Black Label Society – Engines Of Demolition

Written by on 18-04-2026 at 08:44.

After four and a half years, Zakk Wylde returns with a new album from his Black Label Society. It’s been a turbulent few years for the man. He’s traveled the world several times with Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, and Charlie Benante to bring the music of his close friend Dimebag Darrell back to life for a (partly new) audience. Without a doubt, it must be beautiful to do that for the buddy you miss so deeply, but it surely must take its toll as well. And then, shortly after the farewell performance they shared, the man he affectionately called boss passed away. That loss found its way into Engines Of Demolition in the form of the closing track Ozzy’s Song, but other than that, we mostly hear the familiar sound.

Of course, Black Label Society needs to stomp, drag, pummel, and evoke images of a dimly lit beer cellar where sweat runs down the walls and ceiling. After some introductory fiddling, the album kicks off with those lead-heavy stomping rhythms over which Wylde sneers and smears: I give you all I got / I give you my name in blood. But above all, he gives us a blazing solo fest that yanks the track up by its hair to level “hell yeah!”. The riff of Gatherer Of Souls is a lot more stubborn and, in its gruffness, recalls my first encounter with the band on Sonic Brew. It’s also a bit inscrutable – not that it’s such extreme metal – but within the wall of sound, you sometimes have to dig a bit to find the actual song. And that song might best be found here in the master guitarist’s intricate fretwork. In the “our pleasure is to destroy” category, there’s also The Stranger: just a bit faster, a bit sharper, a bit more AC/DC, and therefore perfect for a good hard rock dance.

And of course, our wild Zakk shows his more sensitive side as well. Personally, I love that, especially when it comes with the silencing intensity of Better Days & Wiser Times, which carries that beautifully wistful vibe of the slightly overlooked Hangover Music Vol. VI. It makes you drift back to simpler times, even as the lyrics seem to point toward the redemption the present can bring. It’s also the moment I shake off that “ah, another Black Label Society record” feeling that crept up during my first listen. Moments of inspiration like this pull me right back in and that hasn’t always been the case with the most recent albums.

Other lovely calm points include the string-supported chorus of Above & Below, which, true to the title’s dynamic, is hammered mercilessly back into the ground afterwards, and the “all-American rock” of Back To Me, where the actual song takes the foreground. Oh, and of course the closing Ozzy’s Song. The last piece Zakk wrote for this record is dedicated to the man who took him on an incredible journey (which Zakk immediately repaid with that mind-blowing riff in No More Tears). It turns out to be an emotional piano/guitar ballad, with Zakk initially sounding distant, as if singing across time and space to someone he can no longer – or barely – reach: Although we knew / We chose not to know / And it’s okay. The bluesy solo echoing the vocal theme then cries the album to its end, sad yet grateful, with a finger pointed heavenward: When all is said and done / I could not ask for more. Chills…

Also noteworthy: the fuzzy Kyuss-style intro of Broken and Blind, which develops into a typical Black Label Society bruiser with an almost contemplative Black Sabbath theme, and the near-overdose of cowbell in The Gallows (though honestly, there’s no such thing as too much cowbell: “I gotta have more cowbell”). In that last song, we hear a beautifully rolling riff, hacked into pieces by a firm right hand. It’s the kind of jam the band could stretch live for ten minutes without ever getting dull. Lord Humungus is one for the guitar freaks among us. The lightning-fast solos seem to shoot at you from every corner of the room, flying around your ears in 3D.

There’s plenty to enjoy on the new Black Label Society album—perhaps even a bit too much, as it might hit harder with one or two tracks less. But which ones would you cut? On first listen, maybe Broken Peaces, though that could just be saturation after ten songs. Either way, I’m all in for Engines Of Demolition, which definitely lives up to its name. The riffs – take the one in Above & Below, for instance – burst from your speakers like  wrecking balls. Take cover!

Score:

83/100

Label:

Spinefarm Records, 2026

Tracklisting:

  1. Name In Blood
  2. Gatherer Of Souls
  3. The Hand Of Tomorrows Grave
  4. Better Days & Wiser Times
  5. Broken And Blind
  6. The Gallows
  7. Above & Below
  8. Back To Me
  9. Lord Humungus
  10. Pedal To the Floor
  11. Broken Pieces
  12. The Stranger
  13. Ozzy’s Song

Line-up:

  • Zakk Wylde – Vocals, guitar, piano
  • John (JD) DeServio – Bass guitar
  • Jeff Fabb – Drums
  • Dario Lorina – Guitar

Links: