Black Label Society The Song Remains Not the Same Review

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Ever since his days as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, Zakk Wylde has long been a purveyor of heavy riffage and ripping shred guitar solos. With the exception of his 1996 solo acoustic album, Book of Shadows , he hasn’t had much of a chance to show off his lighter side. But with Black Label Society’s latest release, Song Remains Not the Same , Zakk Wylde decided to get tender.

Featuring unplugged versions of songs from their most recent release, Order of the Black , along with some covers of classic tunes, The Song Remains Not The Same surprisingly leans away from the guitar-heavy nature of most of Zakk’s work. Almost every track is based on the piano, which Wylde plays himself.

His beautiful piano playing is the surprise of this record. Usually, when bands say they’re doing an acoustic version of a song, they put down their electric guitars and pick up their Taylors or Martins or whatever. While Wylde does play acoustic guitar all over this record, it is less of a consistent presence than his cascading chord work on the black and whites.

This being a Black Label Society record, however, does mean that there has to be a couple ridiculous solos by the Shred King. These killer solos, however, aren’t quite as unplugged as the rest of the album. For whatever reason, the whole song will be lower key and acoustic, and then the solo section comes and Wylde picks up his heavily distorted electric. This makes for some odd textures, especially in the cover of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” in which he rips a mind-blowing, rock solo filled with huge bends and crazy metal vibrato over contemplative piano chords and tender strings.

Wylde only shreds on an acoustic once on The Song Remains Not The Same, and that’ss on the instrumental closing track, a cover of the Christmas song “The First Noel.” While it may seem like an odd choice to close a May release with a Christmas song, one listen will change anyone’s mind. Wylde dubs in two acoustic guitars that duel and play off each other the whole song, which should definitely be listened to with headphones because the stereo image of the song is amazing.

When doing the unplugged versions of songs from Order Of The Black, Zakk does it right, where so many do it wrong. Instead of just playing “Overlord,” “Junior’s Eyes” and others on acoustic instead of electric, he comes up with completely new arrangements. “Overlord” is a much more toned-down, much less blues-rock, than the original, and it adds a fresh spin.

“Riders of the Damned” is almost completely unrecognizable from the previous version. While the original is an upbeat driving metal song, this version is incredibly melancholy and cathartically depressing. It is dripping with raw emotion that is not possible in the original.

That’s the great thing about The Song Remains Not The Same. It displays a side of Zakk Wylde that doesn’t come out very often. His beautiful piano playing and exposed voice make the listener feel rather than headbang. Of course, Zakk knows his audience, which is why there are still lightning-fast solos in ample supply.