Everyone's Personality Is in Their Phrasing

He plays heavy with Black Label Society and Ozzy, but Zakk Wylde is inspired by the emotion in blues and "pentatonic insanity" of jazz fusion

- By Amit Sharma. Photographs by Jen Rosenstein

The world may still feel like it's in a state of pause, but that's not enough to stop Zakk Wylde from doing what he does best. He ended 2021 out on the road with Black Label Society, while teasing singles from the band's 11th studio album Doom Crew Inc. - another masterclass in blues-based metal and pentatonic shred. And continuing his long association with Ozzy Osbourne, he features on the singer's forthcoming album alongside three legends in Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Tony Iommi.

In one of the new BLS tracks, End Of Days, your solo climaxes with a pentatonic run in six-its like hearing Eric Johnson or Joe Bonamassa with more distortion!

I learned all of that from players like John McLaughlin and Frank Marino. When I first listened to (jazz fusion pioneers] Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman would be doubling what John McLaughlin was doing. That stuff felt like true pentatonic insanity to me. Hearing Eric Johnson and Bonamassa doing it came quite a while after for me, but I'm glad I discovered their pentatonic goodness!

Those kinds of licks can be quite a challenge for the picking hand. How did you get them up to speed?