Review Summary: If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Black Label Society is known for two things: being led by one of the craziest dudes in metal, and being one of the most consistent hard rock/metal bands of the past decade. However, change came to roost on the band's ninth studio album, Catacombs of the Black Vatican. First, vocalist/guitarist/band-leader & founder Zakk Wylde lost his long-time co-guitarist when Nick Catanese amicably parted ways with the group. Then, the revolving door of drummers once again spun, as fill-in drummer Will Hunt left, to be replaced for the recording sessions by former Breaking Benjamin skinsman Chad Szeliga. In spite of this, Wylde and long-time bassist John "JD" DeServio anchored down and wrote one of the better albums in BLS's discography.
The album opens on a familiar tone, as "Fields of Unforgiveness" should salivate any Black Label Society fanatics with it's sludgy riff and mid-tempo pace (cool distorted vocals in the very beginning of the song though). One area that does sound new & improved throughout Catacombs is Wylde's vocals, particularly the Alice In Chains-inspired harmonies on first single "My Dying Time". "My Dying Time" as a whole feels grungier than anything Wylde has done recently, and thus is an early album highlight. Zakk's vocals overall rely less on the caterwauling of past works and more on his lower register.
The pacing of Catacombs of the Black Vatican as a whole feels slower than the last BLS album Order of the Black, with sludgy tracks like "Believe" & "Beyond The Down", along with acoustic/ballads like "Scars" and "Angel of Mercy." For those who like faster Black Label Society, "Damn The Flood" satisfies with a badass swing rhythm from Szeliga. "Empty Promises" has a subdued opening, as Szeliga skitters along on the drums in the background. However, the track boils over a minute in into a dark and sludgy tune. Szeliga is a solid enough drummer for the job on Catacombs of the Black Vatican. As for the guitars, it's the same old solid work from both DeServio and Wylde. DeServio bolsters the drum patterns with his thick bass tones, and Wylde still brings the sludge in truckloads all over Catacombs of the Black Vatican. His soloing is still harmonic-laden, but not annoying like other BLS albums.
My point is, you know what you're going to get each time you spin a new Black Label Society record. You're going to to get solid vocals, guitars thicker than molasses, and low-end strong enough to shake a house off it's foundation at high volume. Consistency is one of the more underrated things in art today, and although Black Label Society does change slightly on Catacombs of the Black Vatican, in the end you're glad they didn't rewrite the whole book. Zakk Wylde and co. have been going strong for over a decade at this point, and along the way they've given the world a whole lot of metal to enjoy. Where Black Label Society goes from here remains to be seen, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
