Zakk Sabbath, the Zakk Wylde-fronted Black Sabbath tribute, makes up for a four-year wait by releasing a double-dose – Doomed Forever Forever Doomed, out March 1, 2024 through Magnetic Eye Records.
Looking back, where 2020’s Vertigo covered the Birmingham legends’ self-titled 1970 debut (and took the original issuing label name as a title), Doomed Forever Forever Doomed dusts off the next two times – 1970’s Paranoid and 1971’s Master of Reality – also released through Vertigo. During the original Black Sabbath sessions, the circumstances of Paranoid and Master of Reality were starkly different; Paranoid was the second of two albums released in 1970 (the band’s self-titled debut being the other just prior), with the recordings of each barely spanning a week. A year later, the band was an established quantity such that Master of Reality stretched sessions for a then-unheard of three months.
Co-founding Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne eventually left Black Sabbath in late 1979, and embarked nearly instantly on a storied solo career. His live band was known for hiring, shaping, building, and ultimately graduating some very distinctive musicians. That said, by the late 1980s Zakk Wylde (barely 20 years old), was picked by Ozzy for the guitar slot. Wylde played on and co-wrote songs for No Rest for the Wicked (1988), No More Tears (1991), along with Ozzmosis (1995), and embarked on supporting tours all over the world. However, by 1995, Wylde was ready for a break, and wasted little time forming his first solo project, the short-lived Southern-styled Pride & Glory. Later on, a reunion with Ozzy occurred in time for Down to Earth (2001); although Wylde did not write any songs for that album. Pride & Glory released an eponymous debut (1994) before lineup changes disrupted a tour and ultimately the entire effort.
Never a stranger to recording Black Sabbath covers, the Pride & Glory sessions included a version of “The Wizard” that appeared on reissued versions, as well as a small sampler/EP, No More Tears; which included renditions of other songs including Wylde covering his own work with Ozzy. Later, bonus material for 2001’s Alcohol Fueled Brewtality would include a cover of “Snowblind.” Nonetheless, a return to the recording and touring schedule of Ozzy Osbourne did not slow Black Label Society (or solo Ozzy) output, but Zakk-recorded Sabbath was not put to tape for release again until 2011’s The Song Remains Not the Same, and it was a diverse collection of covers.
All this history laid out, Zakk Sabbath proper was formed soon after, in 2014, and touring resulted in the Live in Detroit EP (2016). The band then settled into the studio to record Black Sabbath in honor of its 50th anniversary; the result was released as 2020’s Vertigo. Another trip to the studio in 2023 now brings fans to this Doomed Forever Forever Doomed double album; with the Zakk Sabbath lineup rounded out by Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (known for his work with Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne) on bass guitar, and Joey “C” Castillo (who has worked with Danzig and Queens of the Stone Age) on drums.
Much like Vertigo before it, the recordings on Doomed Forever Forever Doomed are faithful to both Black Sabbath and Zakk Wylde himself. There are flourishes unique to Wylde’s style, compounding the groundbreaking initial pass by Tony Iommi. This in mind, the clanking bass of Blasko adds a respectful gusto to the classic lines laid down by Geezer Butler. The band are able to catch the sparse, written-on-the-spot feeling of Paranoid on the first disc before switching gears and taking their time, as it were, with the drawn-out Master of Reality sessions.
Cover albums are often a difficult balance. After all, it is not easy to record a faithful, note-for-note work, and fans may clamor for something more original. On the other hand, if a band records a song forced through the lens of their own style (however influential the original was), fans may grumble about taking liberties and veering too far off course. Across the sixteen tracks, split evenly to each disc, there are admittedly a few missteps, but many high points.
On the other hand, the rousing start to “Fairies Wear Boots” manages to blow right past the difficult balance and fall firmly into the Zakk-being-Zakk camp, but with crushing results. And while “Children of the Grave” may lack the organic drumming of its source material, the song manages to stay faithful; particularly on vocals and rhythm, while giving the band room to breathe. Oddly enough, where “Planet Caravan” may fall short of its soft-spoken original, “Solitude” does not suffer the same fate; despite being another famously mellow Sabbath song. The choice to lead with piano, whereas the original waited a few bars to kick in, before moving into Wylde’s trademark guitar, simply works.
This all stated, you cannot assume any of these tracks were recorded in order; especially since Master of Reality almost certainly was not, but “Into the Void” is a crushing end to the two-disc affair. When a music fan has grown tired of bands covering “Into the Void,” that fan has grown tired of music entirely. Why? Because the version here has every piece that makes the original fantastic, down to the cadence, pace, and chord changes, but the effort is doubled by the distinct touch Zakk Sabbath puts on the song.
Although, perhaps the most impressive work on the album is how closely Wylde manages to nail the distinct voice of Ozzy Osbourne on more than a handful of tracks such as “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and “After Forever.” That said, the vocal disparity is most obvious on tracks like “Children of the Grave” and “Lord of This World,” which more than handle their ends musically.
Black Sabbath covers by Zakk Wylde outfits before Zakk Sabbath gave away the guitarist’s identity almost instantly, and veered into the “off course” territory discussed earlier; “Into the Void” is a prime example of a clean cover that again allows its new artists to add flair, but also gives rein for the band to veer off and make the version their own. The original versions of “Lord of this World” and “After Forever,” penned by Black Sabbath’s Butler, have religious overtones. This in mind, they are given the proper treatment by Wylde.
Covering a handful of Black Sabbath tunes over the course of a twenty-year would be a noble task on its own; repeating entire albums in whole cloth is something else entirely. Building on work previously recorded on Vertigo and years of live performances, Zakk Sabbath have more than established themselves as torch-bearers for the mighty Black Sabbath sound, and Doomed Forever Forever Doomed continues along that difficult path. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Zakk Sabbath’s Doomed Forever Forever Doomed 4 out of 5 stars.
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