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Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Entertainment
Malcolm Dome

“I got a letter from Ozzy telling me my services weren’t needed and Axl had gotten rid of me”: How Zakk Wylde launched Black Label Society with the booze-fuelled chaos of Sonic Brew

Zakk Wylde Ozzy Osbourne Black Label Society Axl Rose BLS Jimmy Page Mike Inez Black Sabbath Guns N Roses
Zakk Wylde brandishing a guitar and Ritchie Blackmore performing onstage in 1985.

Zakk Wylde is one of rock’s most recognisable and prolific guitarist. After making his name in the late 80s as a teenage hotshot with Ozzy Osbourne, the end of the following decade found him striking out on his own with Black Label Society. In 2008, he looked back on the turbulent creation of BLS’s debut album Sonic Brew - potential lawsuits and all.

Zakk Wylde was plucked from obscurity by Ozzy Osbourne in 1987 after hearing the singer tell Howard Stern during a radio interview that he was looking for a new guitarist to replace the recently fired Jake E Lee and offering his services. Since then, Zakk has been Ozzy’s right hand man, sometime confidante and biggest cheerleader, appearing on six of the Double O’s studios and countless tours.

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