Black Label Society // Tuskar // Live Review // The Electric Ballroom // Camden // London

Black Label Society- Live at The Electric Ballroom, Camden 

The Wylde shall Wylde remain.

June 8th 2022

Zakk Wylde – also known as “Father Zakk” and his militia of 3 took down the Electric Ballroom at Camden on the 8th of June. This show was the last of 2 nights in London. I got to the venue a couple of hours before gates and saw that the UK Chapter of the Black Label Society had shown up in full force to support the “Doom Crew” and their openers Tuskar, a Doom Metal duo from Milton Keynes. Though they are a 2 piece a drummer/vocalist and a guitar player, they sound like 4.

Getting inside the Electric Ballroom was fairly fast, the staff were really friendly and great. The venue is brilliant with a Photo-pit and plenty of room to stand, it didn’t seem sold out for an almost sold-out show. Getting in and out of the photo pit was a breeze as well.

The opening, act Tuskar is different in a good way. They sound organic and not typically doom metal. The riffs are faster paced than what you’d hear traditionally with Doom.

In a 30 minute set, they performed tracks from all their releases including their debut ep. focusing on the new stuff from this year’s excellent LP Matriarch.

They finished a 30-minute set and BLS were due at 9 pm. The lights went down and the PA played the Whole Lotta Sabbath intro with the crowd singing along.

The curtain fell, and Black Label Society emerged with Zakk Wylde in his Viking raider outfit and kilt. Father Zakk as he is known and the band were in top form and smashed through the night hit after hit. They play the first 2 tracks from the new album Doom Crew Inc, with ferocious, ear-splitting intensity. True to form Zakk shredded on every solo on every song from electric to acoustic and even the piano. The foundation of the Black Label Society sound is the slab-like rhythm section of John De Servio on bass and Jeff Fabb on drums.

Father Zakk dominated the stage with his larger than life presence and  Wylde Audio Bullseye guitars. His mic stand is adorned with skulls and a large crucifix. BLS played a 14 song set which included a duelling solo where Zakk and fellow guitar player Dario Lorina got up on the centre riser both playing their guitars behind their heads.

The setlist was a mix of old and new, they played a few tracks from their latest release Doom Crew Inc and a bunch of older material.

It was a night to remember for me as a photographer and as a fan. The lights were great, the riffs ruled, the solos were insane and Zakk replete with the beard, the studded vest, the skulls and the kilt was a sight to behold.  I can’t wait to watch them again.

Review & Photography:

VIKRAM CHANDRASEKAR

https://linktr.ee/theconcertphotographer

Setlist

Trampled Down Below

Set You Free

Destroy & Conquer

Heart of Darkness

A Love Unreal

You Made Me Want to Live

The Blessed Hellride

Spoke in the Wheel

In This River

Bleed for Me

Demise of Sanity

Fire It Up

Suicide Messiah

Stillborn

Their latest album, Doom Crew Inc. finds larger than life guitarist Zakk trading solos and twin-guitar parts with guitarist Dario Lorina, backed by the rumble of longtime bassist John “J.D.” DeServio and powerhouse drummer Jeff Fabb. The songs are odes to celebration and mourning, the soundtracks to jubilant evenings and bewildering days recorded in Zakk’s home studio, the Black Vatican. The stomping, heavy bluesy, recklessly unhinged hard-rock-metal quartet are part invading horde and part traveling carnival, summoning caffeine-fueled cacophony on records and the stage. [Listen + Stream.]   Black Label Society will hit the road on a co-headlining tour with Anthrax bringing thrash and heavy metal to 24 North American cities with killer special guest Hatebreed. The tour will kick-off July 26 in Phoenix at The Van Buren concluding August 28 in Philadelphia at The Fillmore. For tickets, visit: www.blacklabelsociety.com and www.anthrax.com/tour.   Headlining Tour Dates 04/30 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues 05/01 – Reno, NV @ Virginia Street Social Outdoors 05/03 – Casper, WY @ Gaslight Social Outdoors 05/05 – Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theater 05/06 – Sault Ste. Marie, MI @ Kewadin Casino 05/07 – Bowler, WI @ North Star Mohican Gaming & Resort 05/09 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall 05/10 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz 05/11 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Signal 05/13 – Fayetteville, AR @ JJ’s Live 05/14 – Tyler, TX @ Country River Club 05/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore 05/17 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City 05/18 – Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen* 05/19 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome To Rockville 05/20 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues#* 05/21 – Inwood, WV @ Shiley Acres#* * Nita Strauss will not appear on these dates # with Black Stone Cherry only Summer Co-Headline with Anthrax Special guest, Hatebreed 07/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 07/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl 07/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium 07/30 – Sacramento, CA @ Heart Health Park 08/01 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium 08/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre 08/04 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana 08/05 – Oshkosh, WI @ Oshkosh Arena 08/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore 08/08 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom** 08/09 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater 08/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle 08/12 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues 08/13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore 08/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center 08/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 08/18 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore 08/19 – Rochester, NY @ Main Street Armory 08/20 – Detroit, MI @ Fillmore** 08/22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ StageAE Outside 08/23 – Toronto, ON @ History 08/24 – Trois Rivière/Montréal, QC @ Amphithéâtre Cogeco 08/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island Amphitheater 08/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore** ** Hatebreed will not appear on these dates

STREAM / PURCHASE DOOM CREW INC. ALBUM