ALBUM REVIEW: Doom Crew Inc. – Black Label Society

For those who have been loyal fans of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY since 1998, Doom Crew Inc. will have double meaning. Not only is it the 11th studio album from the hard rock behemoths, but the Doom Crew is the fanbase looking to rival the KISS Army. Today, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY pay tribute to the following and their road crew with Doom Crew Inc..

Following 2018’s Grimmest Hits, Doom Crew Inc. boasts 12 tracks which celebrate both jubilance and sadness. This dichotomy is nothing new to BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. With 10 studio albums under their belt, will this latest offering follow suit or break the mould? The difference between this and other records is the change in dynamics. Leaning fully into their two-guitar dynamic, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY hope to separate themselves from the tagline of “Zakk Wylde’s other band”.

Recent single Set You Free falsely gives the impression this is same old BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. The typical buzz of guitars in a tasty riff which hooks itself into our brains feels familiar, safe almost. Wylde calling out to “take my hand, walk with me” ushers us into the new age. While the transition between verse and chorus brings the song down in terms of tempo, it does so in a way which doesn’t come to its detriment. Then it comes. Second guitarist Dario Lorina steps up to the plate and hits a home run as he trades solos with Wylde in a duel of the gunslingers.

This embrace of Lorina couldn’t have come at a better time. Destroy & Conquer and You Made Me Want To are just two examples of how much thought went into the composition of these guitar parts. Destroy & Conquer lends itself to the chaos of speed metal yet still holds the core element of blues rock to make for an enchanting listen. It’s here where we hear BLACK LABEL SOCIETY experiment with pacing to the fullest capacity. They tease us by ramping up the speed within a solo but will then pull us back by the seat of our pants. Where Divide & Conquer did this over one solo, You Made Me Want To is an entire proving ground. This ode to a love which has levelled us entirely is beautifully morose. “You gave me life, took away the pain” hacks at the cavity around our heart with distorted guitars and crisp lyrics leaving us prime to have it ripped out by a chorus of disdain. Wylde has always had a reputation of being an emotionally charged lyricist, but You Made Me Want To elicits an uncomfortable twist in the gut with a solo that spirals as fast as our depression.

Not only is the name Zakk Wylde synonymous with phenomenal guitar playing but also his undeniable talent as a lyricist. From In This River to The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY’s ballads have a reputation of being tear jerkers. Doom Crew Inc. is home to three of them, which seems excessive at best. That being said, those three songs are some of Wylde’s best work in recent times. Forever And A Day’s vocals are a lot softer as Wylde dwells within the search for “the warmth inside the endless cold”. Love Reign Down’s symphony of simplicity is a highlight for the record. Opening with piano and vocals, those loyal members of the Doom Crew will brace themselves for what’s coming. Soul thawing harmonies litter the verses, allowing for a subtle guitar solo to pull at our heart strings. Closing Farewell Ballad may not stay inside the confines of a metal ballad but this is how it blindsides many. In a cacophony of electric guitar and drums, the piano reigns supreme as Wylde’s confession of “I don’t wanna say farewell anymore” pricks our eyes.

While that is lovely and familiar, Doom Crew Inc. is meant to be the dawning of a new age from the legendary Black Vatican. In places, that’s what we get. The stripped back dual riffs to Ruins sound superb and allow Lorina to prove he has earned his spot alongside Wylde. When these virtuosos allow their riffs to bloom into their full richness, it is a thing of beauty. “Am I losing myself or am I free?” may refer to the idea of losing some sense of yourself but it also marks a moment of clarity for BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. Levelling the playing field completely, Forsaken sees the band exploring their new dynamic. “Tell me all your falsehoods and lies” wraps itself around us during the verses, leaving us vulnerable to the constricting chorus of groove metal we weren’t quite expecting. With each bat of the solos to follow, the production and composition value of this record is astounding, to the point it feels like listening to an entirely new BLACK LABEL SOCIETY.

At the top of the review, we asked whether the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mould was going to be broken with Doom Crew Inc.. The answer to that: not entirely. Doom Crew Inc. still comforts fans of the band like a weighted blanket as it gives them more of what they want, but it also begins to lead those stalwarts away from the familiar. The new territory we explore with the further inclusion of Lorina feels more like the promised land at times. The time we spend there is luscious yet brief. Had BLACK LABEL SOCIETY fully immersed themselves in this fresh perspective, this album could have been more than great. That said, Doom Crew Inc. is more than a fitting tribute to the loyal fans and road crew, and marks the beginning of a new and exciting time for a band that really needed a new lease of life.

Rating: 8/10

Doom Crew Inc. is out now via Spinefarm Records.

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