Black Sabbath is my favorite band of all time so when I heard they were reuniting I was very excited. But then Bill Ward chose not to participate for whichever reason which really sucked. So I will base this review on the actual music and not the stupid corporate shit that seems to ruin all good things. This album is a good album but I wouldn't put it in the same category as the classics although its way better than "Never Say Die". In fact I really don't think it will be mentioned much after a couple years after the hype disappears. A lot of the songs are reminiscent of earlier songs. Most fans will instantly compare the opening track "End of the Beginning" to the ultimate metal song "Black Sabbath". Songs like "Loner and" "Zietgiest" are comparable to "NIB" and "Planet Caravan", which isn't a bad thing but maybe a little unoriginal and in my opinion the worst 3 songs on the album. There are some good original sounding songs on here though. I really enjoyed "God is Dead" a lot. Its actually the song that ended my boycott I had on this album. It is impossible not play a little air guitar or headbang to the riff that comes in at the 6:20 mark. I also felt that "Dear Father" may be one of the darkest songs in their entire discography and Sabbath is at their best when it comes to darkness. "Live Forever" and "Age of Reason" are worth mentioning also due to their awesome riffs. I think the bonus edition had the three best songs on the album. "Methademic","Peace of Mind" and "Pariah" were the freshest sounding songs without losing the element that made Sabbath great. Iommi and Butler are still in top form and thank god for that gift to mankind. Ozzy's vocals were actually good and autotune free which was a pleasant element to the album, yet some of the lyrics were pretty hokey and his use of the word "Yeah" over and over is really annoying. The move to get Brad Wilk was genius since Rage Against the Machine has a very swing feel to their music and I commend his playing in the absence of Bill Ward. I really liked the drums on "Damaged Soul" in particular. I though they captured the classic feel of the evil blues this band does so well. Also a comment about the art work. I really don't like it and it doesn't keep the same feel as the classic albums which if your gonna push this as a reunion of the classic Sabbath at least use the same logo or art style, its almost like they started as a new band image wise. And the title "13" is really weak to me and has been done to death. I think the title "God is Dead" would have turned way more heads because Black Sabbath is suppost to scare the shit out of people. You should give this album a listen at least even if your in the screw everything Sharon has a hand in camp much like myself. I did really think its a good record for todays metal offerings, I just wish it really was the original lineup.
3 1/2 out of 5 meadhorns
www.blacksabbath.com
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