Kingcrimsonprog Hangover Music Vol. VI, from 2004, is the fifth full-length studio album by the American Heavy Metal band Black Label Society. This is stylistically an atypical album by the band, in that for the most part it is essentially an acoustic album.

The record is a proper studio album that contains a set of new songs (as opposed to reworking existing Black Label Society songs for a sort of acoustic compilation or MTV Unplugged sort of release).

Some of the tracks are slow, emotional piano ballads, some of the tracks are acoustic guitar ballads, and some are semi-acoustic rock songs (a few of which even feature distorted electric guitar). One of the tracks is an all acoustic guitar solo, like the band usually stick on a studio album to break things up and one of the tracks is a cover of Procol Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade Of Pale.’

Newcomers may be skeptical of how well a band like Black Label Society, famous for guitar tricks and low pitched chugging riffs, could pull off an acoustic album, but in my opinion this is actually a very good release, and actually contains two or three of the very best songs that the band ever released.

Highlights include the opener ‘Crazy Or High?’ as well as the brilliantly emotional ‘Stepping Stone’ with its big doomy bells, and ‘House Of Doom’ which is one of the catchiest tracks in the band’s whole catalougue.

Overall; Hangover Music is a surprisingly enjoyable and accomplished effort, that may be atypical of the band’s usual output, but which is definitely worth checking out.