Black Label Society, Zakk Sabbath & Dark Chapel Turned Raleigh Into a Riff-Filled Church of Metal
There are concerts where you leave thinking, Damn, that was a good show. Then there are concerts where you leave smelling like sweat, beer, and amp smoke, your ears are ringing, your neck hurts, and you're already trying to figure out when you can do it all over again. Black Label Society's stop at The Ritz in Raleigh landed firmly in the second category.
With Dark Chapel opening the night, Zakk Sabbath dragging the audience straight into the depths of Black Sabbath's catalog, and Black Label Society eventually taking the stage, this wasn't just a three-band bill. It was essentially one giant Zakk Wylde-powered metal family reunion. And Raleigh showed up ready to throw the horns.
Dark Chapel
Dark Chapel may have opened the night, but they weren't about to quietly stand in the corner waiting for the headliner. Fronted by Black Label Society guitarist Dario Lorina, the Las Vegas-based band came out swinging with a sound that feels like somebody threw blues rock, doom, southern gothic atmosphere, and a healthy dose of darkness into a dirty old amplifier and cranked the hell out of it. Their debut album Spirit in the Glass gives you an idea of where they're coming from, but seeing them live makes the whole thing hit differently.
Lorina immediately proved that stepping out from behind Zakk Wylde's enormous shadow isn't a problem when you've got the voice and guitar chops to command a room yourself. His vocals had grit without losing their melody, while the guitars carried enough weight to make the floor feel like it was moving underneath you. There were songs that brought the riffs, while the darker material leaned into that smoky, haunted feeling that makes Dark Chapel stand apart from a lot of straight-ahead metal acts.
And here's the fun part: Lorina wasn't done. After finishing his own set, he would eventually return to the stage as Black Label Society's second guitarist. Talk about clocking in for the night and refusing to half-ass it.
Zakk Sabbath
Then the lights changed, the room got louder, and suddenly it was time to worship at the altar of the riff.
Zakk Sabbath is exactly what it sounds like: Zakk Wylde taking on the music of Black Sabbath with John “JD” DeServio on bass and Jeff Fabb behind the drums. On paper, it's a tribute band. In reality, it's three monsters taking some of the heaviest songs ever written and giving them a serious kick in the ass.
The set ripped through Sabbath classics including “Children of the Grave,” “Snowblind,” “Fairies Wear Boots,” “N.I.B.” and “War Pigs.” Wylde doesn't try to impersonate Tony Iommi, and that's exactly why this works. He plays these riffs like Zakk Wylde. They're filthy, enormous, and unmistakably his. DeServio's bass sat underneath everything like a tank rolling down the highway, while Fabb attacked the drums with the kind of force that makes you wonder whether the poor kit had insurance.
Then came “War Pigs.”
That song already has enough evil baked into it to make the hairs on your arms stand up, but hearing Wylde rip into it live at The Ritz was something else entirely. The guitar tone was thick enough to chew on, and when the solo kicked into high gear, Wylde reminded everyone exactly why his name has been carved into the walls of heavy metal for decades. This wasn't nostalgia dressed up in black. It was loud, dirty, sweaty Sabbath worship.
And just like that, Raleigh had been sufficiently baptized in distortion.
Black Label Society
After spending the night opening his own show with Zakk Sabbath, Wylde returned with Black Label Society, and somehow the energy didn't drop. If anything, it got heavier. The opening riff hit like a bar fight.
Black Label Society's set leaned into the band's heavier material while also making room for newer songs from Engines of Demolition, including “Name in Blood,” “Ozzy's Song,” and “Heart of Darkness.” The band also worked in “A Love Unreal” and, naturally, Ozzy Osbourne's “No More Tears,” a song Wylde co-wrote during his years playing alongside Ozzy.
Watching Wylde move around that stage is half the fun. The giant beard, the kilt, the mountain of hair, the skull-covered microphone stand, and that unmistakable look of a man who would probably challenge an amplifier to a fistfight if it looked at him funny. It's all part of the Zakk Wylde experience. But underneath all of the larger-than-life metal theatrics is a musician who genuinely loves what he's doing.
And holy hell, can the man still play.
Wylde and Lorina trading guitar parts gave the BLS material an extra layer of muscle. The two guitars bounced between thick riffs, harmonized passages, and screaming solos while DeServio and Fabb kept everything locked down underneath them. Then came “No More Tears,” and the room shifted for a moment.
It's impossible to hear that song without thinking about Ozzy, and throughout the tour, Wylde has continued to carry that connection with him. The Raleigh crowd sang along, screamed, raised their fists, and soaked in every note. It was one of those moments where the arena-sized history behind a song suddenly feels very close. But this was still a Black Label Society show, and BLS doesn't let you get comfortable for long.
“Fire It Up” brought the guitars roaring back, and “Stillborn” sent the night toward its final stretch with the kind of crushing, whiskey-soaked heaviness that BLS has been serving for decades. The crowd responded exactly how you'd expect: fists in the air, horns everywhere, heads banging, and enough black shirts in one room to make Raleigh's laundry industry nervous.
Three bands. Two sets featuring Zakk Wylde. One ridiculously loud night.
Raleigh got its dose of Sabbath darkness, its shot of Black Label whiskey, and several gallons of guitar-fueled insanity. That's a pretty damn good way to spend a Tuesday night.
