Kenneth Glad
He does not really do silence. Even when things get heavy, he fills the space with noise, jokes, and another guitar part. Right now, that instinct is carrying Zakk Wylde through a new Black Label Society release shaped, in part, by the absence of Ozzy Osbourne.
Engines Of Demolition leans into what Wylde has always done best: Thick, swinging riffs, sharp turns between aggression and melody, and a refusal to overthink things. It is not a concept album about loss, but it carries that weight in flashes.
RockHe explains to Kerrang that ideas still come easily, whether serious or ridiculous. “There’s always a new song to write,” he said, brushing off the idea that creativity slows with time.
Some tracks hit harder emotionally, while others are deliberately loose, built around instinct rather than meaning. That mix has been a constant in his work, from Black Label Society to filling stages with Pantera, and even his Black Sabbath tribute band.
And he keeps the pace up. Touring, recording, moving between bands, then back again. It is less a schedule and more a habit at this point.
The Ozzy effect
Wylde’s connection to Osbourne still anchors everything. As Kerrang noted, he was barely out of his teens when Ozzy brought him into the fold, a decision that shaped decades of heavy music.
When Wylde talks about him now, it is less about specific milestones and more about attitude. He suggested that what mattered most was Ozzy’s ability to push forward, no matter what was happening around him.
“You know, you get lemons, so you make lemonade. What are we supposed to do?” he said, summing up that outlook in typical blunt fashion.
There is affection there, but also a kind of practicality. Wylde does not dwell for long. He carries the influence, then gets back to work.
A song left behind
One of the album’s quieter moments nods directly to Osbourne, though it was not something Wylde had planned in advance. The lyrics came later, after the music was already in place, shaped by everything that had happened rather than a single moment.
He recalls to Kerrang that Ozzy had been on his mind when he finally sat down and finished the track. “I just was thinking about Ozzy,” he says.
Elsewhere, the tone shifts quickly back to familiar territory, big hooks, exaggerated ideas, even a track inspired by a film character. That contrast keeps the record from sinking under its own weight.
Wylde’s wider career has always worked like this: Serious musicianship on one side, a kind of barroom humour on the other. It is part of why he has lasted this long without really changing lanes.
And as the new album, Engines Of Demolition, rolled out this friday, that balance feels intact. Loss is there, sure, but it is folded into something louder, more stubborn. Not a full stop, just another reason to turn the amp up and keep going.
Source: Kerrang
