As of today, March 27th 2026, the latest album from Black Label Society has officially dropped. It’s probably been a good while since I’ve actually sat down and listened to all of their albums so let’s take a look………
Sonic Brew- going back and listening to it now, I actually have a little bit more of an appreciation for this one. It’s not the fastest and it does have some sort of blues-y guitar tones and overall it’s not bad for a debut album. I will say there is a good amount of filler and there’s a reason why I won’t go back and revisit this one that often.
Previous Score: 6/10
New Score: 6.5/10
Standouts: Bored to Tears, Low Down, Rose Petalled Garden
Stronger Than Death- again the vocals on this record sound kind of weird. Not really sure what was going on with the production here, but I actually do like it. It does have this sort of kind of grungy like guitar tone and it’s definitely worth a listen. Certainly a step up from the first album.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 8.5/10
Standouts: All For You, 13 Years of Grief, Superterrorizer
1919 Eternal- I feel like with this album he sort of carried over what he was doing with Ozzy Osbourne. I definitely get a lot of those similarities this time around. I also feel like this is the record where they started to make a name for themselves. At the very least, I would say this is probably one of their more well-known albums.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: Demise of Sanity, Battering Ram, Genocide Junkies
The Blessed Hellride- I think it’s safe to say that this is one of those albums that picks up right where the last one left off. The biggest difference between this one and the last one, however is that those songs on this album seem to be a bit faster. Honestly, if I had my choice between the two I would probably choose this one. I say it’s definitely a step up and again I would call it one of the more classic albums.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: Destruction Overdrive, Doomsday Jesus, Funeral Bell
Hangover Music Vol. VI- it’s clear that Zakk Wylde wanted to make another album in the same vein as his Pride And Glory side project. It’s certainly a lot slower than the previous albums, but it’s still got that guitar work that Zakk is sort of known for. I don’t know I guess if you’re looking for something on the more slower, relaxing side of things you might like this album personally this album is just OK.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Crazy or High, Layne, House of Doom
Mafia- you know there was a point in time where I really really liked this album. Now it’s not as good as I remember. Granted it’s been a good while since I gave it a listen and I still like this album just not as much as I used to. I feel like if they took off maybe two or three songs this would be a better album but like I’m finding with their other albums it’s just OK. This is still one of my favorite BLS albums and maybe mine listening has changed.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 8.5/10
Standouts: Fire It Up, Say What You Will, I Never Dreamed
Shot To Hell- I feel like when it comes to this album because Zakk did show his piano playing skills and his sort of ballad-y side on Mafia, he decided to do more of that on this album. If you ask me, there’s just too much of that and I’ve always felt that way about this album. This isn’t a bad album, but I would say it’s not as strong as the previous. I did like it just a little bit more this time than I did the last time I reviewed it, but as a whole it’s just ok.
Previous Score: 5/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Devil’s Dime, Faith Is Blind, Give Yourself To Me
Order Of The Black- I still feel that this is the album that should’ve come after Mafia. Again though maybe I’m just hearing things differently, but this is another album that I think that could stand to lose maybe one or two songs. I will say that of all the albums that I’ve listened to from this band so far this is probably their most fun. Again, though like with all these other albums, there’s just a good amount of filler.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: Parade of the Dead, Crazy Horse, Black Sunday
Catacombs Of The Black Vatican- I feel like I’ve reached the point with this band where the albums are now just kinda starting to sound the same. Sure there are some variations with some of the earlier albums but a lot of of this is just becoming wash, rinse, repeat. This album is fine. It’s got some great guitar work, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Damn the Flood, I’ve Gone Away, My Dying Time
Grimmest Hits- again much like the last record. This one doesn’t really bring that much to the table. I would say, though that the biggest difference between this one and the last one is that it’s reminiscent of albums like 1919 mixed with Hangover Music. It is an interesting way how some of these songs are structured but overall again this album is just OK.
Previous Score: 6/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: All That Once Shined, Seasons of Falter, Bury Your Sorrow
Doom Crew Inc.- to be honest, I’m a little surprised it took him this long to come up with this record title. Why is that? Well because I have had shirts and hoodies that have said Doom Crew Inc. on them way before this album was ever made. Again, it’s just another derivative record. I don’t think it’s a bad record, but there are other BLS albums that I would pick over this one. I’ll give this album 7/10.
Standouts: Set You Free, End Of Days, Gather All My Sins
Engines Of Demolition- alright so here we are the latest album from Black Label Society. The first thing that I hear with this one is definitely the Sabbath influences. You absolutely can tell that when they made this album they were thinking about Ozzy Osbourne. I mean there is even a song called “Ozzy‘s Song” and (fun fact) Zakk even used his old Bullseye (called The Grail) Gibson Les Paul to do the guitar parts. The rest of the album has a little something for everyone and I also noticed that the pinch harmonics aren’t as prevalent on this album. That’s not to say that they aren’t there just maybe not so in your face. I have to say after the averageness of the previous album, this is definitely a step up and I’m giving this album 8.5/10
Standouts: Gatherer Or Souls, Broken And Blind, The Stranger
When it comes to great guitar players/guitar playing, Zakk Wylde definitely comes to mind. Some may not like his style or the fact that he does go a little overboard with the pinch harmonics, but he was the longest serving guitar player for Ozzy Osbourne and that says a lot. When it comes to Black Label Society, I almost wrote this band off entirely because last time I saw them they weren’t that great. I think seeing them on this last tour in 2026 definitely reignited the love that I had for this band. I think seeing them live before the latest albums release definitely helped that. If you’re looking for a good straightforward guitar driven metal band then Black Label Society might be what you’re looking for.
Final Grade: B+
Previous Album Rankings:
- Mafia
- Order of the Black
- Stronger Than Death
- The Blessed Hellride
- 1919 Eternal
- Sonic Brew
- Catacombs of the Black Vatican
- Shot To Hell
- Hangover Music Vol. VI
- Grimmest Hits
New Album Rankings:
- The Blessed Hellride
- Order Of The Black
- Engines Of Demolition
- Mafia
- Stronger Than Death
- 1919 Eternal
- Hangover Music Vol. VI
- Doom Crew Inc.
- Catacombs Of The Black Vatican
- Shot To Hell
- Grimmest Hits
- Sonic Brew
Sinister Reviews 