''Catacombs of the Black Vatican'' is the ninth studio album by heavy metal band

Black Label Society Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1998 by guitarist/singer Zakk Wylde. To date, the band has released eleven studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one EP, and three vide ...

. The album was released in the UK on April 7, 2014, and in the US on April 8. It is the only Black Label Society album to feature former

Breaking Benjamin Breaking Benjamin is an American Rock music, rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, formed in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel. The first lineup of the band also included guitarist Aaron Fink an ...

drummer

Chad Szeliga Chad Szeliga (born December 11, 1976) is an American drummer from Elyria, Ohio. Formerly the drummer of rock band Breaking Benjamin, he joined Black Label Society in 2013, replacing Mike Froedge. In 2017, Szeliga replaced Jimmy DeGrasso in Bl ...

after fill-in Mike Froedge departed the band. Froedge himself replaced

Will Hunt William Hunt (born September 5, 1971) is an American drummer. He has been a member of rock band Evanescence since 2007, and has also played for Skrape, Dark New Day, Black Label Society, Device, Crossfade, Staind, Static-X, and Slaughter. ...

, who in turn replaced longtime drummer

Craig Nunenmacher Craig Nunenmacher is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for heavy metal bands Black Label Society and Crowbar. He joined BLS in July 2000 while playing for Crowbar, who were touring with BLS at the time. The original BLS drumm ...

, all in the span of fewer than two years.

Reception

The album debuted at No. 5 on ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 1 on

Top Rock Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

. with around 25,000 copies sold in its first week. The album has sold 80,000 copies in the US as of March 2016. listed under Zakk Wylde

Track listing

Personnel

Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...

– guitars, lead vocals, piano,

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

John DeServio John "JD" DeServio is an American musician who has been the bassist of heavy metal band Black Label Society since 2005. He was also a member of Pride & Glory, a southern rock trio, for a short time in December 1994 (again as a replacement for ...

– bass, backing vocals *

– drums

Charts

References

2014 albums Black Label Society albums MNRK Music Group albums Mascot Records albums {{2010s-metal-album-stub