Zakk Wylde To Ozzy Osbourne: “Keep Hitting The Iron, Staying Strong & Positive”

Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Zakk Wylde has taken to social media to give the singer some words of encouragement following his retirement from touring. He said the following:

“OZ – KEEP HITTING THE IRON,STAYING STRONG & POSITIVE • EVERYBODY IS PRAYING & ROOTING FOR YOU – YOUR STRENGTH,RESILIENCE & HEART OF A LION IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY REASONS YOU’RE A HERO TO ME & MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD – WHEN YOU ARE READY TO ROLL – WE ROLL • I LOVE YOU OZ. ZAKK XOXO”

Zakk Wylde Says He Is Using YouTube To Learn Pantera Songs

During a recent appearance on “Sunday With Ola,” Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) opened up about having to fill in for the late great “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott on Pantera’s upcoming tour. Notably, the guitarist mentioned that he has been using YouTube to learn some of his parts.

Wylde said the following:

“There’s always been talks about it, for years, especially when Vinnie was still alive. And it was just, like, well, I’ll just wait till that day comes. ‘If you guys decide you wanna do it, you know I’m always gonna be here for ya.’ Phil called me up one night, and he was just, like, ‘Zakk, I was talking with Rex. We’re thinking about doing this. We were wondering if you would wanna honor Dime.’ And I was, like, ‘Of course, man.’ How could I say no? So now, it was just, like, ‘All right. Well, send me the songs for the setlist so I can start learning this stuff, man.'”

He continued when asked if has started learning the material:

“Yeah, of course. I’ve been working on it for a while now. I had to get a whammy pedal. I never owned one of those things. Grady [Champion, who was Dimebag’s guitar tech throughout his career with PANTERA] will probably be running that thing, the guy who ran it for Dimebag. So, yeah, I’m a proud owner of a whammy pedal now. [Laughs] And I’ve got my Dime guitars, the ones that actually he gave me… I’ve got my rig. Obviously, what Dime used that I don’t use, obviously, is noise gate. Obviously, if you’re gonna be doing [hums ‘Cowboys From Hell’ main riff]… My stuff, it’s just pure lightning all the time. If I’m gonna stop, you stop. Dime would have, like, two distortion pedals on at the same time. I remember in his rig, he goes, ‘Zakk, what pedals do you use?’ My overdrive pedals — he had one of those things in his board. I go, ‘Dime, it’s probably not even panning anything ’cause you’ve got so much overdrive on there.’ But for him, there wasn’t enough gate. He loved it. And there’s an art to controlling it.”

He also added the following when asked if there are any songs or solos he is worried about playing:

“To me, it’s just like learning Randy’s [Rhoads] stuff [to play with Ozzy Osbourne], whether we’re doing ‘Mr. Crowley’ or ‘I Don’t Know’ or anything. To me, it’s fun. But whether we’re playing ‘Goddamn Electric’, that solo’s beyond… I mean, all the solos are blazing; they’re all awesome. It’s gonna be fun when you’re playing ‘Walk’, and stuff like that, or ‘Cowboys From Hell’ or anything like that. Some of the other ones that we’ve got on there like… I mean, ‘A New Level’ and stuff like that — those are all cool. I think I may have gone on your web site, just to see ‘Becoming’, watching you play. Any of these things that I got stumped on, I was, like, ‘What the hell was that?’ I would just go, ‘How to play…’ and I’d go on to YouTube and just see all these other amazing players playing the stuff… For me, that’s the whole thing, too — playing it with the record is one thing, but then you take the record away and it’s, like, ‘All right. Play it for me.’ It’s a guideline. It’s like cover by numbers; you know where you’re going. Or taking the GPS off your car. It’s, like, ‘All right, do you remember how to get back down to Hollywood?’ You’re, like, ‘Zakk, I have no idea. I was following the GPS the whole time.'”

Wylde went on to say that he plans to meet with the band this month:

“I’ll be hooking up with the fellows. And then we just start going over everything and just go probably light pads, go over it nice and quiet, until we can start… so we start firing it up and just go full volume.”

[via Blabbermouth]

Zakk Wylde On Playing Dimebag’s Parts On Upcoming Pantera Tour: “No Matter What I Do, It’s Going To Sound Like Me”

During a recent interview with Guitar World, Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) opened up about having to fill in for the late great “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott on Pantera’s upcoming tour. The guitarist says no matter how faithfully he plays the material, it is still going to sound like him.

