by Tom Lounges
Zak Wylde
is among the new breed of guitar heroes for today’s young generation of
heavy music lovers.
While he is out on
the road this summer playing the main stage of OzzFest
with his own band, Black Label
Society, Wylde never forgets that is was the tour’s namesake
–– Ozzy Osbourne
–– who opened the door for him to out there in the big leagues, doing
what he loves most.
Wylde knows well that
he stepped in to some mighty big shoes and earned his well-rooted
reputation the hard way, by playing his ass off! Wylde had a lot to
prove, when at the tender age of 19, he was hand picked by Ozzy Osbourne
to be the new guitar-slinger in his band.
Wylde took the gig
with the king of sludge metal in 1987 and followed in the deeply
entrenched footsteps of Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoades and Jake E. Lee.
“Man, Tony Iommi and
Black Sabbath is the reason I started playing guitar,” he said. “I grew
up worshipping Tony Iommi and then later Randy Rhoades, and look at me
-- I ended up in Ozzy’s band,” exclaimed the long-haired, hard drinking,
hell raiser in a phone call from the road where he says BLS is kicking
ass and taking names.
“Things are awesome
out here,” he said of the OzzFest
tour. “[Black] Sabbath is totally kicking ass. Ozzy
is singing his balls off. Judas Priest is sounding f*cking great.
That’s a legendary band and they are not pulling any punches on this
tour. Slayer’s out here with us... This whole line-up is heavy as hell.
It’s pure f*cking brutality, brother. This is a slamming show from start
to finish.”
That said, it is no
wonder that Wylde is not playing anything on this tour from his latest
album –– Hangover Music Vol. VI –– released last April via Sanctuary Records. 
Though his fans have
become accustom to being pummeled by Wylde’s albums like Stronger
Than Death, Sonic Brew,
and The Blessed Hellride,
they also know the guitarist has a soft side that he displays from time
to time.
Though Wylde thrills
in kicking people squarely in the head with the music of BLS, there is
also a mellower persona that dwells within the shred-master that
sometimes must be heard.
Fans are familiar
with this side of Wylde from his landmark, acoustic-driven solo
recording Pride And Glory and his early BLS release, Book Of Shadows.
“Every once in while
you have to step back,” he said of making this new record, which is
chock full of brilliant piano concertos and tasteful guitar playing.
Among the most amazing moments are his emotional piano take on Procal
Harum’s 1967 hit single, “A
Whiter Shade of Pale,”
and an original composition title,
“Layne,”
which pays tribute to the late Alice In Chains frontman.
This album again
finds Wylde saluting the non-metal influences of his youth.
“I grew up loving
heavy bands like Black Sabbath, but I also grew up loving the music the
Allman Brothers, [Lynyrd] Skynyrd, and Elton John,” said Wylde. “Elton
John is just remarkable. His melodies, his songs.”
Another hero of his
youth is Neil Young, who he admires because of the way he has always
followed his own muse, making records that were soft and delicate and
following them with albums that were heavy rock loaded with distortion.
“Neil makes records that he wants to make,” said Wylde. “I totally
respect him for that. It’s the same way with me. I don’t want to do
the same thing every time I make a record.”
When Wylde speaks of
his past and present work with Ozzy Osbourne, he does so with detectable
reverence. When Wylde speaks of his predecessors alongside Ozzy, it is
with deep respect for their work, especially when it comes to Randy
Rhoades. “Randy was one of the best,” he states. “No one can deny his
talent.”
Wylde has loyally
remained Osbourne’s full time guitarist. He is at Ozzy’s side whenever
Black Sabbath is not on the road. “I have my dad and I have Ozzy,” he
states. “They are my family. When either of them call I’m there! When
either of them need me, I’m there! Ozzy is like a second father to
me.”
Wylde is not only
Osbourne’s string bender in the studio and on the road, but also a
frequent songwriting collaborator, who co-wrote tunes on Osbourne’s
No Rest For The Wicked
album and the successive multi-platinum selling releases, No More
Tears and
Ozzmosis.
Of course, Wylde is
no mere sideman left to dwell in the shadows of his famous mentor.
Wylde’s Black Label Society remains one of the modern metal’s most
slamming groups, except of course when the muse dictates it is time to
balance the scales and give time to the Elton John fan still living in
Wylde’s heart!
Catch BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
when OZZFEST hits the TWEETER CENTER at Tinley Park, Illinois on
SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 |
