S&BLS: Zakk not so wild anymore

We all know Zakk Wylde. A beer-drinking, motorbike-riding, epic-beard-having, bad-ass motherfucker. Wylde isn’t just his name (his real name is Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt, by the way), he is wild. Or rather, was.

He had to stop drinking, for understandable reasons, a while ago and now he’s going really soft. How? Well, just read the following statement of Zakk about Black Label Society’s upcoming live DVD:

“[We’ll] get a pedal steel player, some background singers, a string quartet…Just go the whole nine yards on this instead of just the full-blown, blow-it-out band. We have two (DVDs) out there with the full-blown band, heavy insanity. This’ll just be something different.”

Full interview here.

I might be the only one but I really enjoyed Metallica’s S&M, and I overall just like metal mixed with piano and/or strings, so I’m actually looking forward to this. Let’s just call it S&BLS for now.

Friday Top 10: Best AC/DC songs

AC/DC… One of the biggest bands on Earth and probably one of the best. Their simple riffs and simple drum beats magically worked together to create some of the most amazing songs in existence. There is really nothing else to say about them except that they’re legends, they’re brilliant, and they are better than your favorite band.

When it comes to selecting their top ten songs, it’s not easy. Surely everyone will love the entries in this top, but when it comes to the order, I’m sure there are many different opinions.

So make the jump if you want to read my take on what their best songs are. You have the right to disagree, of course, but that won’t make you right. By making the jump you accept my amazing opinion as being pure fact.

Opeth reveal Heritage

I still remember the first time I ever heard Opeth, it was like sex for the first time. Never before had I heard anything like it, the band literally blew my mind (and I blew my load).

So with that in mind, it is with great excitement that I learn that the band have revealed many interesting details regarding their forthcoming album, Heritage.

“It will be our 10th album/observation,” says frontman Mikael Akerfeldt. “I dig it; we all do. In fact, it feels like I’ve been building up to write for and participate on an album like this since I was 19.”

“It’s quite intense at times in some ‘old’ murky way, and quite beautiful and stark at times, if I may say so myself,” he continues. “It’s obvious I’m going to say nice things about it since I wrote basically the whole piece, but I guess it will raise a few eyebrows and it certainly is an acquired taste.”

“I think you’ll need a slightly deeper understanding of our music as a whole to be able to appreciate this record. I’ve realized my influences for this album are so diverse that I can’t really say what it sounds like. If I can compare it to any other band, it would have to be Opeth, but it’s different from the stuff we’ve done before. I’ve listened a lot to Alice Cooper for the last year, yet I can’t say it sounds like ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy.’ I hope you’ll like it once you hear it.”

Source: Metal Hammer

Now if that doesn’t excite you, you’ve been watching too much porn son!

Opeth have also announced that the first single from the album is to be called ‘The Devil’s Orchard’. Standard and special edition albums, a box set and a double LP pressing are in the works for the album’s September 19th release. Get the tracklisting after the jump!

Alice Cooper is a pro

Alice Cooper got ill and canceled a show in Chile last night. Why am I reporting this, when bands cancel shows all the time? Yeah, true, but the last time Alice Cooper canceled a show was 30 years ago. Impressive? Quite so. We wish him a full and fast recovery.

Meanwhile, Axl Rose was only 30 minutes late to a show last night, and asked why no one is reporting on his excellent track record – not being that late two nights in a row.

Ozzy won’t cry over Black Sabbath

Ozzy was part of a legendary metal band. THE metal band, as far as I’m concerned. So it’s no surprise that the press will always nag him with Black Sabbath-reunion-related questions.

So you’ll never guess what someone asked him in a recent interview. I’ll give you a hint: It was about whether or not a Black Sabbath reunion would happen.

“I haven’t got a clue. If they want to call me, they can call me. I never say never. If it works, fine. If it don’t, I’ll move on. It ain’t the end of the world. I ain’t gonna get a box of Kleenex and cry my eyes out for the rest of my life. […] We’re not kids anymore. I don’t wanna bullshit them and I don’t want them to bullshit me. Why should I go back to that and be unhappy when I’m happy right now? I mean, I would love to do a great album with Black Sabbath. I would love to get the credit we so roundly deserve. At the same time, the pressure would be really intense. I could go tomorrow and make an album with them, but it wouldn’t necessarily be something I would be proud of.“

Read full interview here.

Can a new Sabbath album be worse than his reality show? What is he worried about? I say go for it.