"In This River" | ||||
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Single by Black Label Society | ||||
from the album Mafia | ||||
Released | September 2005 | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | Artemis | |||
Songwriter(s) | Zakk Wylde | |||
Producer(s) | Zakk Wylde | |||
Black Label Society singles chronology | ||||
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"In This River" is a song by American heavy metal band Black Label Society, a power ballad featured on their 2005 sixth studio album Mafia . Performed entirely by guitarist, vocalist and pianist Zakk Wylde (who also wrote and produced the song), it was released as the third single from the album and reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [1]
A common misconception is that Wylde wrote the song as a tribute to his close friend "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (former guitarist for bands Pantera and Damageplan), who was killed on December 8, 2004. In fact, he wrote the song many months prior to the incident, and subsequently began dedicating the song to him. On the topic of dedication, Wylde explains that he "was looking at the lyrics, and I just said 'Man, this has gotta be Dime's tune', so we just made it Dime's song and that's how the video came about. I think it's really emotional and it came out great. Everyone loves it – Vinnie Paul Abbott (Darrell's brother), Rita (Darrell's girlfriend). It's all about Dime's memory and there ain't a dry eye in the house every time you see it." Wylde also states that every time he plays a show, "it will never leave the Black Label set." During the "Pedal to the Metal" concert series, however, the song was not included in the set. [2]
The music video for "In This River" features the childhood personage of Wylde and Abbott riding bicycles together and diving into a river while Wylde plays both the piano and the guitar in a creek. Midway through, Zakk destroys the piano with an axe and then sets it on fire with a torch before performing the solo. At the end of the video, only the adult version of Wylde emerges, symbolizing Darrell's death. Wylde explains that "The river is a metaphor for life in general, all the bullshit that you deal with from being a kid growing up. The whole thing's just about life and death." [3]
Pantera is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers, and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986 respectively. The band is credited for developing and popularizing the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations.
Zachary Phillip Wylde 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 metal band Black Label Society.
Darrell Lance Abbott, best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his brother Vinnie Paul. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time.
Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles 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 video albums.
Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Patrick Lachman on vocals, and later Bob Zilla on bass. Damageplan released New Found Power, their only album, in February 2004. New Found Power debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200, selling 44,676 copies in its first week.
Vincent Paul Abbott was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and was a member of Hellyeah for 12 years from 2006 until his death in 2018.
New Found Power is the only studio album released by the American heavy metal supergroup Damageplan. The group was formed by brothers "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott (guitar) and "Vinnie Paul" Abbott (drums) after the breakup of their previous band, Pantera. This is the final album that was released during Darrell's lifetime, before his death less than 10 months after the release.
Sonic Brew is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society, released on October 28, 1998, in Japan and May 4, 1999, in the United States by Spitfire Records. Unlike the albums that followed, this album still possessed a distinct Southern rock overtone that up to this time had predominated Zakk Wylde's solo writing style. It contained 13 tracks ; the cover art was printed on clear plastic, with a separate paper booklet. The back cover was printed with golden ink, and the packaging was, overall, a lot higher quality than all later versions.
The Blessed Hellride is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society. It contains a mix of heavy and lighter tracks.
Mafia is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society, released on March 8, 2005, by Artemis Records. It is one of the band's most commercially successful releases, selling over 250,000 copies in the United States. The track "In This River" was written before the death of Zakk Wylde's friend and fellow guitarist Dimebag Darrell, but it has since been dedicated to him. In 2005, the album was ranked number 15 on Billboard Album Chart.
Hangover Music Vol. VI is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society, released April 20, 2004. This album is a much more mellow affair than any other Black Label Society album, and some fans have recognized it as a nod back to Zakk Wylde's solo effort, Book of Shadows, from 1996. The album contains a piano version of Procol Harum's 1967 No. 1 song "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and a song entitled "Layne", which is written in memory of Layne Staley of Alice in Chains.
Pride & Glory is the only studio album by American rock band Pride & Glory. The band was fronted by guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde, best known for his prior work as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band. The tracks "Troubled Wine", "Losin' Your Mind", and "Horse Called War" were all released as singles. Pride & Glory was re-released in 1999 on Spitfire Records with a bonus disc of rare and unreleased material.
"No More Tears" is the fifth song and title track on the 1991 Ozzy Osbourne album No More Tears. It reached number five on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 17 on the Dutch Top 40 chart and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.
The Dean ML is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars in 1977 along with its counterparts, the Dean V, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z. It has an unusual design, with a V-shaped headstock and V-shaped tailpiece. It was popularized by the guitarist Dimebag Darrell of Pantera.
The Dean Razorback is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars. It is a variation of the Dean ML, and was designed by Dimebag Darrell, guitarist for the bands Pantera and Damageplan. The Razorback was at first a USA only model, but was subsequently sold as an import model.
Darrell Lance Abbott, best known as Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. His musical recordings and film appearances include:
Skullage is a compilation/live album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society, although the first two songs are from Zakk Wylde's solo career and side project Pride & Glory. Some versions also come with a bonus DVD.
The following are albums and appearances by American musician Zakk Wylde, guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, lead vocalist and guitarist of Black Label Society, and lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory. He has also released two solo albums, Book of Shadows in 1996 and Book of Shadows II in 2016.
Unblackened is a live acoustic album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society. It was recorded live on March 6, 2013, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, and released on September 24, 2013.
On December 8, 2004, four people were murdered and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The main target of the attack was "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was on stage performing with his band Damageplan at the time of the shooting. During the opening song, 25-year-old Nathan Gale rushed the stage and released a series of bullets, killing Abbott. Three minutes after opening fire, Gale was shot and killed by police officer James Niggemeyer.