Posted on: April 17, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

I had no idea that Black Label Society had been rocking for a decade, but “Skullage”, their greatest hits DVD/CD collection (to be released on Tuesday) is evidence providing that point specifically. The CD itself is a blend of the band’s best known hits and rarities, while the DVD is a collage of different material from all periods of the band’s length history. The CD ends with a qyuartet of acoustic tracks, which really pick up steam starting with “The Blessed Hellride” and peak during the disc’s penultimate track, “Spoke in the Wheel”. The disc’s final track, an acoustic iteration of “Stillborn”, gives listeners some semblance of where the track could have went.

When purchasers move over to the DVD side of things, the first thing that they will see is that a few of the tracks are the same as those that were put forth on “Boozed, Broozed, & Broken-Boned”. However, the inclusion of a number of other tracks, and especially the capturing of the instrumental side of things in video format, turns the DVD into something that every fan of Black Label Society should check out. Other features, such as interviews with Wylde eirself (check out eir musings on Dimebag Darrell for some eye-opening stuff), top off what is a comprehensive package chronicling the time that Black Label Society has been impacting the metal world.

If you are looking to get someone previously unfamiliar with BLS into the act, make it a point to pick up “Skullage” for them and take them to one of the band’s numerous tour stops this Spring, which round out the month. If you are a fan of the act, purchase Skullage anyway for the bonuses, and let that be the way that you can make it until Black Label Society releases their next album, whether it be in 2010 or 2011. The CD/DVD compilation has a better price than the separate CD and DVD that are being released at the same time, so I would have to go every time to the set.

Rating: 9.0/10

Black Label Society – Skullage / 2009 Eagle Records / http://www.blacklabelsociety.net

Leave a Comment