Black Label Society – Myth – Maplewood Minnesota – February 9th 2018

93x and The Myth present Black Label Society with special guests Corrosion of Conformity and Red Fang.

Black Label Society brought their “Grimmest Hits” tour to The Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota on February 9th, 2018.  Alongside them was Corrosion of Conformity and Red Fang, both very heavy and energetic bands, fantastic openers for such a big name that night.  It was freezing the night of this show, as February is killing Minnesota this year.  You wouldn’t have known it being inside The Myth, however.  The crowd was just as energetic as the bands onstage, creating an overwhelming heavy metal atmosphere.  Red Fang appears to be well known among the Minnesota crowd, many of their songs were sung back to them word for word a number of times.  Corrosion of Conformity has been around for quite a while, with a number of lineups.  The name is known to any metalhead, whether they have listened to them or not.  They put on a fantastic opening for Black Label Society, with a mix of old and new tunes, all heavy as hell.

Although the album the tour is promoting is called, “Grimmest Hits”, all the songs on it are new.  The set was a solid mix of new and old, much like their openers.  They stepped onstage with “Genocide Junkies”, following that up with “Funeral Bell” and “Suffering Overdue”.  The new music didn’t even kick in until nearly halfway through the set.  Those familiar with Black Label Society and their concerts were left happy with this show, as it was very well done.  It was loud, heavy, and basically just a hot crowded party of metalheads.  Although many may hate the sound of that, it’s just a lot of fun and with a performer like Zakk Wylde, you’re going to get a great show.  It doesn’t seem like they will ever change and that certainly isn’t a bad thing.   After a string of new songs, Zakk sat behind a piano to play, “In This River”, the tribute song to Dimebag Darrell.  It added a nice blend of sound to the show, as this really slowed it down from the heavy, headbanging feel of the remainder of the night.  Which, no matter how much people love the feel of a good metal show, a short break is always a good thing.  “Stillborn” was the encore of the evening, a song that roused the biggest reaction from the crowd.  As always, Minnesota was left incredibly happy with Black Label Society’s performance and eager for them to return.