Video: ZAKK WYLDE's BLACK SABBATH Covers Band ZAKK SABBATH Performs In Fullerton

Fan-filmed video footage of ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH cover band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE) and drummer Joey Castillo (DANZIG, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), performing on October 8 at The Slidebar in Fullerton, California can be seen below.

ZAKK SABBATH, with John Tempesta (THE CULT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT) sitting behind the kit instead of Castillo, opened for ROYAL MACHINES on December 20, 2014 at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY‘s 2011 release, “The Song Remains Not the Same”, featured acoustic reworkings of songs from the band’s “Order Of The Black” album as well as covers of tunes by CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG, TRAFFIC and BLACK SABBATH.

Wylde spoke to Music Radar about the decision to cover SABBATH‘s “Junior’s Eyes”.

“With me and covers, you know, I’m always going to go for the classic stuff,” he said. “Of course, we all love SABBATH — I mean, who doesn’t? — so I was just jammin’ on the piano, and before you knew it, I was singing and playing ‘Junior’s Eyes’. I got a piano vamp thing going, and I started singing Ozzy‘s melody.”

Asked if he had played his version for his former boss, Wylde said: “Yeah, I sent it to him [on] Father’s Day. He was like [imitates Osbourne], ‘Oh, Zakk, it sounds killer, man. It reminds me of a gospel tune.’ No, Ozzy totally loved the SABBATH cover.”

In a 2014 interview with Songfacts, Wylde said that he didn’t think the Ronnie James Dio-fronted version of BLACK SABBATH stayed true to the band’s classic sound. He said: “You listen to BLACK SABBATH with Ronnie James Dio in it, and it’s not BLACK SABBATH. They should have just called it HEAVEN & HELL right from the beginning. Because you listen to that ‘Heaven And Hell’ album, that doesn’t sound anything close to BLACK SABBATH. I mean, that sounds about as much like BLACK SABBATH as ‘Blizzard Of Ozz’ sounds like BLACK SABBATH. If you were to play BLACK SABBATH for me — and I’m a huge SABBATH freako — and then with Father Dio over there, I’d be going, ‘Oh, cool, what band is this? This is good stuff.’ I mean, the songs don’t even sound BLACK SABBATH-y. I mean, ‘Neon Knights’, could you picture Ozzy singing over that song? I can’t either. It’s weird. It’s a whole different band.”