For some this might be sacrilege, for Zakk Wylde it’s the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a legendary record, something his Black Sabbath covers band was seemingly destined for. So do we need a faithful rendition of Sabbath’s iconic self-titled debut, which birthed heavy metal?
Probably not. Is it fun, though? Hell yeah, absolutely.
As far as cover projects go, this is gold standard, a reverent take from start to finish, based on the original US version of the album – so Wicked World is here, but not Evil Woman – with Wylde front and centre interpreting Tony Iommi’s riffs, and doing an Ozzy Osbourne impression perfected during the many keg parties of his youth.
The sound is, of course, crushingly authentically heavy, but without sacrificing the groove and swing of the original.
