1919 Eternal

By the time *1919 Eternal* was released in 2002, Zakk Wylde and his band Black Label Society had become the standard-bearers for a certain brand of no-nonsense blues-infused metal. This is one of their more aggressive and brooding efforts, full of the ominous blues-based riffs on which the band built its reputation, including “Graveyard Disciples,” “Genocide Junkies,” and “Refuse to Bow Down.” For all his authentic metal credentials, Wylde also showed an interest in expanding the genre’s parameters. *1919 Eternal* not only includes the acoustically sulking ballads “Lost Heaven” and “Bridge to Cross” but also the all-unplugged solo showcase “Speedball,” which has as much in common with flamenco guitar as heavy metal. It’s part of Wylde’s lovably contradictory nature that an album as brutal and incendiary as this ends with a dramatic, family-friendly version of “America the Beautiful.” The album’s best songs reinvigorate Wylde’s long-dormant love for thrash. While “Berserkers” became a Black Label anthem, “Lords of Destruction” is absolutely inflammatory.

Not the sh*t-kicking shtick the man's Grizzly Adams appearance and metal-as-a-way-of-life persona might suggest, 1919 Eternal might just be the most down-tuned record this side of Crowbar's dirge, or the Melvins.