Black Label Society’s Kings of Damnation 98-04 came out in 2005 and now, less than four years later, we have another Zakk Wylde retrospective, Skullage (rhymes with “collage”). The CD begins with two tracks from Zakk’s pre- BLS days (“Machine Gun Man” from Pride and Glory, and “Dead as Yesterday” from his Book of Shadows solo album) before getting to the Black Label meat and potatoes. The disc repeats only three songs from Kings of Damnation while hitting on the most well-known BLS selections (“Stillborn,” “Suicide Messiah,” “In This River”), as well as solid album tracks, such as the punishing “Doomsday Jesus” from The Blessed Hellride. It ends with the “Slightly Amped” acoustic performance of three songs by Zakk and guitarist Nick Catanese.

The real attraction is the DVD , which offers a handful of live clips from previous releases; promotional videos for “Stillborn,” “Suicide Messiah,” “In This River,” “Fire It Up” and “New Religion”; the “Slightly Amped” performance (with one song not on the CD); and “Welcome to the Compound,” a serious of hilarious interviews with Zakk at his home.

For new fans, Skullage a good starting point, highlighting Zakk’s incredible range and versatility as a musician, and should whet the appetite enough to make them seek out the individual albums. Any BLS fan also should be happy with this set. I’m sure each would put together his or her own ideal track list, but there’s nothing wrong with the one here. This isn’t essential, but it’s enough to hold us over until Zakk has some new music ready for us.