The Wylde Side of Rock (Pride & Glory - Zakk Wylde & Pride & Glory)

Member Name: HarryKeogh

Product:	Pride & Glory - Zakk Wylde & Pride & Glory
Date:	18/09/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Zakk really cranks the volume up on Southern Rock

Disadvantages: They only made one album (BOO HOO)

Following what was supposed to be Ozzy Osborne's retirement tour back in 1991 the then guitarist for him Zakk Wylde branched out in to his own solo career in 1994 with his first album Pride and Glory. The musical styling of the band was very different to anything that had been heard whilst Zakk had been with Ozzy as it took a much more southern rock flavour and feel to it, this coming from Zakk's main influence over the years Lynard Skynard. Despite having such a now well known front man to the band, they never seem to be a band that much has ever been written about and few people know who they are and just how good this album was, which is such a shame.

The Band

Zakk Wylde - Vocals/Guitar

Zakk first shot to fame at the tender age of 19 when he became the replacement for then Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee, following the then retirement of Ozzy from the music scene he then went on to form the band Pride and Glory. After his all too short time with this band he then went on to form the band Black Label Society along with returning to work alongside Ozzy both in the studio and on tour, in fact on a number of occasions the Black Label Society would be the opening act for Ozzy.

James LoMenzo - Bassist

Prior to his time with the band James was a member of the 80's glam metal band White Lion, he continued his time with Zakk a few years later after the band was broken up when he became part of the Black Label Society where he remained until he moved to the band Megadeth back in 2007 just prior to their new album United Abominations.

Brian Tichy - Drums

Brian is a bit of a jack of all trades as he is as proficient in the guitar, singing and song writing as he is on the drums. He has performed alongside a number of big name rock stars such as Ozzy, Billy Idol, Slash and Foreigner.

Track Listing

1. Losin' Your Mind

To really kick things off in a true southern style Zakk drops the guitar and starts off this track with a banjo, very soon though this is accompanied by the rip roaring sound of his guitar blazing through the speakers all in all this really sets up the overall feel and style for the album perfectly. Not only does the song showcase one of the finer solos on the album but also shows off the full capabilities of James and Brian as well. The song was the first to be released as a single but never saw a great deal of mainstream chart success mainly just appearing on the numerous rock and metal shows only.

2. Horse called War

The song starts off with Zakk and the boys having a little freestyle rock out before the song really belts in and stomps along at a tremendous pace with some really fantastic guitar work throughout the verse as Zakk's guitar line matches with his singing perfectly. To show his influence from Jimi Hendrix Zakk also includes what is known as the Hendrix Chord in this song just before the chorus kicks in, namely the E7#9 which is the weird sounding guitar chord in the Hendrix song Purple Haze during the verse. As the song progresses the tempo as well as the aggression of song builds to an almighty crash. Again James and Brian do a fantastic job of really filling up the whole background of the song providing for a really rich and deep sound all too unseen from other three piece bands.

3. Shine On

Unlike the more regimental structure of the previous song Shine On has a much more free flowing and thrown together feel to it. Once again Zakk shows that he is no one trick pony as he pulls out the harmonica and even manages to really make that rock as hard as his guitar playing. The song doesn't have quite the same pace as the prior but still manages to keep the overall feel of the album running along perfectly. Even though the song has a really heavy sound to it the southern rock flavour and feel can be felt really easily through this track.

4. Lovin' Woman

This is where the album takes a sudden and very different turn as the pace and heavy style all but disappears and in its place comes a much more relaxed and almost jolly feeling and sounding. Zakk this time brings a mandolin into the mix to really give the track a light and airy feel to it along with his harmonica playing to boot. Is there just no end to this guys talent?

5. Harvester of Pain

The light feeling soon disappears as this track Harvester of Pain burns its way through your speakers, even though the song doesn't have an incredibly quick pace to it all the aggression and power still remains. There is just something about this song that really makes it appealing to me even though it isn't one the best on the album.

