Concert review: Black Label Society w/ Zakk Sabbath & Dark Chapel | 09.11.26, The Factory (with photo gallery)

Photo of Zakk Wylde by Laura Jerele

One thing is for sure: Zakk Wylde knows how to give people a hell of a lot of show for their money! Black Label Society headlined The Factory show, but Wylde actually pulled double duty by serving as his own opening act with his version of a Black Sabbath tribute, Zakk Sabbath.

You can tell his love for Ozzy Osbourne is completely genuine with how he upholds these classic Black Sabbath songs, giving them every bit of the heavy treatment they deserve. He sings and plays guitar for this “tribute” if you will, that is when he’s not busy thrashing his hair around! The Zakk Sabbath set was awesome complete with songs like “Children of the Grave,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and an absolutely blistering version of “N.I.B.” complete with dozens of beach balls thrown in the air throughout the entire song. The set ended with “War Pigs,” but Wylde somehow managed to throw an incredible 10 minute-ish guitar blazing solo straight from the crowd, not kidding. He just went straight into the middle of the crowd, and I honestly think the fans could not believe what was happening right in front of their eyes!

The headlining set was Wylde’s original band, Black Label Society, however his tribute to Ozzy did not end because he managed to throw in his version of “No More Tears” early in the set. Each set he cycled through a myriad of his own signature guitars, adorned two different colored kilts, and gave relentless energy and humor. He’s so GenX to the core that when he introduced his band, he joked about them being his version of the ‘solid gold dancers’ and yeah, I’m pretty sure only us Xers got that reference! Wylde really knows how to connect with his audience and put on one hell of a show, and he’s also a master of marketing. No doubt he learned a lot of that from time spent under the tutelage of Ozzy’s wife and business manager, Sharon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen merch purchased in such large quantities per person at a show. The merch booth was restocked twice and the line did not subside until the end of the night, only to have a pick right back up. Simply crazy!

BLS guitarist Dario Lorina is actually the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the first opener of the night, Dark Chapel. Their set featured a really cool stage set up, and a lot of it felt incredibly old-school metal, but his vocal stylings had a lovely blue grit to them. And I thought they were quite good, they were definitely as good as they were heavy! I appreciate that Wylde is passing the torch to always support young talent. It was definitely a guitar lover’s dream of a show with volume, amps, and tons of virtuosity. | Laura Jerele

Black Label Society setlist:
Funeral Bell
Name in Blood
Destroy & Conquer
A Love Unreal
Heart of Darkness
No More Tears
In This River
The Blessed Hellride
Set You Free
Fire It Up
Suicide Messiah
Ozzy’s Song
Stillborn