There’s a bit of genius in the layout of Black Sabbath’s long-awaited reunion album 13, which just became the band’s first U.S. No. 1.
It’s a pretty safe bet that with 13, we hold in our hands the final studio album in the career of Black Sabbath, which makes the choice of the first and last tunes on the standard eight-song version of the album so great.
It opens with “End of the Beginning,” which features, early on, a riff that’s designed to put you in mind of the title track from their eponymous debut album — the song that started everything. Then, as eighth track “Dear Father” fades out, we get the thunder, bells and rain sounds that open that album. It brings the career of Sabbath full circle in a very nice touch.
It’s a simple, but powerful moment that leaves fans with a bit of a wow.
There’s no shortage of great things to say about metal legend Ronnie James Dio based purely on his body of work, from his earliest recordings with Elf and Rainbow, to his multiple stints with Black Sabbath and his stellar solo career. Inarguably one of the greatest voices in metal and the guy credited with bringing the “horns” hand gesture into the metal world (his superstitious grandmother used it to ward off the evil eye) Dio made the kind of impact on his genre that few artists achieve.
But in the hours after learning about his death, it isn’t so much his music that I keep thinking about, but a moment in the summer of 2002 when I had the pleasure and privilege of spending about half an hour with him.
1. Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know.Call this a fanboy pick if you want, but I’ve continued to return to this record time and time again over the course of the year. I really think the songs here blow away much of the stuff being done by musicians who could be their great-grandchildren.
2. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle. Fans waited a long time for this one, and it was worth it. It’s got a good blend of rock and classical, with some of the most metallic moments on any of their records. There are also a couple of Savatage covers thrown in for good measure.
4. Amorphis, Skyforger. I find myself firmly back in the Amorphis fan fold after this record. To me, it’s easily the best thing they’ve done since “Elegy.”
5. Saint Deamon, Pandeamonium. This was my introduction to Saint Deamon, and I was immediately impressed. It’s got a great blend of heaviness and melody.
6. Megadeth, Endgame. No, it wasn’t “Rust In Peace” part 2, like Mustaine promised, but I didn’t expect it to be. It’s a rock solid record that’s among the best, if not the best they’ve done since the 1980s.
7. Luna Mortis, The Absence. I’d reviewed a record from this band under their former name, Ottoman Empire, but couldn’t remember much about it. The first album as Luna Mortis, though, pretty much blew me away early in the year.
8. Machines of Grace, Machines of Grace. The band features two former Savatage members, and it’s no secret that I’m a Savatage fanboy, but the music has little to do with that band. This is old-fashioned 1970s-style hard rock with a few progressive leanings.
9. Black Water Rising, Black Water Rising. I’m not sure if this record has officially been released yet, but I’ve been digging the promo since April. It’s some of the best straight-up hard rock I’ve heard in a while.
Here's a look at some of the songs that made a lasting impact on me this year.
“Bible Black,” Heaven and Hell. The best song they’ve recorded since “Heaven and Hell.”
“Keelhauled,” Alestorm. Just try and resist this melody. It’s impossible.
“Another Way You Can Die,” Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Featuring Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, this is a very metallic, very Savatage-flavored tune. Probably the heaviest in the TSO catalog.
“The Only One Sane,” Saint Deamon. Great riffing, undeniable melody, fantastic song.
“Hold the Heathen Hammer High,” Tyr. I can’t resist the big melody of this tune. I have to crank it every time it comes on.
“Silver Bride,” Amorphis. This song wormed its way into my head within a few days and hasn’t left.
“Six Times Dead (16.6),” Primal Fear. I can’t get enough of the military march chorus of this song.
“A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma,” Diablo Swing Orchestra. A great blend of big band and rock. I wish more of the record were in this vein.
“Floyd,” Lynyrd Skynyrd. The first of two completely non-metal songs on my list. Co-written by John 5, this tune is a great, grooving, creepy hard rocker worth a listen even for hardcore metal fans.
“127 Rose Avenue,” Hank Williams Jr. No metal at all here, but it’s a dark, haunting number that’s easily the best he’s recorded in decades.
“No Halos,” Black Water Rising. Great hook, solid hard rock.
“Last of My Kind,” Alice in Chains. Easily the best song on the new record with a great, raging hard rock chorus.
I'm running a couple of weeks late on my roundup for the first six months of the year. In these days, of course, that's not the only thing I'm running late on. At any rate, here's a look at my top 10 so far:
1. Heaven and Hell, "The Devil You Know." I'll be very surprised if anything unseats this in the next six months. It's the band's best work since "Heaven and Hell."