6. The Chosen One

This is one of the more heartfelt songs on the album and the actual lyrical content of it is amazing as Zakk talks about his relationship with his father and how he is so much in awe of him. The song is also given a real colourful and powerful feel to it not by the use of heavy guitar and frantic paced drums and bass lines but the inclusion of a full strings section providing backing throughout the song, (I'm sure that Zakk didn't play this part as well, but you never know like I say he is talented.)

7. Sweet Jesus

Notch up another instrument for Zakk's tally as this time he takes up the piano in this really beautiful ballad. The whole album takes a much more relaxed and calmed feel to it overall not only is Zakk's piano playing stunning throughout but he pulls off a really nice little guitar solo during the song as well. Despite the departure from his usual works this is one of my favourites on the album.

8. Troubled Wine

After the relaxing break of the last song the dirty and heavy guitar playing comes back in with vengeance, as Troubled Wine has a really downright and dirty sound to it in fact it feels the least southern rock sounding on the album and more harks towards something called southern sludge metal which is a combination of heavy metal and southern rock. Such examples of this would be bands like Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Down although this song is much lighter than anything they have produced.

9. Machine Gun Man

The southern flavour returns with this song as Zakk picks up the pace and his guitar playing sounds fantastic throughout. Along with the guitar playing Zakk's vocals really let fly during this tune and it makes for a great song.

10. Cry Me A River

The album returns to a more ballad form with this song as we start off the tune with a really relaxed and down beat tempo. This song also shows some of the most bluesy and southern tendencies than any of the others on the album however this doesn't make the song sound in anyway out of place if anything it just adds to the overall flow of the album.

11. Toe'n The Line

Now we have caught our breath it's time for Zakk and the guys to really work us back as Zakk quietly at the start of the song says "It's getting awful loud in here" and then really makes it loud as this song absolutely tears out of the speakers . Now if you ever want to hear just how good a guitarist Zakk really is, this is the solo to check out as he shreds his way up and down the fret board. After the main part of the song has finished Zakk once again shows his love of Hendrix as the second part of the song incorporates some nice use of a wah wah pedal to give some great sounds off. As a little fact when this album was rereleased in 1999 the second part of this song appeared on the CD as track 12 in error, this error was rectified when the album was released again in 2009.

12. Found A Friend

This is where the album starts to wind down as the more slowed pace and feel takes a greater precedence throughout the rest of the album. However that being said Found a Friend still contains a lot of strength and raw emotion in it. The song contains not only some fantastic lyrics but the guitar fills and solo are stunning to say the least. But the real crowning point of this song is the ending as Zakk really shows off just how powerful his voice is.

13. Fadin' Away

Zakk once again takes up tinkling the ivories as this amazing ballad really shears its way in to you not through power and aggression but from a truly heartfelt piece with some amazing piano and vocal work. This coupled with the fact that the song is about Zakk's mother really gives it a lot of meaning and feel to it and just like in The Chosen One this personal connection makes the song all the more powerful.

14. Hate Your Guts

Out of all the albums I own this is probably one of the best last songs I know it really has a light heart and feel to it which makes for a great contrast to the previous two tracks. The song has a real Hillbilly Deep South sound to it with some fantastic lyrics. This is the only song on the entire album to contain any swearing however it is only one example of it and it fits perfectly within the context of the song. Overall a great end to an outstanding album.

Overall

Now then I have always been a fan of Zakk's playing style and sound whilst he was with Ozzy so liking this album came very natural to me, and from here I have grown to love the many different things that he has produced over the years. My only misgiving is the fact that the band was not around for longer however I was fortunate to see them live in 1994 and was also treated to seeing James LoMenzo and Brian Tichy when they played as part of Slash's Snakepit in 1995. My favourites from the album would have to be Horse Called War mainly for it's fantastic guitar work but also because it was the one song on the album that I really wanted to be able to play despite failing at it many times, and Toe'n The Line for the really explosive sound to the start of the song.

Overall if you are a fan of Zakk's work with Ozzy or a fan of the Black Label Society this album is well worth checking out, but do be warned it is slightly different to some of his other work.

Summary: The one and only Zakk Wylde goes all southern rock on us.