Order of the Black

iTunes Review

It’s no surprise that Zakk Wylde, one of Ozzy Osbourne’s finest guitarists, plays some of the most uncompromising hard rock in the business. He’s old-school and doesn’t bend to fashion. His vocals generate the glitzy angst of Axl Rose and many other hard-rock singers and his guitar solos sound like a man who has listened to everything from Black Sabbath to Iron Maiden. Order of the Black could have just as easily been released in the ‘80s, considering its devotion to the no-nonsense hard-rock attack. “War of Heaven” features machine-gun rhythms with new drummer Will Hunt settling in without a hitch. “Shallow Grave” slows things down for a little piano to sneak through. “Riders of the Damned” features an intensity rarely heard without tipping the rhythms into grindcore. “Overlord” builds off a Black Sabbath riff. “Time Waits for No One” is not the Rolling Stones tune, but a slow dance that further connects Wylde to Guns N’ Roses-era hard rock. The deluxe edition adds a 35-minute track-by-track exploration with Wylde and “The Last Goodbye” sits down with him at the piano.