Description
Black Label Society – Skullage – RSD Double 180G Emerald Green Vinyl Record
Black Label Society – Skullage is a compilation album by Zakk Wylde’s heavy metal powerhouse, released on April 21, 2009, through Armoury Records. Far from being a typical greatest hits package, Skullage functions as a career-spanning retrospective that includes studio tracks, live performances, and acoustic renditions, offering a well-rounded portrait of Black Label Society’s evolution from sludge-heavy Southern metal bruisers to a band with moments of surprising melodic and acoustic sensitivity.
The title Skullage—a play on “collage” and “skull,” a recurring visual motif in BLS’s iconography—aptly captures the album’s collage-like nature. It doesn’t just focus on the biggest singles or most recognizable anthems; it reaches back into Zakk Wylde’s pre-BLS solo material, touches on some of the band’s heaviest cuts, and provides glimpses into their softer, more introspective side. This eclecticism makes it ideal for both longtime fans and newcomers wanting a crash course in Wylde’s brand of biker-metal ethos, complete with thunderous riffs, roaring vocals, and the occasional tear-stained acoustic ballad.
The compilation opens with a string of studio cuts that lean heavily into BLS’s signature sound—chugging riffs, blues-drenched solos, and snarling vocals. Tracks like “Machine Gun Man” (from Wylde’s Pride & Glory days) and “All for You”, “13 Years of Grief”, and “Bleed for Me” showcase the blend of Southern rock, doom, and post-Sabbath sludge that defines BLS’s early 2000s identity. These are songs filled with muscular riffing and Wylde’s unmistakable guitar tone: gritty, soulful, and always just a touch unhinged.
What sets Skullage apart from a more conventional compilation is its second half, which includes live acoustic recordings from the rare and intimate “Unblackened”-style performances. Here, Wylde strips back the distortion and lays bare his classic rock and singer-songwriter influences. Acoustic versions of songs like “The Blessed Hellride,” “Spoke in the Wheel,” and “Stillborn” (one of the band’s most iconic tracks) allow his gravelly baritone and surprisingly tender guitar work to shine in a different light. This softer side, always present in the shadows of BLS’s discography, gives Skullage an emotional arc rather than just a collection of bangers.
Though it doesn’t cover every phase of Black Label Society in exhaustive detail, Skullage is arguably one of the more balanced and satisfying compilations the band has released. It avoids the overly commercial “greatest hits” trap, instead presenting a cross-section of Wylde’s evolution as a songwriter and guitarist—from beer-soaked shredder to mournful balladeer, always rooted in the twin pillars of Black Sabbath and Southern rock.
For listeners who want a raw, honest distillation of what Black Label Society is all about—raging guitars, gritty vocals, heartfelt melodies, and unfiltered emotion—Skullage delivers with both fists clenched and heart exposed. It’s not just a retrospective—it’s a tribute to a sound and spirit that has remained uniquely Zakk Wylde for over two decades. Let me know if you’d like a breakdown of the track list, or how this compares to their later acoustic/live work like Unblackened!
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic.
Track Listing
Machine Gun Man
Dead As Yesterday
All For You
13 Years Of Grief
Bleed For Me
Doomsday Jesus
DStillborn
Won’t Find It Here
Suicide Messiah
In This River
Fire It Up
New Religion
Slightly Amped (Live In Lehigh Valley)
The Blessed Hellride (Acoustic)
Spoke In The Wheel (Acoustic)
Stillborn (Acoustic)
