Black Label Society - "Doom Crew Inc.", 2021

At this point in Black Label Society's career, it's no longer a question of how a new album will sound, but rather whether it will be more or less inspired than the previous one. It's pointless to hope that Zakk will come up with something comparable to his 1990s—or even early 2000s—output, although he occasionally manages to assemble surprisingly strong records, such as 2018's "Grimmest Hits."

"Doom Crew Inc." stylistically falls between "Catacombs of the Black Vatican" and "Grimmest Hits," offering a mix of the usual Black Sabbath-inspired riffs and the more generic, mid-tempo rockers that Wylde and company have churned out for years. Even the production is very similar to the previous record, with punchy drums by Jeff Fabb, meaty guitars and bass, and solid performances from everyone involved. Unfortunately, this time there's a noticeable step backward in songwriting; while the song structures follow the well-established template of the band's recent work, the ideas presented here are too few to justify the album's running time, which exceeds one hour and features tracks that often overstay their welcome. Many of the band's records, especially the less successful ones, were redeemed by the "short and sweet" nature of their songs, with 45-minute albums ending before you had a chance to get bored. To be fair, "Grimmest Hits" was actually 55 minutes, but its overall quality made it enjoyable despite its slightly excessive length. In contrast, "Doom Crew Inc." would have benefited from a shorter running time, as many songs tend to drag and others are simply not strong enough. The album also reiterates Wylde's decision to completely abandon his signature pinch harmonics, a puzzling trend that began on the previous record.

The album includes several songs in the more accessible, classic rock style the band often explored in the latter part of its career, such as the opener "Set You Free," the other single "End of Days," and a filler track like "Shelter Me." Their melodic nature provides easy-listening choruses, harmonized vocal lines, clean guitar breaks, and good solos, but ultimately, the material is rather forgettable. That formula works somewhat better on "You Made Me Want to Live," which alternates softer verses with a more powerful chorus and bridge.

As usual, the band is at its best when it sticks to the Sabbath worship, with songs like "Destroy and Conquer," "Ruins," "Forsaken," and "Gospel of Lies" delivering 70s-inspired riffs, Ozzyfied vocal lines, and all the other typical BLS elements. The latter, in particular, offers a doom-laden intro riff reminiscent of "War Pigs," familiar chugging in the verses, an infectious chorus, and a fierce closing section, even featuring the only pinch harmonic on the record at the very last note of the song; it's almost as if Wylde snuck one in there just to see if anyone would notice.

The guitar solos also deserve mention, as they continue the positive trend of "Grimmest Hits." Wylde seems more inspired than usual, delivering more elaborate licks, skillfully blending melody and shredding, and often allowing himself a few extra bars for extended soloing.

He apparently was less inspired when writing the required three ballads, though; all are based mostly around piano and are rather dull compared to many similar songs he has written during his career, and they even pale in comparison to those on the previous album. The remake of "Love Reign Down," one of the heaviest tracks from the classic "Stronger Than Death" record, is probably the best of the three; it retains only the original lyrics, paired with a completely different melody and soulful vocals that recall the glorious Pride & Glory era. Wylde is no stranger to these kinds of reinterpretations; the completely different acoustic and electric versions of his song "Peddlers of Death" come to mind. This time, the softer version is not as convincing, but it's still a pretty good ballad, though definitely too long.

There's not much more to say about the record, as it doesn't add anything new to the band's formula and does not offer a set of tracks that can compete with the best BLS albums; even its unimaginative cover artwork appears to lack effort. It's not a terrible album, but it's definitely redundant; it's simply painfully average and somewhat flat, especially when compared to the revitalized, energetic "Grimmest Hits." It's the equivalent of comfort food for BLS fans, but I wasn't compelled to revisit this record after a few spins, except for those three or four good tracks.

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