Ozzy's Inspiration, Pantera's Legacy + Black Label Society's New Album — Zakk Wylde Interview

On Thursday (Feb. 26), Zakk Wylde joined Loudwire Nights and host Chuck Armstrong to celebrate the upcoming release of Black Label Society's album, Engines of Demolition.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

"People are like, 'Zakk, what's the difference between this album, what makes it so special compared to all the other albums," Wylde said.

"[Well,] it's the new album. It's the next album. And they're like, 'Zakk, you know a lot of the complaints, all the albums sound the same.' I go, 'Yes, but like McDonald's or White Castle...it's consistently the same. Pure taste devastation.'"

In Wylde's trademark tone — saturated in wit, hilarity and passion — he celebrated that consistent sound of Black Label. Though, he was quick to discuss a relatively unique aspect of the creation of Engines of Demolition.

"We started recording everything in 2022, then went out and did the Pantera celebration for a year and figured that would be it and then we'll put the Black Label album out," he shared.

"Nah, we're gonna go out for a little while longer, then that was another year. Then we went out again for another year. Next thing you know, we're four years deep on the Pantera celebration."

When asked about the influence of touring with Pantera while making the record, he admitted he was influenced by the band's legacy.

"It's just Dime's energy," Wylde said about his friend, Dimebag Darrell.

"It's in the riffs. There's nothing per se where you go, 'Oh yeah, it sounds like a Pantera song,' or anything like that, but [it's] the enthusiasm and the energy. I mean, Dime would walk in a room, you were having the worst day possible...and he would just light up, his energy was infectious."

That energy continues to influence Wylde, not just in his playing but in the way he lives his life.

"I always tell everybody, if you're to honor Dime and Vinnie [Paul], [you've got to live like] every night was Friday, Saturday or Sunday. There were never any weekdays in their lives. It was always a continuous weekend. Their outlook on life was, 'I could be happy or miserable. I choose happy.'"

Writing 'Ozzy's Song' For New Black Label Society Album

When Engines of Demolition was officially announced, fans immediately took notice of one of the songs on the tracklist, "Ozzy's Song."

"I had the music written, because like I said, we've been writing for years since 2022," Wylde began to explain about the new track.

"But after we laid Ozzy [Osbourne] to rest and when we came back, winding down the Pantera celebration run, I came home, I just sat in the library in our house looking at a book of Ozzy. And I just sat and put the music on and wrote the lyrics right there. Obviously if Oz hadn't passed away, I'm not writing those lyrics."

Beyond the lyrics, Wylde paid special tribute to Ozzy by pulling out an incredibly special guitar in his collection, what he lovingly refers to as "the Grail." This guitar is his 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom that he used to write his first song for Ozzy, "Miracle Man."

"When it came time to do the solo [for 'Ozzy's Song,'] Adam Fuller, who does all our records, he's in the Black Label kitchen [and] was just like, 'Zakk, you should get your Grail.'"

Wylde said he still has all the guitars he's ever played on, but they're retired. When Ford brought up the idea, though, he was happy to pull the Grail out of retirement.

"It makes perfect sense because I wrote my first song on that and did all the records with Ozzy with that guitar — it only makes sense that I'd play the solo on this fiddle."

As the conversation focused on Ozzy, Wylde opened up about continuing to process the loss of his friend.

"Every night when we played Randy [Rhoads'] stuff with Ozzy, Randy's alive and well and his life force is there," he said.

READ MORE: Slash Discusses Next Guns N' Roses Studio Album — 'Once It Takes Off, It'll Take Off Pretty Fast'

"Same thing with Dime and Vinnie. Every night we're up there playing Pantera songs and every time a 14-year-old kid gets behind the drums and plays Pantera or plays guitar, Vinnie and Dime are alive and well. Their life force and their energy is still there. It's a beautiful thing."

Wylde said when he's out on the road with Zakk Sabbath and the crowd starts chanting "Ozzy," he feels that life and energy of the Prince of Darkness.

"Ozzy's alive and well."

What Else Did Zakk Wylde Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• How he manages to pull double duty with Zakk Sabbath touring with Black Label Society: "The whole point is I'm in Zakk Sabbath and we're opening for Black Label. I'm not only a fan of Zakk Wylde, I'm a fan of his wife, and by us being out on this tour, I plan on sleeping with Zakk Wylde's wife. That's why I'm thankful that this tour was put together. While we're going to blow Black Label off the stage, I'm gonna sleep with his wife. So that's the outlook going into this tour."
• Looking forward to more shows with Pantera, opening for Metallica, in Europe this year: "We've got a group chat and everything like that, so I keep in touch with the fellas and everything."
• How he didn't see any ego trips at Back to the Beginning — and how he's never ran into "the ego thing" in rock and roll: "I've been out with all the other bands. Everybody's cool. No one cares, you know what I mean? It'd be like pizza getting jealous of other pizza. Some people like margherita, some people prefer pepperoni, some people like the white pie with the ricotta. I like the grandma, I'm a big, huge fan of the grandma pie. Then you've got garlic and mushroom. So what's the best pie? They're all good. It's all a win-win situation here."

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Zakk Wylde joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday, Feb. 26; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.