every moment of Grimmest Hits. Be prepared to be amazed when this album drops next week. You can still pre-order signed copies of this album online from eOne Entertainment. Even with Zakk recovering from a nasty bug right now (he had to cancel a few live dates) THE heavy tour to see right now is Black Label Society and Corrosion of Conformity – both bands releasing milestone albums only one week apart. Being out on the road touring together these sweet new albums will be as exciting for the bands as it is for the audiences in the rooms at their shows.

Grimmest Hits Track Listing:

01. Trampled Down Below 5:04
02. Seasons of Falter 4:00
03. The Betrayal 3:48
04. All That Once Shined 3:54
05. The Only Words 5:29
06. Room of Nightmares 2:31
07. A Love Unreal 5:58
08. Disbelief 5:28
09. The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away 6:12
10. Illusions of Peace 4:07
11. Bury Your Sorrow 4:41
12. Nothing Left to Say 4:22

Run Time: 55:34
Release Date: January 19, 2018

Check out a stream of the song “Room of Nightmares” here.