BLACK LABEL SOCIETY – The European Invasion – Doom Troopin’ Live

If you are a Zakk Wylde fan, you’ll love the fact that this is a double DVD set. Disc One (approx. 148 minutes) contains a Paris Chapter having 15 songs after the intro and a London Chapter that has 4 songs, recorded at the Paris and London stops during Black Label Society’s sold out 2005 European tour. Disc Two (approx. 74 minutes) contains some other goodies such as a Backstage Pass that is a 50-minute featurette of what life is like in the Black Label machine. The other items are promotional videos for “Suicide Messiah,” “In This River,” “Fire It Up,” and the making of the “Suicide Messiah” video.

DISC 1

Paris Chapter

(1) “Intro Jam” – Zakk thrashes around for almost 4 minutes warming up his fingers. Most guitarists do this backstage pre-show, but doing it live onstage seems to work well for him.

(2) “Stoned And Drunk” (The Blessed Hellride) – Killer of an opener … BLS couldn’t have picked a better song to open a show. What gets your attention right away is Zakk’s singing, the drumming style of Craig Nunenmacher, great bass lines and fills by James Lomenzo, and the great guitar connection between Zakk and Nick Catanese, the other guitarist in the band. The overall tightness and sound of the band is noticeable right from the start.

(3) “Destruction Overdrive” (The Blessed Hellride) – Destruction overdrive is exactly what seems to occur once the intro is completed and the full frontal attack on stage continues where it left off.

(4) “Been A Long Time” (Mafia) – The audience joins in per Zakk’s request. James gives up his pick on this one and you can hear his flawless 16th note runs as they come through so brilliantly. This is probably the first song where his talent as a bass player can be seen and heard.

(5) “Ironman Interlude” – Zakk brings out his Gibson Signature series guitar. He performs a quick one-handed rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Ironman” with his back to the audience, while holding a beer in his other hand … talk about talent.

(6) “Funeral Bell” (The Blessed Hellride) – James Lomenzo’s bass playing takes over on this one. Another nice touch that adds to the live aspect of the performance is that Nick’s guitar playing doesn’t just follow the pattern of your typical rhythm guitarist. He plays alongside Zakk, never straying too far, but in the meantime adding his own riffs and solo parts when the time is right.

(7) “Suffering Overdue” (The Blessed Hellride) – This song has a deep, mysterious, Sabbath sound to it that is emphasized by James’ finger-style bass playing. Zakk even sounds like Ozzy himself on this one. The music slows down to an eerie tempo where Zakk is almost speaking the lyrics before the band kicks it into high gear again. A real heavy tune.

(8) “In This River” (Mafia) – The song finally starts after being dedicated to the late “Dimebag” Darrell. There is some beautiful lead and rhythm guitar work between Zakk and Nick that lasts several minutes before Zakk begins singing, but in a much lower tone and level than his usual style. This adds a nice touch that changes the mood and atmosphere. Zakk plays with real passion from here on out. The song incorporates a real nice gesture, probably in “Dimebag’s” memory that has Zakk handing out beers (that were lined up in front of the drum set) to people in the front. One of the best songs, lasting over 13 minutes.

(9) “Suicide Messiah” (Mafia) – A small amount of echo is added to the vocals mix. James sings and plays pickless … very noticeable on bass. One thing is quite evident, Zakk sounds better when he doesn’t use his tremelo bar. This was the first time where part of a solo just didn’t sound like it belonged.

(10) “Demise Of Sanity” (1919 Eternal) – Heavy intro. Zakk, Nick, and James all use their vocal cords on this one. James holds his bass high in the air several times while singing and showcasing his fretting technique up and down the neck. A Rock tune that doesn’t disappoint.

(11) “Spread Your Wings” (Mafia) – Some interesting sounds are generated. Nothing overly fancy on this one, and shorter compared to the other songs.

(12) “Solo Acoustic Jam” – Zakk showcases his playing ability and technical prowess on an acoustic guitar, while squatting on the drum set’s floorboard that is at a perfect height off the stage for all to witness. Not a bad little jam that lasts almost twelve minutes. He ends the jam with an acoustic rendition of “Mama I’m Coming Home,” that gets the crowd energized.

(13) “Spoke In The Wheel” (Sonic Brew) – The opening sounds like a famous Lynyrd Skynyrd song (no names mentioned). Zakk sticks with his acoustic while singing much milder and softer. Zakk brings out his Flying V once the song gets heavy again. Zakk ventures out into the crowd where his guitar is taken away by rabid fans. No souvenier for the fans, however, much to their dismay. The boys jam for eleven and a half minutes on this one.

