It’s been what feels like an eternity since my last write up of a gig (thank you pandemic) and since the return of live music I’ve only managed to make a handful of gigs to boot (thank you cost of living being terrible!). Since we don’t get many major gigs worth talking about hitting Liverpool, I felt this was a prime opportunity to get both, a dose of live music and talk about it so let’s get in, belt up and take a trip on the Blessed Hellride.

With the customary hunt for band merch and recoiling in terror at the price of a pint (£6.20 for Carlsberg, a remortgage on your house for San Miguel) it was time to find a spot and settle in for the support act, Tuskar, a two-piece hailing from Milton Keynes. This duo came out with the intent to hit hard and heavy with their sludge-laden grooves and standing in front of the wall of amps BLS were going to be ‘using’, the noise could easily have been attributed to the wall behind them!

Hitting hard with huge drums which packed a powerful punch with every tom hit and cymbal crashed, drummer/vocalist Tyler let loose with a ferocious assault. Combining the maddening riffs of Tom on guitar with his howling vocals and gravelly roars, the disjointed sludge assault surged like a wave crashing against the shore. The crowd lapped it up and the energetic performance was well received, especially where the heavy riffing was concerned. The low-end sound was tight and you only heard it thin out a little when some of the lead sections popped up, making me think that a second guitarist or a bassist would just thicken the sound out a little. That aside, I can’t complain much; the sound was good, the performance was solid and if the band continues to perform like this, don’t be too surprised to see them on the summer festival circuit or at Damnation sometime down the line!

Come 9pm we were waiting for BLS to come on. The big banner was up covering the stage, the soundtrack was mostly 70’s-90’s classic rock and the one pint I’d paid for was mostly drunk. Some people were getting restless, despite hits from Queen and Faith No More blasting out, but by the time 9:20pm rolled round things changed up a little. “Whole Lotta Sabbath” hit the PA, a mash-up of “War Pigs” and “Whole Lotta Love”, something which worked quite well and had the crowd really amped up which meant that the show would be starting pretty soon… And then the curtain dropped.

Smoke machines billowed and stood centre stage with one of his many custom-branded guitars was the mountain himself, Zakk Wylde. Chugging away with the fast-tempo riff for opening track “Bleed For Me”, things finally came alive. Heavy, hammering and loud as hell, Black Label Society were back in Liverpool and they meant business. With his skull and crucifix adorned mic stand, Zakk led the band and when the situation called for it, the man was up and down on his podium, leading the way with the rapid-fire alternate-picked masterclass. Like him, Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the talent and skill Mr. Wylde has when it comes to his technique, and it was as tight as ever as the rapid flurries of riffs and wild solo runs rang out.

“Demise of Sanity” followed up next, another fan favourite and again, as you would expect, the massive groove was in full force. Despite the only complex parts of the tracks being the lead work, the simplicity of the track, like many BLS numbers is what makes them so effective. The riffs are memorable and loud, the vocals succinct and delivered when needed and the bass thunders away with the drums, leaving the lead sections to be the star attractions.

We got some tracks from across the back catalogue, as expected from a live gig which was also the night before their appearance at Download Festival 2022, so it also served as a final dress rehearsal for their festival slot which would feature a more streamlined version of this set. There was little room for expository back and forth with the crowd, but this was expected. Zakk himself pretty much stated this halfway through the set when he said he wouldn’t waste our time asking about The Beatles, a statement which got both a laugh and a roar of approval from the ‘Liverpool Chapter’ of the BLS Doom Crew.

Things slowed down a little in the middle of the set as the thunder and groove was replaced with melody and ballad; the double neck was brought out for “The Blessed Hellride” and the piano came in for “Spoke In The Wheel” and as soon as this track finished, we all knew what was coming next. Banners displaying the brothers Abbott; Dimebag and Vinnie Paul unfurled over the walls of amplifiers and the poignant “In This River” was delivered with Wylde on vocals/piano and Dario Lorina taking centre stage on the guitar duties. It was a great moment as normally Wylde is the focus of most BLS stage shows and Lorina nailed the solo perfectly, getting a loud applause for the crowd.

From here, it picked up again with some more riffing, soloing and massive grooves and before we knew it, the final stretch of the set was in sight. Red lighting bathed the stage, the warning signal sound blared and the smoke machines billowed again as the anthemic “Fire It Up” started the ‘encore’/set closing run. Chunky chords, talkbox and wah abuse, a sea of inflatable, BLS logo emblazoned inflatable balls and a request from Wylde for us to go wild led to an extended rendition of the track, complete with a solo trade off lasting the better part of five minutes with Wylde and Lorina trading runs whilst the bass went on its own tangent, mixing it up with tricky slap runs and gallops. “Suicide Messiah” was next up to bat and as expected, the massive groove riff had bodies moving and heads banging before a mind-blowing spot occurred where both Wylde and Lorina played the solo at the same time, note for note perfectly. It was a cool moment and another solo trade off spot happened before the most recognisable of BLS tracks, “Stillborn” brought the set to a close, bringing the crowd to their loudest and drawing a close on a heavy night.

People may say that BLS are boring or bland. Yes, they might be very simple in terms of overall structuring and composition; memorable hook riff, simple drum beat, some bass variety and then a Wylde shred fest, but BLS are a band who give you what you expect from them. You go to a BLS gig for the big hook riffs and gratuitous soloing. You go for the headbanging and pounding riffs. You go because you find a sense of acceptance amongst the BLS Chapter who are there in attendance.

BLS might have been a bit average last time I saw them back at BOA 2015, but in Liverpool on June 9th 2022, they were anything but average. It was a solid set from start to finish, it sounded tight as hell and it was great to kick back with some big catchy grooves and once again be reminded just why Zakk Wylde was chosen to play with Ozzy Osbourne and just why Zakk Wylde is one of the modern greats of guitar playing.

(Review Fraggle)