SOUND BITES

Not to be confused with a compilation plucked from the band's previous records, Grimmest Hits is in fact an entirely new collection of songs; that said, there are certainly callbacks to some of Zakk Wylde's greatest moments to be heard. Take the slow-burning lead-in on Trampled Down Below , the bass lick for which sets the song up in the same way Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears was nearly thirty years ago. Wylde has never been shy about his affinity for Sabbath and Ozzy, and several tracks mine for that sweet, sweet sludge. Seasons of Falter takes its groove from the playbook of Sabbath, while incorporating some Alice In Chains-type brooding (the latter band themselves rarely hesitant to dabble in the dark grooves of Sabbath). Then, All That Once Shined takes the AIC hat-tip even further, pushing its tempo down and adding in some vocal harmonies that approximate Cantrell/Staley levels on the chorus. That is, before exploding into a thick, double-time Sabbath groove. S...

There's nothing wrong with sticking by a signature sound; if you think there are no dividends to be paid from stubbornly staying in place to avoid fan backlash, just ask AC/DC and Slayer what their take is on the subject. That said, Zakk Wylde's long standing main gig doesn't simply crank out carbon copies of the same album; Wylde's tastes are varied enough that Black Label Society has been able to offer up consistently entertaining studio efforts with minimal slippage save for, arguably, 2006's sort of weak Shot To Hell . Perhaps a result of endless touring and releasing seven studio albums during a stretch of seven years, Shot To Hell sounded subdued and tired, and fans responded to it lukewarmly. Wisely, Wylde let his next album gestate, resulting in 2010's Order Of The Black ; the four year wait seemed to do the trick, and the album was a thorough return to form. Another four years have passed between that album and Catacombs Of The Black Vatican (not ...