First, a bit of context.
Black Sabbath are widely believed to be the inventors of Metal. They started off very heavy in the 70's (in comparison to what was on the radio at the time), gradually speeding up and developing their sound as more bands altered the genre with their own efforts. Ten years later, when Dio took over from Ozzy as the vocalist, they were a lot faster and more appropriate for the angrier Metal that the 80's gave birth to. However, this album is the first album to have the complete original lineup since the 70's...at least it would be if not for one person.
Bill Ward.
Bill fuckin' Ward. The drummer.
Apparently, something pissed him off and the sand in his vagina resulted in him throwing a paddy, deciding that he didn't want to go to the birthday party after all...so to speak. In reality, he didn't agree with the contract he was signing so stayed out of the affair. I've been quite harsh about him here but I guess his actions were understandable. Considering the band members used to fucking set him on fire (yeah, you read that right), I'd be one to hold a grudge as well and wouldn't want to see them again unless they already had their lips puckered for an hour of passionate ass-kissing. If he felt they were gonna dick him about again, maybe he was well in his right to tell them to jog on.
So why did the band announce that everyone was getting together?
Did Bill agree at first and then change his mind like a wanker?
Or did someone jump the gun and promise something that they couldn't deliver?
Either way, this album isn't the original line-up. It's the original line-up minus Bill Ward but plus the guy from Rage Against The Machine & Audioslave, Brad Wilk.
The album kicks off with an 8 minute song entitled End Of The Beginning. Immediately, it strikes you as a return to form. Sabbath have resurrected and they're still heavier than Shrek's ballsack. If you love songs that sound like they're being dragged through mud and tar, you'll enjoy this one. However, it's all a bit dull if you ask me. Album openers are supposed to grab you by the short & curlies, screaming "Listen to this until the end or else!", giving you a glimpse of what's gonna come through the next hour. Granted this track nails the latter of those two but it certainly doesn't fill me with hope for the rest of the album.
Luckily, close to the 3 minute mark, the song picks up a little. Tony Iommi gives us a funky riff and Wilk changes up the tempo to more of a foot-tapping beat. Unfortunately, it's still very bland and uninteresting. To be perfectly honest, the song could've been a lot shorter. An 8 minute album opener is very ambitious and unless you're bringing a hell of a good tune to the table, it's unlikely you're gonna leave a long lasting impression.
Meanwhile, Iommi is giving us some damn fine guitar work with his solos akin to Dio era shredding and Ozzy is reintroducing us to the sound of his voice paired with sludgy Metal. Since a good 40 years has passed since Ozzy was originally belting out lyrics about war and religion, he's lost some of the raw edge he originally had and now his voice sounds a bit more artificial, possibly enhanced by studio effects to give him more of a powerful sound.
Next up is their single, entitled God Is Dead? with a question mark, yeah? So it's, like, all deep and stuff. As soon as the song starts, you can be forgiven for assuming it's just a continuation of the last track, since the riff is equally as dark, evil, mysterious and dreary. Have to say though, this song has a good balance between softer sections and harder moments where Wilk puts the hammer down along with the rest of the band. And yes, there is another tempo change where the plodding music is replaced by a funkier section that is almost identical to the last song...again.
Not only in the style of drumming but also in that it feels very flat and soulless in comparison to some of their other songs with tempo changes. If you listen to this song again, try and keep an ear out for Geezer Butler's bass work during the faster part of the song. The album is mixed in a way that bass is well hidden but when you can make it out, it's pretty sweet. Track 3 is Loner and thankfully it's not a dull plodder. In fact, it sounds like an attempt at revisiting some of their more pleasant riff-making, reminiscent of songs like N.I.B.
By this point, it should be clear that the band are still fresh after being out of the packet for nearly half a century and can still deliver decent Metal. It might not be to everyone's tastes (particularly those who have grown accustomed to faster, more aggressive Thrash Metal) but you can't deny the solid quality of the finished product.
More creepy riffs, more chilling vocals and more mysterious melodies come with Zeitgeist, although the heavy drumming takes a rest on this one. Butler's bass is a bit more prominent and Iommi's acoustic playing sounds a hell of a lot more soothing than his hard riffing. So far, this album feels like it would make better background music than the sort of one you can go out of your way to listen to. It's not bad but it's not really accessible unless you like music that plods along like a lumbering giant such as the next track, Age Of Reason.
If you bought this album expecting more modern versions of Paranoid or Children Of The Grave, you're most likely going to be disappointed. This album definitely fits in with the heavier Metal they were creating for their first album than the songs that your average casual listener may know them for. But at least they're trying to pump a bit of life into a few of their songs, even if tempo changes sound as awkward and sloppy as the one in this track.
