Zakk Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath to “Faithfully Re-Record” Black Sabbath’s Debut Album

Zakk Wylde has decided to take his love for Black Sabbath to a new level. Not satisfied simply to have the world’s most famous Sabbath cover band, Zakk Sabbath, said cover band will now celebrate the impending fiftieth anniversary of Black Sabbath’s eponymous debut by re-recording that album in its entirety… and they’re gonna try and do it as closely to the way the original Sabbath did as possible, in every sense, right down to the recording method.

Explains the band:

“Vertigo Records issued the debut album by Black Sabbath on Friday 13, 1970, and the world was never the same. Legendarily recorded in a single day in October 1969, the earthmoving self-titled set closed the book on hippie optimism with its dark magic and ushered in a brand new genre, setting the metal template for decades to come.

“Exactly 50 years to the date later, Zakk Sabbath will celebrate the first chapter in the Sabbath catalog with a reverently rendered tribute, simply titled ‘Vertigo.’

“Our aim is to faithfully re-record the album in the spirit of the original recordings: live in a fully analogue studio, direct to two inch tape, in a single 24 hour period. A film crew will document the process, culminating in a single album and DVD release limited to just 500 copies and delivered to purchasers on February 13, 2020.”

Needless to say, by the time I sat down to write this story, all 500 copies of Vertigo were already sold out. It’s the 21st century, though, so I suspect fans who really wanna experience it will figure out a way to do so.

Personally, I’m gonna say this: I love Zakk, it’s a sweet (as in “nice,” not as in “rad”) idea for a way to celebrate this momentous anniversary, and I do not at all see the point. Remember when Gus Van Sant did that shot-for-shot remake of Psycho? Has anyone actually watched that since it was released more than twenty years ago?

I guess I’m saying: with all due respect, 500 copies of this is probably enough.