LIVE REVIEWS

Sonic Brew - Tribute to Black Label Society
The Snooty Fox, Jan 2008

Well a month after seeing the real thing I went to see Black Label Society tribute band Sonic Brew who started life covering Sabbath songs, and actually when I saw them they ended with Paranoid. After coming home from “Alton Towers”, getting back late I wasn’t going to go and see Sonic Brew, but now I’m glad I went along now. Opening up with “Demise Of Sanity” from album 1919 Eternal , one of the first things you notice with “Zakk” Dingle’s vocals is how much he sounds like Zakk, obviously he isn’t going to be just like him but all in all he sounds rather good. The band went on through the BLS back catalogue of songs.

Shortly after running through “Funeral Bell”, “Stoned and Drunk” and now you can see why Sonic Brew play Chapter gatherings, Dingle is very much like Zakk obviously that’s who he bases himself on and you see a big influence obviously if it’s a BLS tribute, but not only that way, if there’s any person who acts like Zakk on stage then it’s this guy, which is rather good as people want to see that sort of thing you go see an Ozzy band someone who dresses like him are always going to be better. “Funeral Bell I scarcely heard it at the time (I can now play it on guitar and through this you know how little Zakk actually plays). All the songs are based on both “Doom Troopin” and “Boozed, Bruised And Broken Boned” doing the same stuff improvising a tweak here and there and altering a few solos, later he was to do the solo from “Boozed, broken…”

The band played “Suicide Messiah” which is one of BLS’s chief songs. This obviously got people out of their seats (or wherever they came from), and being one of these most well-known songs, people and the band were acknowledging each other (which it needed something like this to do it as not everyone knew some of the obscure stuff played earlier), doing what BLS did at Birmingham when I saw them; stopping suddenly when all the crowd were singing along and everyone goes “It’s Just your Suicide Messiah!”.

After all the hype everyone went back and the band played “Now Religion”, which after all that wasn’t the best move as there’s a two and a half minute intro (of organs, piano’s etc). There’s nothing wrong with the song or how it was covered but it’s slightly boring after all that head banging up at the front to sat on a stool (which they changed their guitars in this bit which gives them an appropriate chance to do so, but it’s tedious if they’d of opened with it like when BLS did and the curtain dropped and there they stood, would be good . That’s my only knock sorting their set out, and that’s the only thing found wrong which people could probably agree), they went into Hell high, which is quite fast, and that was quite a change so far, fair does Suicide Messiah, Funeral bell and new religion, and some other stuff they played are pretty fast but not as fast as Hell Is High, again that’s where Dingle’s skill yet again shines through. The set the lead on to a guitar solo by Dingle, taken from the Boozed, broken boned… DVD, the guy actually cut his hand on one his strings on this but it was good to see he carried on ( Even people in my company who weren’t into BLS who I dragged to the gig were impressed), Ending on a Sabbath Cover, Paranoid, (which was a nice surprise, as it says Sabbath Covers on their site: War Pigs) of course they played it like Zakk Wylde, the legend he is (Repeating bits), Sam, Rhythm guitar took vocals up for this, and the band recaptured how it started : Doing Sabbath covers. This truly is where Sam’s skill shines through, although playing rather simple riffs, still singing at the same time is quite sophisticated.

All in all, they are probably the best UK based BLS tribute at the moment. From talking to the band, they stated about perfection and being precise, as you could get booed and people annoyed at you for covering such a legendary guitarist and not pulling it off right, and you can see how much this is truly heeded in the band. Obviously the main man here is Dingle, like Zakk is in BLS but none the less he ahs some pretty good members with him, although Sam now has left hopefully Sonic brew can find a good replacement, and I look forward to seeing them next as it sounds promising from what I hear, if you ever get the chance to see them it’s a must!

Dale Jones