The Fillmore Detroit hosts Black Label Society and their Doom Trooping Across North America Tour
Detroit, Michigan (November 17,2021) – It has been two long years since the Detroit chapter of the Black Label Society has held a formal gathering led by their guitar shredding leaders. Sunday, Zakk Wylde and the rest of the Black Label Society made their ceremonial return to the Fillmore Detroit for an open meeting to celebrate their brotherhood along with the upcoming release of Doom Crew Inc, their eleventh studio album. The planned 42-city tour, aptly named Doom Trooping Across North America was recently described by Black Label Society as “One part invading horde and all parts traveling carnival party, Black Label Society traverses the world powered by caffeine and cacophony. BLS engages and inspires audiences everywhere they go, on every radio dial they burn, inviting all comers to join in and participate in their brotherhood and sisterhood of hard rock and vigor,” exactly what their fans have come to expect.
When it comes to muscle and power guitar riffs, there are no better current day practitioners of the art than metal legends Black Label Society. Frontman and lead guitarist Zakk Wylde has carved out a career path of self-awareness that is unparalleled in the metal genre. For more than two decades, Wylde has successively garnered recognition as a musician, singer, and songwriter in the suddenly saturated metal genre. His well-honed riffs and identifying signature guitar with its “bulls-eye” design, have taken him on a long and rewarding musical journey. Time spent early on with the “Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy Osbourne as his band’s guitarist and co-writer, fostered an ongoing friendship and was a launching pad to other projects including Black Label Society, which brought fans tonight to the Motor City to experience first hand.
After rollicking opening sets from both Prong and Obituary, BLS hit the stage and proceeded to rattle the rafters of the Fillmore with the burners “Bleed for Me” and “Demise of Sanity” from 1919 Eternal segued by”Overlord” a cut off Order of The Black. BLS brought it loud and heavy right from onset with their typical high energy yet controlled style. The night’s fourteen-song setlist included a variety of selected cuts from the band’s extensive discography that now spans over two decade and included samplings from Catacombs of the Black Vatican, Grimmest Hits , The Blessed Hellride and Mafia. Zakk Wylde and company also introduced the groups latest single to their fans, “Set You Free,” from the upcoming highly anticipated album Doom Crew Inc., which is scheduled to be released November 26th.
As most bands go, the cast of musicians change over time and BLS is no exception. But in sharp contrast to other metal outfits, the current lineup has brought stability and cohesiveness to the BLS camp that had been missing in the past. The current Doom Crew features Jeff Fabb on drums, Dario Lorina on guitar, and John “JD” Deservio on bass that proves to be the most lethal combination of BLS yet. The ability for this unit to transition between songs and engage in lengthy solos is as fluid a as any tenured group in the business. Zakk being sober is also another critical aspect of where his playing is at these days along with his physical ability to give over the top performances night after night without reservation.
It’s worth noting out that not all of the night’s repertoire was guitar centric BLS also played a couple of scintillating ballads, “Spoke in the Wheel” and “In This River,” which featured Zakk Wylde on his baby grand piano and Dario Lorina on lead guitar. The latter of the two cuts was a virtual homage to his late friends Dimebag Darrell (guitarist) and his brother Vinnie Paul (drummer) of the legendary group Pantera. It goes without saying the respect between these legendary artists ran deep and are sorely missed by all to this very day.
Black Label Society comes as a highly touted and energetic outfit that will recharge your senses and restore the love for metal. It goes without saying that Zakk Wylde is an incredibly gifted guitarist who’s recognized and admired globally for his fast riffs on the “fiddle,” as he occasionally refers to his guitar. But conversely, that recognition often overshadows his overall musicianship and uncanny ability to write meaningful, heartfelt and intricatly melodic songs. Sure, he has the chops to melt your face with some masterful and heavy guitar shredding, but that’s moot point. At its core, Black Label Society music is loud, powerful, soul-stirring heavy metal with just the right amount of angst, but above all that… it’s honest and unpretentious delivered by a master of the art.
Black Label Society will continue to tour through the end of November with a new tour scheduled for summer 2022. Fan or not, its a concert experience for the ages!
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Setlist:
Black Label Society:
The Fillmore Detroit: