ZAKK SABBATH Announces ‘Fairies Wear Boots’ Single

ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH tribute band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE),bassist Robert “Blasko” Nicholson (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE) and drummer Joey Castillo (DANZIG, QUEEN OF THE STONE AGE),will release a new single, “Fairies Wear Boots”, on December 5 via Magnetic Eye Records.

The new ZAKK SABBATH rendition of this classic track will be released as a vinyl seven-inch single and sold in an exclusive tour edition starting with the kickoff show at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California on December 5. A worldwide direct sales and retail edition of the “Fairies Wear Boots” seven-inch on electric green vinyl is also available to pre-order online beginning today.

ZAKK SABBATH‘s version of “Fairies Wear Boots” was recorded at the Black Vatican and Clear Lake Audio studios and was produced by Zakk Wylde and engineered by Jay Ruston and Adam Fuller. The cover art was designed by Łukasz Jaszak.

“Fairies Wear Boots” was originally released as the final track on BLACK SABBATH‘s sophomore full-length “Paranoid” in 1970. After a slow introduction, the song develops into a metallic resemblance of a psychedelic blues rocker with a mildly mocking rhythm pattern that fits the tongue-in-cheek lyrics penned by Ozzy Osbourne.

ZAKK SABBATH is a work of love. The band was founded by BLACK LABEL SOCIETY guitarist and singer Zakk Wylde, renowned for his many years as lead guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE and now PANTERA, in tribute to the foursome most regarded as the “inventors” of heavy metal: BLACK SABBATH.

Initially playing shows with a rotating lineup, ZAKK SABBATH released a 12-inch EP titled “Live In Detroit” in 2017.

Having solidified a stable cast with the addition of Blasko and Castillo, ZAKK SABBATH was inspired by the 50th anniversary of BLACK SABBATH‘s self-titled debut full-length, tellingly released on Friday the 13th in 1970, to enter the studio for a proper homage to a record which changed music forever.

In a productive DIY process, the songs of the “Black Sabbath” album were faithfully recorded live in the studio following the spirit of the original, which was famously captured in just one day in 1969. ZAKK SABBATH respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, revisiting various live renditions and extending a solo here or slowing things down there, because that’s what the originators tended to do on stage.

ZAKK SABBATH released their tribute to the monumental heavy metal milestone under the title “Vertigo” in 2020, a nod to BLACK SABBATH‘s legendary label Vertigo Records.

“We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time”, explained Blasko regarding ZAKK SABBATH‘s decision to go studio. “Compared to ‘Paranoid’, which is almost like a best-of record, the bulk of the material on ‘Black Sabbath’ is deep-cut, really experimental stuff that was never thoroughly explored, so that was a challenge, not to forget that we wanted to meet our own high standards.”

Describing the DIY process as “very productive,” the three respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, also revisiting various live renditions and “extending a solo here or slowing things down because that’s what they tended to do on stage.”

“Vertigo” was heaped with praise from critics and fans alike. The trio’s first full-length also became a massive global success, underscored by impressive Billboard chart entries such as No. 5 on the U.S. Hard Music chart, No. 7 on the Current Rock Albums chart and No. 27 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. Abroad, it was ranked No. 1 in Metal Albums in France and No. 3 on the German Album chart, as well as No. 9 on the U.K. Top 40 Rock/Metal chart.

ZAKK SABBATH will embark on the “Tour Forever / Forever Tour” in December. Support on the trek, which will launch in Sacramento, California and end on January 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, will come from THE NATIVE HOWL.

ZAKK SABBATH has been playing sporadic shows since 2014 with its take on the Birmingham four’s early songs.

Zakk told Rolling Stone about performing SABBATH‘s classic material: “Going back to high-school keg parties, we’d be playing songs by RUSH, SABBATH, [Jimi] Hendrix, whatever [in a cover band], and one person would sing the RUSH stuff, someone could do THE DOORS, and I’d end up doing the SABBATH or Ozzy stuff. It’s hilarious to me, because we were 17 years old playing keg parties at a friend’s house and now I’m [56] years old and I’m still playing ‘N.I.B.’ and SABBATH songs at keg parties, except there’s a couple more people.”

Photo courtesy of Magnetic Eye Records