Review by Phil Rozier for MPM
Over the last 50 years, rock music, metal, hard rock, whatever label you want to slap on hair, guitars and noise, has spawned more variations than a dodgy festival burger menu. Whether you’re neck deep in thrash, worshipping hard rock, reliving nu metal, or sipping your morning coffee to some stoner doom fuzz, there’s always a core running through it all. A heartbeat. A riff. A feeling.
And while no single band is that core, Black Label Society can’t be far off it.
For years, they’ve never chased the bright arena lights, but Zakk Wylde and his gang have consistently delivered what I’d call the pure DNA of hard rock. Unbelievable riffs. Huge licks. Chugging rhythms. Screaming harmonics. All of it anchored by that rock solid, steam train steady beat behind the kit.
Loud. True. Aggressive. Almost deceptively simple. And once again, BLS have nailed it with their latest groove.
“Name in Blood” – the first single from their upcoming studio album Engines of Demolition (dropping later this spring) is everything you want from them, and then some. It’s got that unmistakable Zakk sensitivity woven through the heaviness. For a mountain of a man, he’s got an emotional touch that could make a brick wall tear up.
The track opens quietly, almost AC/DC esque, before erupting into classic drop tuned chugging. Then Zakk’s unmistakable vocals soar over the top like a war cry. The chorus softens just enough to become an instant sing along, the kind you’ll be belting out in the car, the shower, or the queue for overpriced festival chips.
“I give you all I’ve got, I’ll give you my name in blood. My name in blood!”
And then the solo hits, igniting everything in its path. Zakk flicks between bridge and neck pickups like he’s switching dimensions, and the tones are pure, unmistakable BLS.
What I’ve always loved about Black Label Society is that they’re more melodic than people give them credit for. They’ve got nothing left to prove; decades of graft, riffs, sweat and soul have cemented them as one of the most consistent forces in modern hard rock.
And now, in 2026, they’re gearing up to bring that power back to the UK with a brief tour in May supporting the new album. If “Name in Blood” is anything to go by, those shows are going to flatten venues, melt faces, and remind everyone why BLS remain one of the most reliable, riffslinging machines in the business.
This is a band forged on the stages of the past, still delivering the most glorious hard rock into our lives today.
Stream Now: https://blacklabelsociety.ffm.to/engi…
Bring on Engines of Demolition. Bring on May. Bring on more BLS in 2026.
Follow Black Label Society
Instagram: http://bit.ly/BLSinstagram
Facebook: http://bit.ly/BLSfacebook
Twitter: http://bit.ly/ZakkBLStwitter
Spotify: http://bit.ly/BLSspotify
Apple Music: http://bit.ly/BLSapplemusic
Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/BLSbandcamp
