Singer, songwriter and guitarist Zakk Wylde returns to Z7 in summer 2026 with his riff monster Black Label Society. And he\u2019s bringing fresh material: a new full-length album is set for early 2026. As part of the subsequent album release tour, the BLS Express rolls into Pratteln. <\/strong><\/p>\n Zakk Wylde is a busy man. Most recently, he toured with the reformed Pantera and his all-star project Zakk Sabbath, and delivered a standout performance at Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s farewell show in Birmingham last July. In between, he still found time to write and record new songs for Black Label Society. The long-awaited twelfth studio album will be released in spring 2026, followed by a major tour. From February onwards, an extensive run across the United States and Canada is planned, before the new tracks are brought to Europe in summer. Black Label Society was founded by Zakk Wylde in Los Angeles, California, in 1998. Their debut album Sonic Brew was released the same year. Most recently, the band released Doom Crew Inc. in 2021. Metal Hammer praised the album, stating: Venom Inc.<\/strong> stand for the resurrection of a metal myth. The band officially formed on April 25, 2015, originally conceived by Tony \u201cDemolition Man\u201d Dolan as a one-off project. Then came the surprise at the Keep It True Festival in Lauda-K\u00f6nigshofen: during an Mpire Of Evil set, three Venom members took the stage together to play a handful of classics \u2013 and the venue exploded. Mantas on guitar, Demolition Man on bass and vocals, and Abaddon on drums: the legendary Prime Evil-era Venom line-up was suddenly real again. <\/p>\n The response was immediate. Promoters from around the world got in touch, and what had been planned as a one-time appearance turned into a new chapter. Under the name Venom Inc., the power trio toured the globe and celebrated international success. <\/p>\n Their debut album Av\u00e9 was released in 2017 and hailed by fans and critics alike as the return of the true Venom spirit. In 2022, There\u2019s Only Black followed via Nuclear Blast, once again to widespread acclaim. Performances in front of hundreds of thousands, festival highlights across the globe and extensive touring cemented the band\u2019s status. <\/p>\n The unholy trinity is currently working on new material for a studio album due in 2026. In addition, two live albums and a new visual project are planned. If it once said \u201cHere lies Venom,\u201d today it is more true than ever: Here stands Venom Inc. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" RIFF-MONSTER RELOADED Singer, songwriter and guitarist Zakk Wylde returns to Z7 in summer 2026 with his riff monster Black Label…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6091,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[151],"product_tag":[95,120,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-3900","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-event","7":"product_tag-heavy-metal-en","8":"product_tag-southern-rock-en","9":"product_tag-stoner-rock-en","11":"first","12":"instock","13":"virtual","14":"purchasable","15":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/3900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=3900"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=3900"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=3900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Three singles have already been released ahead of the album: \u201cThe Gallows\u201d launched in September 2024, followed by \u201cLord Humungus\u201d in February 2025, and \u201cBroken And Blind\u201d in autumn 2025 as the third advance single. Zakk Wylde commented on the release in his trademark offbeat and humorous style:
\u201cWhat\u2019s up, people? This is Zakk Wylde from Black Label Society. This is a new song called \u2018Broken And Blind\u2019. It\u2019s about peanut butter and chocolate and what happens when I don\u2019t have either. My soul is broken and I\u2019m blind with rage when I don\u2019t have peanut butter and chocolate. So yeah, this song is called \u2018Broken And Blind\u2019. Thank you, have a nice day.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, Wylde\u2019s ultra-cool guitar riffs are at the heart of every track, repeatedly enhanced by acoustic guitars, piano and even organ sounds. But best of all: never before has Zakk Wylde sung as powerfully and with such variety as on \u2018Doom Crew Inc.\u2019\u201d
To date, the band has released eleven studio albums, two live albums and one EP. Album number twelve will be released in spring 2026. Monster riffs guaranteed. \u201cThe main ingredient of every Black Label track is the riff,\u201d says Zakk. That foundation has taken Black Label Society into the Billboard Top 5 Albums chart three times in a row. The BLS discography reads like a manual for finely crafted American hard rock and should be mandatory listening for all blues-based rock \u2019n\u2019 roll musicians. Once again, the new songs were recorded at Zakk\u2019s own Black Vatican Studio. Their simplicity is rooted in a lesson Wylde learned from Black Sabbath\u2019s 1976 release We Sold Our Soul for Rock \u2019N\u2019 Roll: \u201cLess is often more. Except when it comes to guitar solos.\u201d <\/p>\n