Pride & Glory (feat. Zakk Wylde)

Zakk Wylde’s first solo effort after leaving Ozzy Osbourne’s band was a refreshing foray into the territory of Southern rock. At a time when metal was preoccupied with who could be harder and heavier, Wylde turned in the opposite direction. Among the album’s touchstones are The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Joe Cocker. Wylde’s aim was to blend the openhearted feeling and organic instrumentation of classic rock with some heavy metal swagger. When Wylde isn’t pursuing the pastoral gentleness of “Sweet Jesus,” he's summoning Jimi Hendrix's spirit on “Horse Called War” and “Harvester of Pain.” Not simply the Hendrix of “Purple Haze,” but the Hendrix of Band of Gypsies in all of its low-tuned, cosmic majesty. Heavy metal has never been so rootsy. “Shine On” and “Losin’ Your Mind” sound like The Black Crowes mixed with Alice in Chains. Wylde still had a lot to prove as a solo artist, but it’s possible he never released another album this fun or wholesome. To cap off the album’s freewheeling approach, Wylde closes with “Hate Your Guts”: a faux-hayseed stomp that recalls the goofy but lovable acoustic jams of The Faces.