While Zakk Wylde has had his punch card filled with numerous Pantera concert dates this past year, don’t forget that the beloved metal icon is still leading his own doom crew, Black Label Society. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve heard new music from the band, but they’re making a mighty return with a single called “The Gallows.”
The track marks the first original material from BLS since 2022 full-length Doom Crew Inc. “The Gallows” finds Wylde and Co. leaning into what they know best: southern-styled gloom-grooves that’ll rattle you down to the core. In accordance to that deaths-row-stirring song title, the bandleader dips into yowl-heavy lines about treading the waters of despair and bracing yourself for the “final ride” as a pack of vultures loom in the distance.
Fittingly, the video likewise involves menacing birds of prey, flaming skulls, and Wylde and co-guitarist Dario Lorena truly killing it with their back-and-forth soloing. You can see for yourself up above.
“The Gallows” is streaming now via Spinefarm Records/MNRK Heavy. It’s presently unclear if this means BLS have more music on the way, but the group will be playing Wylde’s Berzerkus festival this Saturday (September 14th) at Bushkill, Pensylvania’s Poconos Park. The fest likewise features appearances from Clutch, Rival Sons and more. You can find the full details here.