By track 6, listening to the album is starting to feel like work. Live Forever makes me wish for the exact opposite, even when yet another funky rhythm starts. I have to say, Wilk's drumming comes across as overused and dull through the majority of this album. He might mix up his style throughout a single song but as an entire album effort, it sounds like he's just putting different riffs and vocals to exactly the same beats. Ah well, at least this song isn't too boring although it should've been bumped up the track list to the 2nd or 3rd song.
Back to the near 8 minute songs with Damaged Soul and we're "treated" to yet another sludgy riff with a lot of weight and subdued bass. Nothing on this album is making me want to play any tracks again so far. I'm sure there are some wankers out there who'd argue "Oh but the good thing about this album is that it grows on you over time!" Why the fuck is that a good thing? If I like something and then it gets better, that's great. If I dislike something and I need to expose myself to it repeatedly until I learn to tolerate just how crap it is, that's not good at all. That's fucking Stockholm Syndrome!
I'd much rather hear a song I like, then start to get tired of it only to leave it a while before I hear it again when it sounds fresh after so long. Anyway, back to the review. The last track on the basic album is Dear Father. Are they gonna go out on a bang or are they gonna churn out the same song I've been trying to enjoy for the last 50 minutes? Oh, they're going with the same heavy riff and plodding rhythm again. Thankfully the funky tempo change has been altered into a gallop around the 4-minute mark.
Doesn't change the way over half the album sounds like a Black Sabbath tribute-band trying to create an originally inspired composition as good as their old material and failing miserably. Rather than leaving listeners with something halfway decent, the song ends on a long drawn out thunderstorm that fades out in a puff of self-indulgence. Now come the 3 bonus tracks that you might find on Spotify or iTunes! Oh goody, more sludge! How refreshing! Hold on...this isn't sludge. What the fuck is this? Something that I want to listen to again?!
The 3 bonus tracks are as confusing as they are catchy. Methademic may start off like your typical song on this album but soon kicks it up a few gears and is the first song on the entire album that has energy. Peace Of Mind pulls a similar trick and starts off slow only to improve towards the end in a way that isn't generic funk or overly heavy blues. Finally, Pariah closes the special addition with more of a modern Hard Rock/Metal sound, relying on a decent riff and more American sound...after another slow & solemn intro.
These tracks are all less than 6 minutes long and they would've been far better on the album than half the shit that made the final cut. So that's where the confusion comes from. What the fucking fuck happened? Instead of opting for a hint of diversity and variety on the album, the band and producer clearly decided that the same track over and over again would've been more appropriate for an album people have been waiting for for decades. But either way, that's the album. I won't talk about the live song, Dirty Woman, but now it's time to look at the album overall.
13 is definitely not disappointing if you expected Black Sabbath. It still has the same soul of their past efforts but sadly the body it's been transferred into lacks what made the band so awesome in the first place. It never really peaks and every song remains at exactly the same level with a series of interchangeable melodies and lyrics. Many songs go on longer than ads at the cinema and sell me the finished product half as effectively, dragging along at a frustratingly tedious rate. In short, these songs have a lot of power but no fucking energy.
Now for the band. Brad Wilk is mediocre at best. His drumming works for a couple of songs but when you start hearing exactly the same beat over and over again, you've got to wonder exactly what he brought to the table when they were writing these songs (although drummers aren't exactly known for their out-of-this-world songwriting ability). As I said earlier, Butler's bass is quite hard to isolate unless you really try but when you do hear it, it's decent stuff. That's all about him really.
Iommi's guitar is the highlight of the album for me. His riffs may not completely satisfy my taste but they certainly give the songs power needed to carry the whole album. Decent riffs from Ozzy's era but fantastic solos from Dio's era; the best of both worlds. Finally, Ozzy. The lyrics still ooze out of his mouth like they did 40 years ago and the actual sound of his voice still sounds preferable to the words he's singing. All in all, this album isn't their best. I imagine it's probably better to sample individual tracks rather than listen to it start to finish but nevertheless, it's a hell of a slog to suffer through the entire thing if you aren't struck by the sound of heavy sludge.
If I had to rate it....I dunno, I'd say 4/10, if only because I'm rounding up 3.5.
Normally, I'd recommend songs that you might enjoy if you liked this album but since I didn't like it, I can't give an accurate example of songs that are just as good. Maybe some 90's Grunge/Hard Rock like Alice In Chains? They're about as dreary as this album.
So, there it is. My first review. A right barrel o'laughs, huh. Next time I'll try to talk about something I liked more than 4/10 but I can't promise anything. If you have any thoughts about this album, go ahead and share them in the comments. Be seeing you!
