Zakk Sabbath Shreds O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – A Night of Heavy Metal Glory

Zakk Sabbath: The Ultimate Black Sabbath Tribute Shreds O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Zakk Sabbath – 07 March 2025 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Zakk Wylde is a very busy guitar hero. Having just finished an epic run of arena shows with the reformed Pantera, tonight he brought his incredible Black Sabbath tribute band, Zakk Sabbath, to London, and what a night it was.

The Empire was packed by the time doom metallers Lowen hit the stage. They did a great job warming up the crowd, led by the charismatic Nina Saeidi, and they got a deservedly warm reception.

As appreciative as the crowd were of Lowen, the noise they made was nothing compared to the eruption of cheers when Zakk Sabbath hit the stage. Accompanied by a rhythm section of John “JD” DeServio on bass and Joey Castillo on drums, the trio launched straight into ‘Supernaut’. This was quickly followed by an epic ‘Snowblind’ and ‘Under The Sun / Every Day Comes and Goes’.

The setlist for Zakk Sabbath was stacked with Black Sabbath classics, but also contained some deep cuts. The band doesn’t necessarily go for the obvious. Anyone expecting ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Iron Man’ might have been surprised, but what was most impressive was the unique stamp Zakk Sabbath put on every track. They don’t just play carbon copies; Wylde lets loose with his own sound and style, yet stays true to the original spirit.

Zakk Wylde’s playing was mind-blowing. He let rip with extended solos, played behind his head and with his teeth, and never once dropped a note. His stage presence is legendary, and he had the audience in a chokehold from the get-go.

And the crowd loved it. A pit was formed, and there was a steady flow of crowd surfers, including one guy with a crutch, which looked fantastic until he reached the pit and the crutch made contact with my head – OUCH!

The Zakk Sabbath setlist powered through Sabbath classics like ‘Fairies Wear Boots’, ‘Into the Void’, ‘Children of the Grave’, and a brilliant ‘N.I.B.’.

Towards the end of closing number ‘War Pigs’, and during yet another epic guitar solo, Wylde disappeared from the stage, only to reappear on one of the balconies without ever missing a beat. The small crowd that welcomed him up there couldn’t believe what they were seeing as he stood playing for all he was worth. He returned to the stage in time for an audience singalong before finishing the show with a massive crescendo.

As Zakk Sabbath took their bows to the sound of Wylde’s guitar feeding back, the crowd showed their appreciation in spades.

With the Black Sabbath / Ozzy farewell show coming up in the summer, the appetite for Black Sabbath‘s music is high. Tonight’s celebration of that music will have whetted the appetite for those lucky enough to have got a ticket but would have also been more than enough to satisfy those who didn’t.

Zakk Sabbath continues their European tour throughout March.

Zakk Sabbath Shreds O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – A Night of Heavy Metal Glory @ RockNews