In This River

"In This River" is a song by the heavy metal band Black Label Society from their 2005 album, Mafia. The song is 3 minutes and 54 seconds long and features Zakk Wylde on vocals, guitar, and piano. It is the third single from the album. It features guest vocals from Ozzy Osbourne, with whom Wylde had worked before as the guitarist of his band. He sings along in the chorus: "In This River, all shall fade to black, In This River, ain't no comin' back." It was featured in the MTV 2 CD MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Vol. 2.

Dedication to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott

Zakk Wylde wrote the song many months prior to the December 2004 murder of his close friend "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Abbott was a famous guitarist, best known for his work with the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. His death prompted Zakk to dedicate "In This River" to him. Although Zakk did not write the song for Dimebag, he states, "I 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 (Dimebag's brother), Rita (Dimebag's girlfriend). It's all about Dime's memory and there ain't a dry eye in the house every time you see it." Zakk also states that every time he plays a show, he will perform "In This River" and "it will never leave the Black Label set."When played live, Zakk uses a Dean Razorback with a custom "rusted" Bullseye paint-job, made after Abbot's death. Dimebag can be seen wearing a Kiss t-shirt while Zakk is wearing a Black Sabbath shirt.

Music Video

The music video features the childhood personae of Zakk and Darrell riding bicycles together and diving in to a river. At the end of the video, the grown up version of Wylde emerges, and Dimebag's doesn't appear as child or man, symbolizing Darrell's death. "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," says Zakk.