This week Zakk Wylde released “Book of Shadows II,” his first solo release since the original “Book of Shadows” album in 1996. The record was called one of the “Most Anticipated Metal Releases of 2016” by Rolling Stone magazine.

While many know Wylde as the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne or the front man of Black Label Society, Wylde is no stranger to the lighter side of music. Since first playing for Osbourne on his “No Rest for the Wicked” album, Wylde has released several records that focus on his lighter side such as BLS’s “Hangover Music Vol I” and, more recently, “Song Remains Not the Same” which was released in 2011 and includes acoustic versions of songs originally released on “Order of the Black,” as well as “Unblackened” in 2013, a live acoustic album that was recorded live at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

Wylde considers The Allman Brothers, Lynard Syknard, The Eagles, Elton John and Percy Sledge among others as some of his influences. He is quoted as saying as much as he loves hearing Zeppelins’ “Black Dog,” he equally loves “Going to California.” When discussing the making of this record, he also referenced the mellow stuff he has done with Osbourne and well as the lighter side of Black Label Society.

All of those influences as well as Wylde’s musically diversity can be heard from the opening chords of “Autumn Changes” all the way through the ending of the records final song “The King” with just the right combination of acoustic guitar and piano, with plenty of his signature solos and his pitch-harmonic style mixed in.

The lyrics on this record are reminiscent of one who is singing about personal experiences such as betrayal or someone who is looking back on life from the perspective of an older wiser individual. One such song is “The Levee” with lyrics such as, “When the levee fell away for you lost more than yourself that day” sounds like it was written about the New Orleans floods during Hurricane Katrina.

The album’s first single is “Sleeping Dogs,” which features a guest appearance by the SlipKnot/Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor. About Taylor on this record, Wylde says, “Having Father Corey Taylor‘s brilliant voice sing on ‘Sleeping Dogs’ fulfilled my vision of the two of us as the modern-day SIMON & GARFUNKEL. We may not be as legendary, talented or as handsome as those two, but we’ve eaten at some of the same restaurants as them.”

Wylde wrote for the first “Book of Shadows” album while he was working on the “Ozzmosis” record with Osbourne in 1995. As the years have gone by, many fans have asked when he was ever going to make a new “Book of Shadows” record. Eventually he realized that it was coming up on the twentieth anniversary of the first “Book of Shadows” and decided that it was time to make a new one.

Wylde has commented on the differences in making this record as compared to making a Black Label Society record, for BLS they normally work on the record for about a two month period, for the New Book of Shadows he was touring with Black Label and would work on this record during breaks in the tour. Then as Wylde says there would be alternating periods of going out on tour and coming back to the studio to work on the songs.

Whatever method Wylde chose to record “Book of Shadows II” it would not have mattered to his fans who have been eagerly awaiting a new solo record from him. It has been twenty years in the making and this record was definitely worth the wait. As Wylde is a New York Yankees fan, using a baseball term is fitting here as Wylde hit this one out of the park.