Catacombs of the Black Vatican

Zakk Wylde detoured from making brain-shredding records to write a book in 2012, Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide to World Tour Domination. With its “fantastically pathetic stories of rock ’n’ roll enrichment,” it’s far from a kids’ book; it’s an entertaining look at the unhinged years of a skilled musician, one responsible for a large percentage of the metal riffs put out into the universe. Wylde, recently gone alcohol-free and perhaps feeling some damage done, seems anxious to get on with rocking and dispelling any rumors that he or BLS have gone soft. Catacombs of the Black Vatican is a celebration of traditional metal, including the melodramatic and the cheesy, but it’s what we’ve come to expect and love about BLS. Twin leads, blazing solos, and shades of ‘90s grunge (à la Soundgarden and Alice in Chains) are all part and parcel of this collection, and any hint of the “unplugged” nature of the last two BLS albums is nonexistent. On the first studio album without rhythm guitarist Nick Catanese on board, Wylde deftly fills all the guitar roles himself; his vocals are as strong and gnarled as an ageless oak tree.