Catacombs of the Black Vatican

Catacombs of the Black Vatican is the ninth studio album by heavy metal band Black Label Society. The album was released in the UK on April 7, 2014 and in the US on April 8.[1] It is the first Black Label Society album to feature former Breaking Benjamin drummer Chad Szeliga after fill-in Mike Froedge departed the band. Froedge himself replaced Will Hunt, who in turn replaced longtime drummer Craig Nunenmacher, all in the span of fewer than two years.

Catacombs of the Black Vatican
Studio album by Black Label Society
Released	April 7, 2014
Genre	Heavy metal Southern rock hard rock
Length	44:39
Label	Mascot (Europe) eOne Music (US)
Producer	Zakk Wylde
Black Label Society chronology
Unblackened (2013) Catacombs of the Black Vatican (2014) Grimmest Hits (2018)
Singles from Catacombs of the Black Vatican
"My Dying Time" Released: January 21, 2014 "Angel of Mercy" Released: June 18, 2014

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[2]
AllMusic	[3]
Blabbermouth.net	[4]
Loudwire	[5]
Rock Hard	8.0/10[6]

The album debuted at No. 5 on Billboard 200,[7] and No. 1 on Top Rock Albums.[8] with around 25,000 copies sold in its first week. The album has sold 80,000 copies in the US as of March 2016.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Zakk Wylde.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Fields of Unforgiveness"	3:12
2.	"My Dying Time"	3:22
3.	"Believe"	3:44
4.	"Angel of Mercy"	4:14
5.	"Heart of Darkness"	3:39
6.	"Beyond the Down"	2:54
7.	"Scars"	4:13
8.	"Damn the Flood"	3:18
9.	"I've Gone Away"	3:51
10.	"Empty Promises"	5:16
11.	"Shades of Gray"	6:28
Total length:		44:39

'Black Edition' bonus tracks - Europe

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Dark Side of the Sun"	5:19
13.	"Blind Man"	4:36

'Black Edition' bonus tracks - North America/digital

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Dark Side of the Sun"	5:19
13.	"The Nomad"	4:15

Bonus tracks - Japan

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Dark Side of the Sun"	5:19
13.	"Hell and Fire"	4:25

Personnel

• Zakk Wylde – lead vocals, guitars, piano, acoustic guitar
• John DeServio – bass, backing vocals
• Chad Szeliga – drums

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10]	31
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11]	45
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12]	111
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13]	59
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14]	4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15]	23
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16]	12
French Albums (SNEP)[17]	64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18]	29
Italian Albums (FIMI)[19]	87
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20]	52
UK Albums (OCC)[21]	30
US Billboard 200[22]	5
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[23]	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24]	1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[25]	1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[26]	3

References

1. "Black Label Society: Album Art + Track Listing for New Album". Loudwire.
2. Drago, Dan. "Black Label Society - Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Retrieved April 26, 2014.
3. Heaney, Gregory. "Black Label Society - Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Retrieved April 26, 2014.
4. Van Horn, Jr., Ray. "Black Label Society "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican"". Blabbermouth. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
5. Bowar, Chad (April 8, 2014). "Black Label Society, 'Catacombs of the Black Vatican' – Album Review". Loudwire.
6. Bittner, Ronny (2014). "Review Album: Black Label Society - Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Rock Hard (in German). No. 224. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
7. "The Billboard 200". Billboard. April 26, 2015.
8. "Top Rock Albums". Billboard. August 8, 2015.
9. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. listed under Zakk Wylde
10. "Australiancharts.com – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Hung Medien.
11. "Austriancharts.at – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in German). Hung Medien.
12. "Ultratop.be – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
13. "Ultratop.be – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in French). Hung Medien.
14. "Black Label Society Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
16. "Black Label Society: Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
17. "Lescharts.com – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Hung Medien.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
19. "Italiancharts.com – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Hung Medien.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican". Hung Medien.
21. "Black Label Society | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
22. "Black Label Society Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
23. "Black Label Society Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
24. "Black Label Society Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
25. "Black Label Society Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
26. "Black Label Society Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.