Wylde said the following:

“No matter what I do, it’s going to sound like me. I can practice all I want and stay as faithful as I want, but I am never going to escape that. It’s like if Randy Rhoads were to play Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’. No matter what he did, it would sound like Randy playing, not Eddie. You’re never going to mistake Randy for Eddie or Eddie for Randy, and it’s the same thing here with me playing Dime’s stuff.”

“I am going to go in, learn the parts, be as faithful to what Dime did as possible, and just be me. I’m gonna have fun with it, knowing that I am not expecting myself to sound like Dime, and no one else should either, which is how it is when I play with Ozzy or whatever else.”

He went on to say that he may use “some of Dime’s heads, pedals, or the cabs” as well:

“I’ll be using my guitars, effects, and pedals, a lot of the pedals that Dime actually gave me, and yeah, I’ll definitely be using some of Dime’s pedals and stuff, too. I’m still working out how it’ll all come together, but I am looking forward to seeing how it all flows once I do. Dime’s tech, Grady [Champion], is gonna be coming down too, which is great. I’ve got my tech, but it’ll be great to have Grady here to help pay tribute to Dime.”

Zakk Wylde On Upcoming Pantera Tour: “It’s A Celebration Of Pantera And All The Mountains They Conquered”

During a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar, Zakk Wylde discussed Pantera’s upcoming tour. According to him, the trek will serve as “a celebration of Pantera and all the mountains they conquered.”

Wylde said the following:

“The fellas… There was always word about that going around. And I just always said, ‘That’s up to the guys.’ It’s almost kind of like, the way I always viewed it, if Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding called up Eric Clapton because Eric and Jimi, they’re all friends. And they’re just like, ‘Eric, we’re gonna get together, and we’re gonna go honor Jimi. Would you sing and play Jimi’s stuff?’ Of course Eric would do it. I mean, that’s his buddy. Of course, I would do it.

It’s like, ‘Zack, would you ever do it?’ It’s like, ‘Well, of course I’m going to do it. Why would I not?’ I’m going to do best job I can, obviously, but that’s not my decision, that’s the guys. Back in the day with Vinnie, there were discussions, and then, after Vinnie passed away, I didn’t think anything would ever happen. I remember Phill called me one night, and was like, ‘Zakk, me and Rex would really love it if you would honor Dime.’

And I was like, ‘Of course, guys, I would always be here to honor Dime and all your achievements.’ The way I looked at it – It’s just a bunch of friends getting together, honoring their buddies, you know what I mean?”

It was so funny, because somebody was like, ‘It’s not Pantera!’ Of course it’s not Pantera. [laughs] It’s Phill, Rex and two of their buddies getting together to honor Dime, Vinnie and all their achievements. It’s a celebration of Pantera and all the mountains they conquered. It’s the way I look at it.”

Zakk Wylde Launches Online Guitar Course “Zakk Wylde Berzerker Guitar Camp”

Zakk Wylde has joined forces with Riffhard to launch an online guitar course called “Zakk Wylde Berzerker Guitar Camp.” The class also includes contributions from the guitarist’s Black Label Society bandmate Dario Lorina. More information can be found HERE.

The following was said about the course:

“The online course is broken down into 10 sections with over 94 individual videos and over 12 hours of lessons for the student to dive into. In each section, Zakk offers insight into each topic being explored and shows firsthand how they play and learn these integral parts of guitar playing. The lessons will enhance all players’ knowledge of the guitar in fun and informative videos as only Zakk can deliver.

The course breakdown for the Zakk Wylde Berzerker Guitar Camp is:

Section 1: Welcome
Section 2: Palm Muting and Power Chords
Section 3: Harmonics
Section 4: Open Chords/Inversions
Section 5: Scale Basics & Pentatonics
Section 6: Diatonic Modes & Licks
Section 7: Bending And Vibrato
Section 8: Arpeggios, Triads & 7TH Chords
Section 9: Putting It All Together
Section 10: Bonus Section – Chicken Picking”

Wylde added:

“We’re gonna be going through a whole bunch of stuff. We’re gonna be going through scales, diatonic, pentatonic, intervallic studies, chords, a whole bunch of songs and stuff like that. Nowhere in this course is going to help your bench press or your deadlift and it definitely won’t help you pick up any chicks or get a date. Welcome to Zakk Wylde’s berserker guitar course.”

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) Releases New Video Game “Zakk Wylde’s Punchout!!”

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) has released a new video game called “Zakk Wylde’s Punchout!!.” The game is based on the “Punch-Out!!” series and it can be played HERE. Furthermore, Black Label Society have also launched a contest that will give fans a chance to win a guitar and more. This news comes as the band are currently on tour with Anthrax and Hatebreed.