(14) “Fire It Up” (Mafia) – A strange sound emanates as the song begins. It seems to blend right in once the band starts in with their instruments. One of the simpler songs performed by the band. Zakk seems to overdo it somewhat on his guitar — his playing just doesn’t fit the tempo of the song.

(15) “Stillborn” (The Blessed Hellride) – A great start that doesn’t let up. James can be seen having fun with his bass playing many different ways, utilizing various techniques (showing off for the crowd). What a great sound to this song.

(16) “Genocide Junkies” (1919 Eternal) – The song is dedicated to the troops. Zakk sings with a deep growl while a simple but heavy riff commands this tune. A good closer. Considering what transpired at a Damageplan concert not that long ago, the band is very trusting since they allow numerous fans to join them onstage. The highlight might be when a fan plays Zakk’s guitar onstage for part of the song (he actually does a decent job). But, not to be outdone by any means Zakk does something not seen by any other band. While most bands throw out drumsticks, towels, picks, soccer balls, beach balls, frisbies, etc. during and after the show, Zakk tosses four amp heads and one cabinet into the crowd. “That’ll show ‘em who’s boss!”

London Chapter

(1) “Been A Long Time” (Mafia) – The vocals are just the right level and the lyrics crystal clear. The band has a tight sound during this performance. James has one of the wildest and coolest looking basses on this song, and he’s flying all over the place, playing at a blazing speed. Zakk’s sound is exceptional and his playing is better than ever. His solo is one of the best on here — too bad its so short in length. Craig is aggressive as ever with his drumming. He plays with authority and is a master on those cymbals. Nick parallels Zakk perfectly and fills any voids with precision.

(2) “Suicide Messiah” (Mafia) – Craig’s drumming really comes through on this song and appears louder than ever. Zakk’s guitar playing is on the money. After Craig stands and hits this huge gong behind his drum set, the song seems to take on a new life, or second half, so to speak. James has a moment on stage and does a mini solo himself before Zakk does a blitzkrieg on his Gibson, while Nick is just as steady as ever and doesn’t miss a beat through all this. Way too much stuff goes on during this song. A rather long, great live tune for the fans.

(3) “Stillborn Jam” (The Blessed Hellride) – The only reasoning in the naming of this tune is the fact that once the nine-plus-minute jam is near it’s end, the song gets cut just before what would essentially be the lead-in to the song “Stillborn.” Jam says it all on this one. The boys enjoy themselves a little too much perhaps, and eventually end up blowing out power to some monitors and the PA system. The large bang they all hear catches them off guard for a second and they all laugh at what has transpired. Being the pros that they are, however, the situation is remedied in no time at all. Craig is an animal on drums. Nick continues doing his own thing without any fanfare, hardly even noticeable as one of the members — all business. Zakk, meanwhile, goes off and does his own thing, as usual. James decides to play a different way this time by thumping with his thumb instead of picking or fingering as he normally would.

(4) “Genocide Junkies” (1919 Eternal) – Zakk talks to the crowd and dedicates the song to the troops. A real heavy riff and sound to this one. James again uses one of the coolest looking basses. The drumming stands out from Craig’s ongoing barrage with his skins and cymbals. The two guitars work in tandem like they were joined at the hip. They make a great team on stage. James does his best Pete Townsend imitation before he tosses his bass into the audience. Meanwhile, Zakk has some fun himself by taking the front monitors and tossing them out into the audience for some monitor surfing. Go figure!

DISC 2

The description at the top gave an idea of what to expect. However, without giving away too much information or allowing the tongue to slip more than it should, some of the better moments and highlights include:

-Great Zakk Q&A session.

-Zakk is seen working out (weight training) with his very young son somewhere in his house it appears.

-Zakk is shown having a funny side to him. He is seen holding a European map explaining what all the highlighted areas mean (liquor stores, bars/pubs, brothels, whorehouses). It pays to plan ahead.

-An interesting ferry ride.

-The boys pull into a rest area to buy some munchies, while the tour bus gases up. Zakk tells a wiener joke by the hot dog vendor lady, which doesn’t faze her one bit. Wait till you hear the joke!

-One thing the band likes and has plenty of … booze, booze, and more booze. Damn, but Americans sure can drink!

-Zakk and Lemmy (Lemmy who? … You gotta be kidding) are seen together getting their picture taken.

-Zakk goes off backstage in Germany (he is told to make his set shorter).