Justin Nuoffer
Black Label Society
Milwaukee Metal Fest – 5/17/25
©Justin Juoffer/NuofferMedia.com
The legendary Black Label Society made their triumphant return to the stage at Milwaukee Metal Fest after being off fulfilling duties with other projects. The last time they played was back in September of last year. The fans were amped up, and the BLS battle jackets filled the festival grounds in huge numbers. People came from around the country just to check out this performance, so the expectations were high.
With a massive Black Label Society banner covering the front of the stage, the Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin mashup filled the stage speakers. With a sudden stop, the band kicks into the new song “Lord Humungus,” and the curtain falls. The energy was at its max from the very start. The fans along the front rails headbanged and sang the lyrics at full pitch.
In front of the hungry Milwaukee Metal Fest crowd is one of music’s guitar gods, Zakk Wylde. With a metal stand next to his microphone stand of skulls and a cross, he had one foot up and leaned over every chance he could to shred. Off to his left, Dario Lorina, who is no slouch on the guitar himself, supplies the harmonies to match Wylde. The two are in perfect unison, starting with “Heart of Darkness” and on. Across the stage was the low-end maestro, John DeServio; his impressive ability to lay down core-rattling melody was instantly noticeable from the get-go, but “Trampled Down Below” was where he delivered the introduction solo and basically guided the entire flow. Not to be forgotten, Jeff Fabb on drums was perched high above, nestled within a wall of cabinet speakers. His play was smooth, and the smile on his face never left him.
The set was packed full of Black Label Society hits like “A Love Unreal,” “Funeral Bell,” and “Fire It Up.” The CO₂ cannons fired straight up into the air often, and the black and white beach balls made their way from the stage to the crowd. The party was raging, and the packed Eagles Ballroom looked beautiful. The band is no stranger to playing in the venue, and why not? Their faithful fans always show up to see the band crush it.
Heading towards the closing song, the much-beloved “Suicide Messiah” stood in the way, and if you know anything about this song, it is all about Zakk Wylde’s guitar solo at the very end. The man’s fingers dance across the frets with ease as he walks edge to edge. He whips the guitar around and even plays it above his head. The presentation is pure mastery. Despite how incredible that was, they closed with perhaps their biggest and most well-known song, “Stillborn.” The shade of classic southern rock filled the air. That infamous riff is hypnotic, and the vocals to accompany it were gripping.
Black Label Society closing out day two of Milwaukee Metal Fest couldn’t have been more perfect. They carried a massive crowd that simply wanted to have a good time. So many traveled just to see them, and it was worth it to see everyone having a good time. That wasn’t lost on the band either. You could see it on their faces when they interacted with the fans. They knocked it out of the park and left you wanting more.
Check out the Black Label Society concert photo gallery below:
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