Zakk Wylde On Upcoming Pantera Tour: “I’m Beyond Honored To Be A Part Of It”

As previously reported, vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown recently recruited guitarist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) and drummer Charlie Benante (Anthrax) for a special Pantera tour next year. Now, Wylde has officially commented on the trek, saying that he is “beyond honored to be a part of it.”

Wylde told Matt Pinfield and Jose Mangin the following about his involvement:

“When Vinnie was still alive, when the fellows were all talking about doing it, I just always told ’em, I said, ‘Of course I would… If you asked me, why would I not do it? I’m gonna honor Dime.’ It could be like Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell asking Eric Clapton if he would go out and honor Jimi [Hendrix] and Eric playing Jimi‘s stuff and singing Jimi‘s songs and they’re going out as the ‘Jimi Hendrix celebration.’

And he’s gonna honor his buddy and he’s gonna play his songs. I think it’s a beautiful thing. It’s like when we do the ‘Dimebash‘, it’s a celebration of Dime‘s greatness. It’s a Pantera celebration — that’s what it is… You’re celebrating Vinnie and Dime‘s greatness and you’re celebrating all the mountains that Pantera conquered and crushed.”

He also added:

“Obviously, it’s not Pantera. Pantera is those four guys — it’s Phil, Rex, Dime and Vinnie. But it’s just like when Zeppelin went out with Jason Bonham playing, it was phenomenal. It told Jason, I was just, like, ‘Dude, you crushed it, man.’ It’s a great thing just to hear them play that music again. I’m beyond honored to be a part of it.”

[via Blabbermouth]

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) To Launch New Podcast “The Wylde Goose Show”

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) has teamed up with John “JD” DeServio (aka Goose) for a new podcast called “The Wylde Goose Show.” The first episode of the weekly series will debut on February 1 through the GaS Digital Network, before expanding to other platforms.

Wylde commented:

“This is a podcast with no nutritional value. It’s just the two of us shooting the shit and waxing poetically about nothing. We want to create an environment that makes listeners feel that they’re hanging with us backstage before a gig or on the tour bus on the way to the show. Goose and I love going off on whatever, and this is a great platform to share what it’s like to just hang with us and our friends.”

GaS Digital Network co-founder Ralph Sutton added:

“Zakk has been a friend for years and a regular guest on ‘The SDR Show’, a podcast I host with comedian Big Jay Oakerson. GaS has seen such tremendous growth and adding Zakk and JD is such a boon for the network and a perfect fit to our aesthetic.”

Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde Partners With Death Wish Coffee For “Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend”

Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) has partnered with Death Wish Coffee to create his own coffee called “Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend.” You can purchase some for yourself at deathwishcoffee.com. Here’s a description of the beverage:

“Meet the Valhalla Java Odinforce blend—coffee made to power the world’s most powerful guitarist, Zakk Wylde. Worthy of the gods, these beans were forged from the volcanic soils of Indonesia and nutrient-rich soils of Central and South America. Crafted for boldness and maximum flavor, this blend is strong enough to wake the dead and chariot them gloriously through the gates of Valhalla.”

Zakk Wylde Says He Is Still Open To Doing A Pantera Tribute Tour With Phil Anselmo & Rex Brown

Prior to Vinnie Paul’s tragic death, there was some talk about the possibility of doing a Pantera tribute tour with Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, etc.) filling in for the late Dimebag Darrell. Now, during a recent interview on The Cassius Morris Show, Wylde said he is still open to the possibility of doing something with surviving Pantera members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown.

Wylde said the following:

“When Saint Vinnie was still around, they were talking about it then. I mean, the way I always looked at it is it’s a Pantera celebration and an honor. I mean, every night I’m playing with Ozz, we honor Saint Rhoads. I’m playing the Randy stuff every night, and I’m blessed and it’s an honor to do it. Basically, we’re paying tribute to Randy every night — keeping his music alive.

If we got together and we ended up doing it, it would be like… I just look at it like if Eric Clapton went out and was with Mitch and Noel and singing and playing Jimi’s songs, and he’s honoring Jimi, ’cause that was his buddy.

No one’s replacing anybody. No one’s replacing Randy Rhoads — he was a one-off. Just like no one’s replacing Jimi Hendrix and no one’s replacing Dime or Vinnie.

If Zeppelin was going out, and if Jason’s playing drums, no one’s replacing his father. What they’re doing is celebrating his father’s greatness and what he achieved and all the mountains he conquered with Zeppelin.

It’s more of a tribute and a celebration than it is… You can’t replace any of these people I’m talking about — they’re all legendary guys. But, yeah, you’re just celebrating all their achievements — that’s all.”

[via Blabbermouth]