PRIDE & GLORY (Zakk Wylde) – Pride & Glory [2-CD Expanded Reissue] (2019)

Released from the confines of being Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, Zakk Wylde turns in a surprisingly solid debut and only album from his own band PRIDE & GLORY, now re-released for its 25th Anniversary in this 2-CD Expanded Reissue.
Wylde’s guitar still has that Sabbath / Ozzy crunch, but what makes “Pride & Glory” so listenable is the way it is melded to the deeply Southern rock & roll of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Wylde manages to turn in a handful of well-written songs, but even when the songwriting isn’t so stellar, the playing is. And that’s the point of this kind of rock, anyway.

The bonus disc includes the previously unavailable tracks ‘Machine Gun Man (acoustic version) and ‘Mother Mary (alternate version), covers of Sabbath’s “The Wizard,” Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time of Dyin’,” and The Beatles’ “Come Together”, plus studio outtakes ‘Torn And Tattered’ and ‘The Hammer & The Nail’, all in the same musical vein of the album, all fairly enjoyable.

After this album under the Pride & Glory moniker Zakk would form Black Label Society. But Pride & Glory is more than just a southern rock version of it, more melodic. The songs do alternate between chuggy rockers and sentimental ballads but the compositions aren’t as straightforward as Wylde’s recent fodder.
The structures are generally looser as “Horse Called War” and “Toe’n The Line” have solid jamming segments while “Harvester Of Pain” and “The Chosen One” mix some moodiness in with the heavier riffs.

There is also more instrumentation beyond the trio as “The Chosen One” brings in a nice string section while a banjo dominates lead single “Losin’ Your Mind” and the laid back “Hate Your Guts.”
This also feels more sincere than anything Wylde has done since. The melodic tracks are more organic with “Machine Gun Man” having a smooth twang, and “Cry Me A River” adding groove and melody to its darkness.

Overall, Pride & Glory’s sole album is a southern metal classic that shows Zakk Wylde at the most interesting phase of his career. A few of his subsequent efforts came close to its sound but nothing could ever capture its atmosphere.
Highly Recommended

CD 1
01. Losin’ Your Mind
02. Horse Called War
03. Shine On
04. Lovin’ Woman
05. Harvester Of Pain
06. The Chosen One
07. Sweet Jesus
08. Troubled Wine
09. Machine Gun Man
10. Cry Me A River
11. Toe’n The Line
12. Found A Friend
13. Fadin’ Away
14. Hate Your Guts

CD 2
01. Machine Gun Man (acoustic version)
02. Mother Mary (alternate version)
03. The Wizard (BLACK SABBATH cover)
04. Torn And Tattered
05. In My Time Of Dyin’ (LED ZEPPELIN cover)
06. The Hammer & The Nail
07. Come Together (THE BEATLES cover)

Zakk Wylde – vocals, guitars, piano, mandolin, banjo, harmonica
James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals, twelve-string guitar
Brian Tichy – drums, percussion
Seattle Symphony conducted by Paul Buckmaster

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www.amazon.com/Pride-Glory/dp/B07VTDZ1LQ/