Black Label Society Concerts Tickets

ABOUT BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

Guitarist and singer Zakk Wylde formed heavy metal band Black Label Society in Los Angeles, California in 1998.

CAREER

1998-1999: Formation and Sonic Brew

In December 1994, Pride & Glory – Wylde’s solo band, which played a mixture of Southern rock and heavy metal – disbanded after the release of one album. Subsequently, Wylde recorded a solo album, Book of Shadows, which he released in 1996.

After Book of Shadows experienced some limited commercial success, Wylde and drummer Phil Ondich recorded the album Sonic Brew in May 1998. Wylde and Ondich decided to form a band and that the album would be release under that band’s name, rather than as Wylde’s solo record. Nick Catanese joined the group as a second guitarist and John DeServio, who had previously worked with Wylde as a temporary replacement in Pride & Glory, joined as the band's bassist for the album's tour.

Sonic Brew was released in Japan on October 28, 1998 and, due to delays in signing with Spitfire Records, was released in the rest of the world on May 4, 1999.

1999-2007: Line-up changes and subsequent releases

Stronger Than Death, the band’s sophomore effort, was released in 2000 and features Steve Gibb in place of DeServio on bass. That July, Ondich also left the band and Craig Nunenmacher joined on drums, making his debut with the band that October on the live album, Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live +5. During the 2001 Ozzfest Tour, Mike Inez of Alice in Chains stepped in for Gibb. He was followed by Robert Truillo, who played with the band for the next year.

Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003 and Inez rejoined the group for a short two-week tour, supporting the band's album The Blessed Hellride. Following that, James LoMenzo joined the band as its bassist in 2004 after the release of Hangover Music Vol. VI.

Barring drums, Wylde played every instrument on Black Label Society’s first four studio albums.

In 2005, the band signed with Artemis Records. They released their sixth studio album, Mafia, on March 8, 2005, reaching number 15 on the Billboard 200. After the release of Mafia, LoMenzo left the band to join Megadeth and John DeServio, the band’s original bassist, rejoined.

2006 saw Stronger Than Death leave Artemis to sign with Roadrunner Records, releasing its seventh studio album, Shot to Hell, on the label. However, the band left Roadrunner in 2007.

2007-present: Side bands and line-up changes

In the summer of 2007, Wylde toured with Ozzy Osbourne and DeServio and Catanese both formed new side projects.

February 2010 saw drummer Craig Nunenmacher leave the band to be replaced by Will Hunt (of Dark New Day, Evanescence). That August, Stronger Than Death released its highest-charting album to date, Order of the Black, which reached number four on the Billboard 200. The bans supported its release with the Black Label Berzerkus Tour, with support from Children of Bodom and Clutch and opening act 2cents. In March 2011, Hunt left the band to record with Evanescence and was replaced by Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly (formerly of Type O Negative) for the rest of the tour, until Mike Froedge of doubleDrive and Catanese's band Speed X joined the band in May 2011.

The Song Remains Not the Same, a compilation album, was released on May 3, 2011, featuring unplugged versions of material from the album Order of the Black, plus additional material recorded during the Order of the Black sessions.

In September 2011, Chad Szeliga of Breaking Benjamin was revealed as the band’s new drummer.

On October 28, 2013, the band debuted a new music video – a cover of Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine". That December, it was announced that Catanese had parted with the band on amicable terms. Lizzy Borden guitarist Dario Lorina was announced as the group’s new guitarist on January 1, 2014.

On October 2, 2017, the band released the song "Room of Nightmares." On that day, they also announced their upcoming album, Grimmest Hits, which was released on January 19, 2018. The following November, Black Label Society released a vinyl-only EP titled Nuns and Roaches, which features six songs originally recorded in 1999.

Doom Crew Inc., the band’s 11th album, was released on November 26, 2021.