BLACK LABEL SOCIETY do not like surprises. They are from the bands you either are fan of or you don’t give a brown cake for them. As stable as a stone wall, Zakk Wylde and his boys do the same thing in the last 20 years - heavy American rock'n'roll. And that's good.

 

'Grimmest Hits' is not a compilation album, despite its misleading title. It is consisted of brand new material written in the last 3 years. The surprise comes from the content however. Yes, the songs are in the typical BLACK LABEL SOCIETY style, but the album is so good that you listen to it in one breath. Something Zakk Wylde seemed to have forgotten how it’s done.

 

It is filled of killer riffs, of those who dangle in the head and pave the way for the speed machine the song rides on. Still in the opening track 'Trampled Down Below' it blows your head and the album continues with exactly the same tempo ahead - 'Seasons of Falter', 'The Betrayel', 'Room of Nightmares' are all relentless and direct tracks. This time, Zakk apparently has restrained his desire for a tedious shredding and noisy solos. And it’s not that there are no solos - in 'A Love Unreal', 'Illusions of Peace' and 'Disbelief' Zakk shows that he is a high-class guitarist, without, however, disturbing the momentum of the tracks as he simultaneously diversifies them with guitar solos, but also throws them straight to your heart with the power of falling bricks.

 

Of course, he has not forgotten the lyrical songs that he’s really good at. 'The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away' and 'Nothing Left To Say' are great ballads exactly the way we love to hear from Zakk Wylde. And if you buy the special edition, you will get two more of them.

 

'Grimmest Hits' is a great collection of songs which demonstrates the ability of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to combine skillfully doom and blues rock pumped with southern muscles. And it's the best album of the band since 'Mafia'.