Black Label Society - "The Blessed Hellride", 2003

I remember the day I bought "The Blessed Hellride"; on an ashen April morning in 2003, I picked up the CD and a 24-can case of beer, then invited a friend over for a listening session. The record made an immediate impression on both of us, especially after the slight misfire that was "1919 Eternal." Twenty-two years later, it remains a solid album and probably one of BLS's most consistent. It marks another shift in the band's formula, with Wylde incorporating more classic rock influences alongside the usual Black Sabbath worship and the sludgy, downtuned chugging tracks. This blend of styles persists to this day, making "The Blessed Hellride" something of a blueprint for the rest of Black Label Society's career.

The one-two punch of "Stoned and Drunk" and "Doomsday Jesus" sets the tone immediately. The first is pure hard rock on steroids, the sort of track that makes you want to break the speed limit while driving down the highway; "Doomsday Jesus," by contrast, is a massive song that alternates between double kick-driven verses and a brutally heavy chorus drenched in Zakk's signature pinch harmonics. The production stands out as the best in the band's discography up to that point: crisp and powerful, well-mixed, with punchy drums courtesy of the great Craig Nunenmacher.

Zakk's vocals are increasingly reminiscent of Ozzy while retaining the necessary gruff bite on the more aggressive tracks. The album's single "Stillborn" actually features the "Prince of Darkness" himself on guest backing vocals, but the two singers sound so alike that they are almost impossible to tell apart. It is a very easy-listening track, if not simplistic, based on a single-note riff and a melodic chorus, coming across as a mix between an Ozzy song and Alice in Chains material such as "Man in the Box."

While the spirit of Ozzy lingers throughout the record, the obligatory Tony Iommi worship is still evident on doomy bangers such as the crushing "Suffering Overdue" and "Final Solution," while the more classic rockers "Funeral Bell," "Destruction Overdrive," and the grungy "We Live No More" keep the rhythm lively with uplifting rifferama. There is even space for a throwback to Zakk's southern rock past on the haunting, epic acoustic title track and the album's closer, "Dead Meadow," a piano-driven ballad featuring some delicate slide guitar overdubs.

Clocking in at 45 minutes, "The Blessed Hellride" is a surprisingly convincing collection of songs that manages to keep things varied while remaining consistent in quality throughout, unlike the previous record, which suffered from a few fillers and some uneven songwriting. Considering that barely a year passed between this record and the partially uninspired "1919 Eternal," it is a remarkable achievement and is probably one of the few BLS records without a single dud on it, easily ranking among the band's best albums. It's somewhat more accessible than its predecessors, though, as it only matches their blunt force and aggressive approach on a limited number of songs. While this may have seemed like a slight softening to some, as the band moved away from some of their old redneck bravado, the record certainly opened up a wider range of possibilities for Wylde and company, allowing them to reach a larger audience and expand on BLS's signature style without sacrificing too much credibility.

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