Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
New Jersey gets bad press, especially in comparison to its near neighbour across the bay, New York, on this side of the Atlantic, but for anyone who has spent serious amount of time there, maybe ventured beyond the calling card of Atlantic City, the brushed walkways and the large unexpected Elephant named Lucy that remains static but a huge draw of things to do that don’t involve gambling, for anyone willing to venture in and see what life is truly about, then in Zakk Wylde you have the perfect man to accompany you as you make your way to Cape May Court House and relax in the release of Book Of Shadows II.
This first solo album by the marvel of New Jersey in 20 years is perhaps one of the most keenly anticipated releases of the year and without question, forethought or displacement of negativity, it lives completely up to the anticipation; like the tantalising smell of a good steak being cooked on the sands that hug the Atlantic, slowly basting, the air rampant and dancing with closely guarded jealousy on the tip of the tongue, anticipation is all.
The knowledge of his work will be enough to convince many to purchase this semi sequel to the original Book Of Shadows but what they find in between the soon to be well worn layers is an album of complexity, of introspection and indeed some moments where the music purrs like a panthers after a kill of such magnitude that it is admonished by its mother for playing with its food. Perhaps it is coming off the back of the latest tour by Black Label Society that has kept the focus sharp and the realisation that he has so much more to say and offer; if that is the case then yet again it proves that the best will always find a way to keep working and that slowing down is an option only available in the minds of the unworldly.
In tracks such as Tears of December, Lost Prayer, Darkest Hour and Useless Apologies, Zakk Wylde demonstrates such keen awareness of his place in the genre, one of the beating hearts to whom life should salute with passion and yet he remonstrates with the anger that becomes him, that slides along so perfectly that you cannot see the burned rubber marks that make the Metal highway so explosive; it is an anger that soars throughout the album and yet is compassionate enough to hold the listener close by.
A wonderful return to the solo world of music production, Zakk Wylde is once more out of the shadows.
Zakk Wylde releases Book Of Shadows II on April 8th.
Ian D. Hall