3. Amorphis, "Skyforger." This one's fairly fresh, but I think it's their best since "Elegy." It hasn't left my CD player in weeks.
4. Lazarus A.D., "The Onslaught." This is one of the best records that I've heard from the new thrash movement. There's an energy that's lacking in many of the others in the genre.
Album I'm reserving judgment on for now:
Dream Theater, "Black Clouds and Silver Linings." I wrote a quick, negative review of their last record and ended up liking it after more listens. I'm going to give it some more time before reviewing it.
Disappointments so far: Queensryche, "American Soldier." At this point, I don't know if I can call a Queensryche album a disappointment since my expectations are low. Still, it was a good concept, and I'd hoped for a better record.
Tim Owens, "Play My Game." (review coming soon) Fairly solid musical outing brought down by weak lyrics and a lack of hooks. Not a horrible record, but not what I was hoping for.
What I'm looking forward to:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Night Castle." Years in the coming, the most recent update was that it should arrive in October. We'll see.
Anthrax, "Worship Music." I'm a fan of John Bush, and I thought "We've Come For You All" ranked among the band's best. They'll have to really impress me with new singer Dan Morgan.
Megadeth, "Endgame." I like what I hear from "Head Crusher" and hope Mustaine and Co. continue the momentum from "United Abominations."
Slayer, "World Painted Blood." It's Slayer, what else is there to say?
Machines of Grace, "Machines of Grace." As a Savatage fan, I've got to check out this project of Zachary Stevens and Jeff Plate. Look for a review soon.
We could also possibly see new records from Ozzy (hope it's better than the last one) and Black Label Society before the year is up.
Metal bands of the world, look on this creation and despair. It doesn't matter how fast you play or how low you tune your guitars. It doesn't matter how high you scream or how deep you growl. You will never be as heavy as the almighty Black Sabbath.
Sure, the name on this record says Heaven and Hell, but we know the truth of it. And if you don't, the first few notes of album opener "Atom and Evil" will certainly clue you in. This is the reformation of the second incarnation of Sabbath, featuring vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, along with original members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. It's also the most powerful record from the Sabbath camp since 1980's "Heaven and Hell."
In an age of screams and growls, guitar histrionics and machine gun-like drum lines, Heaven and Hell delivers up 10 tracks of beautiful simplicity. It's melodic, it's powerful and it's about as heavy as you can get. But it's far from old-fashioned -- more like timeless.
Let's start with the first single "Bible Black," which is arguably the best song the band has recorded since the title track of that 1980 album they took their new name from. It opens with a soft, clean guitar riff and builds to a sinister crescendo that features all of the best elements that classic metal had to offer -- a memorable guitar riff, great melody and fantastic vocals from Dio. It's a trend that's repeated throughout the record, which offers a nice mix of the slower dirge-like tunes like "Atom and Evil" and "Breaking into Heaven" and more upbeat numbers like "Eating the Cannibals" and "Neverwhere."
Iommi, metal's all-time undisputed riffmaster, is in better form here than he's been in years. The strongest riff is perhaps the ultra-heavy opening licks from "Follow the Tears," which is also overall one of the strongest songs on the record. But almost every track here has those solid, lasting riffs that have been the hallmark of Iommi's career. While I don't think there's anything here as iconic as "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath," "Symptom of the Universe" or, of course, "Iron Man," they do stick with you better than those on even some of the previous Sabbath records.
It's also nice to hear bassist Geezer Butler, who I've always felt was the real backbone of Sabbath, getting a little love on this record, too. His thumping bass lines add to the overall heaviness of the record, and he even gets the spotlight on "Double the Pain," opening with a bass lick similar to the classic "N.I.B." He and Appice are locked in perfectly on this record, running like a well-oiled machine.
That, of course, brings us to Dio. One of the greatest, some (and I'm one of them) would say THE greatest metal vocalist of all time. His voice just oozes metal. At the age of 67, it's not quite as clear and smooth as it was 30 years ago, but it's still better than most of the singers out there. His work here on songs like the aforementioned "Bible Black" and "The Turn of the Screw" is impeccable, which is really what you expect from him.
While they're using the name Heaven and Hell because of some silly dispute with Ozzy Osbourne's camp (despite the fact that Iommi used the Black Sabbath name for years when it was just him and three guys he picked up off the street), you can call this what you want. Call it Heaven and Hell, call it Four Cuddly Kittens, if you must, it's still Black Sabbath and it's still the heaviest thing going -- even with the members in their 60s. Guys a third their age could learn quite a bit by listening to this record.
It's only April, but I'll be stunned if I find a record better than "The Devil You Know" this year.
