Zakk Wylde reflects on his journey as a vocalist: “Music shouldn’t be work – it’s what naturally comes out of you”

Zakk Wylde may be best known as one of heavy music’s most recognizable guitarists, but singing has also been an essential part of his musical identity for decades. Through Pride & Glory, his solo work and Black Label Society, Wylde has developed a distinctive voice of his own – even though his journey as a vocalist began simply by singing cover songs with his friends as a teenager.

Chaoszine sat down with Wylde at Hellsinki Metal Festival in Helsinki, Finland on August 8th before Black Label Society took the stage. The conversation was filmed for a new episode of our My Story As Metal Frontman video series, which focuses on the journeys of rock and metal vocalists from their earliest musical memories to the present day.

During the interview, Wylde looked back on discovering Black Sabbath, singing at keg parties as a teenager, developing his voice over the years and the routines he now follows to prepare for shows. He also discussed what decades of working alongside legendary singers such as Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford have taught him about music.

Black Sabbath terrified an 11-year-old Zakk Wylde

Wylde’s first major encounter with heavy music came through Black Sabbath’s 1975 compilation “We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’n’ Roll”. Remarkably, he bought the album without having heard any of the band’s music beforehand.

His curiosity had originally been sparked during an art class when one of his friends was working on a sculpture featuring a skull, a lightning bolt and the Black Sabbath name. His friend explained that it was a band his older brother listened to, and Wylde was intrigued enough to eventually pick up the record.

Listening to it for the first time proved to be quite an experience.

“I was Catholic when I put the album on. Halfway through the album – it’s a double album – by the time I got on the second disc, I was a full-blown Satanist. And then at the end of the record, I converted back to Catholicism so I could thank God for creating Black Sabbath.”

Behind the joke was a genuine sense of shock and fascination. Wylde remembers being terrified by what he heard, but the more he listened, the more captivated he became.

“I was beyond terrified listening to it, and then the more I kept listening to it, I was like, ‘This is amazing.’”

Black Sabbath has remained a fundamental part of his musical life ever since.

Singing started with teenage cover bands

Wylde began learning guitar at a young age and spent roughly two years taking lessons from his teacher Leroy Wright. He remembers Wright fondly because, alongside theory and scales, he allowed his student to learn songs by his favorite bands and artists.

Singing entered the picture naturally when Wylde began playing with friends in cover bands at keg parties. Vocal duties were divided depending on whose voice best suited a particular song.

Wylde found himself singing Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”, Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and other songs.

While many singers talk about initially imitating their heroes before eventually discovering their own voices, Wylde jokes that he never really stopped.

“I’m still mimicking them. That’s why I’m in Zakk Sabbath. It’s no different than when I was 15 or 16 years old. Now that I’m 59 years old, I still love singing Sabbath songs.”

These days, he does not particularly separate his identities as a guitarist, vocalist, lyricist and songwriter. For Wylde, they are all different parts of the same creative process.

“I love writing lyrics and using different metaphors for things. I get as much pleasure out of writing the music as I do coming up with a melody line, playing and creating solos, and then coming up with lyrics. I love the whole thing.”

Crown Royal has been replaced by coffee and vocal exercises

Decades of touring have inevitably changed the way Wylde prepares his voice.

In his younger days, the pre-show routine could involve a couple of shots of Crown Royal and a beer. These days, things are considerably more restrained.

“Back in the day, we’d just do a couple shots of Crown and a beer and then off we go. Now it’s more just a coffee and then a couple vocal exercises, then off we go.”

Wylde compares warming up the voice to stretching before lifting weights. He does several vocal exercises before performing and sometimes sings into a towel so he does not drive everyone around him crazy while holding notes.

Touring itself also taught him the importance of technique. Wylde believes that, like most things, singing improves the more you do it, but learning proper vocal exercises can help prevent you from constantly blowing out your voice.

When it comes to his diet, Wylde says he currently eats once a day, mentioning steak, eggs and fruit while drinking plenty of water and coffee. Inevitably, however, a straightforward answer doesn’t remain straightforward for long.

“And I sniff glue and eat paint chips, you know, to keep my waistline small and so I can keep my bikini thigh gap as powerful as possible, because it’s always August in Black Label Society.”

His newest material represents who he is as a singer today

Wylde sees his development as a vocalist as a continuous evolution stretching from Pride & Glory through “Book of Shadows” and into the different eras of Black Label Society.

He does not identify one particular older album as the moment when everything suddenly clicked vocally. Instead, each record represents another stage in that development.

If somebody asked him what Zakk Wylde sounds like as a vocalist today, however, he would point them toward his newest material because it represents where he currently stands as an artist.

The combination of heavier and more mellow material also makes it a broad representation of the different sides of his voice.

The biggest lesson from Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford is a simple one

Throughout his career, Wylde has had the opportunity to work alongside some of heavy metal’s most celebrated vocalists. His decades-long musical relationship with Ozzy Osbourne has obviously played an enormous role in his career, while his journey has also brought him together with artists such as Rob Halford.

Asked what he has learned from musicians of that caliber, Wylde’s answer has less to do with vocal technique and more to do with the fundamental reason for making music in the first place.

“Just do what you love. If it moves you, then do it.”

For Wylde, music should never become something that feels like an obligation.

“Music shouldn’t be work. It’s what naturally comes out of you. Being in a band with the fellas, it shouldn’t be work. Music is what you love doing.”

The same philosophy extends beyond music. Whatever someone happens to be passionate about, Wylde believes they should pursue it wholeheartedly.

“Why would you want to live life any other way? You’re just all in and love your life, and whatever it is that you have passion for, just do it.”

“Sing what you love”

Wylde also credits his parents for supporting his interests throughout his childhood, whether he was playing baseball, football or eventually becoming consumed by music.

It is an approach he says he and his wife have also taken with their four children. Wylde has no desire to push them toward music simply because it became his own life.

“They’re writing their own book, writing their own movie, and you support them in what they love and what their passions are.”

At the end of the interview, Wylde was asked what advice he would give to a young metal vocalist who is just beginning their own journey.

His answer effectively summarized much of the conversation.

“Sing what you love. It’s that easy.”

For those interested in improving the technical side of their singing, Wylde recommends finding a vocal teacher who can teach proper exercises and technique. He compares it to hiring a trainer when learning how to lift weights correctly.

Ultimately, however, technique is secondary to the joy of creating music.

“I love singing. I get just as much enjoyment out of it as when I’m doing vocals for the album, when we’re putting the music together or when I’m playing lead guitar. It’s just awesome – creating and making music and going to worlds and dimensions you never thought existed. Music is a gift, without a doubt, for all of us.”

You can watch Chaoszine’s full My Story As Metal Frontman video interview with Zakk Wylde below.

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You can check out the latest Black Label Society album “Engines of Demolition” in full below: