Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Black Label Society main man Zakk Wylde initially made a name for himself in the metal scene operating as Ozzy Osbourne's touring guitarist for many a moon, while most recently, he's currently filling the boots of the late great Dimebag Darrell on the Pantera reunion/tribute tour. In amongst the bearded shredder's hectic schedule is his Zakk Sabbath love-letter tribute act to the pioneering metal giants of a phonetically similar moniker. The trio, rounded out by bassist Robert "Blasko" Nicholson (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens Of The Stone Age), are now set to unveil a 7" single of their cover of the iconic Paranoid closing track 'Fairies Wear Boots', which was originally intended as a touring exclusive but now will receive a follow up retail-wide distribution. Complete with an epic, faithful rendition of Master Of Reality deep cut 'Solitude' on the flip side, but peppered with enough sonic liberties to engage without invoking the ire of avid fans the world over, this is Sabbath worship done only the right way.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Swiss-US musician Manuel Gagneux returns with a new six track EP under the Zeal And Ardor flag, a contemporary metal band that have rightly been lauded for originality in songcraft and expressive lyricism, focusing their rage at racial justice, inherent fascism within capitalism systems and the ongoing persecution and abuse of non-whites across America and beyond.

Written in response to the events of summer 2020, at which point George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, were set to the backdrop of a pressure cooker global pandemic. As you would expect, this outpouring of feelings is intense and tangible, a record of enormous power and purpose, not to mention a particularly compelling example of Afro-black metal. A release that needed to be released, for more reasons than one.

Review: Zakk Sabbath, for the uninitiated, is THE definitive Black Sabbath tribute act led by bearded axeman Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society (who also happens to have spent many a year on the road as the touring guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne). Rounding out the trio with bassist Robert "Blasko" Nicholson (Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Queens Of The Stone Age, Danzig), the band are set to unleash their monolithic double LP Doomed Forever Forever Doomed, which sees them tackling 1970's Paranoid and 1971's Master Of Reality back to back. Produced by Wylde himself, expect embellished, fuzzy, massive reimaginings of some of the most quintessential Sabbath hits from 'War Pigs' to 'Iron Man' to 'Planet Caravan' to 'Fairies Wear Boots' to 'Children Of The Grave'. Are you overwhelmed yet, because you should be?

Review: Los Angeles based powerviolence mob, Zulu, have been making waves in the hardcore scene over the past few years, thanks in no small part to the crushing power of their two EPs, 'Our Day Will Come', in 2019, and the 2020 follow up, 'My People...Hold On'. Combining blisteringly heavy bursts of grind-inspired hardcore, juxtaposed with everything from samples of classic R&B and soul to reggae cuts and momentous speeches from black history, there's a unique freshness to the band's approach, elevated by their ferocious anti-racist lyrics and sobering critiques of gentrification and white privilege. Their upcoming debut full-length, A New Tomorrow, promises to build upon the vision of their earlier releases with a self-produced melting pot of expansive, focused punk, and outsider influences from every facet of black culture. With guest vocal features from members of Soul Glo and Playytime; Zulu appear to be leading the charge for an entirely new wave of punk to come.