As well as discussing the highs and lows of the three "classic" albums, I'll also be writing a short comparison of those albums and the ones I previously reviewed. If you want to read my reviews of 13 - Black Sabbath, Rock Or Bust - AC/DC and Dystopia - Megadeth, follow the links provided. If you want to read my short reviews of three different albums by those bands...well, keep scrolling. Be warned that I will be spoiling my verdicts on each of those linked albums in the new album write-ups so I'd recommend reading those full reviews first, unless you don't really care and just want to know what I think about these albums.
1. Heaven And Hell - Black Sabbath
The first album I reviewed on this blog featured the closest thing to the classic Black Sabbath line-up since the actual classic Black Sabbath line-up, so I decided to choose an album featuring an even better line-up than both albums combined. If you listen to Black Sabbath tracks with Ozzy on vocals, the guitar sounds very restrained due to Tony Iommi playing most of his riffs on the lower frets (yes, I know about the factory incident and his fingertips). It also sounds a lot sludgier, arguably boasting the heaviest Metal riffs in all of the genre. Aside from the change in vocalists, the biggest difference between 70s-era Sabbath and early 80s-era Sabbath is the evolution of Tony's guitarwork.
Straight away, album opener "Neon Knights" bolts from the starting line with a much welcomed mix of old and new, something that remains the album's strongest factor from start to finish. Gone are the sluggish drumbeats from Paranoid and Master Of Reality and gone are Ozzy's oozing vocals, dripping off each line and more often than not blending with the guitar. In their places are faster rhythms courtesy of troubled drummer Bill Ward and new vocal melodies separate from the music carrying lyrics about mythology by Ronnie James Dio, apparently the driving force behind the band's improvements.
Whilst there are slower tracks on the album, they were complimented by more exciting music from Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler on guitar and bass, respectively. Tony would play his most complex riffs that he'd ever produced up until that point whilst Geezer would do what he does best and lay the bassline down thick and juicy, giving Metal fans something to sink their teeth into even if they preferred the faster tracks that were beginning to gain popularity due to the rise of Hard Rock. Overall, this album is well worth a listen to fans of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, especially those who like classic Black Sabbath and Rainbow.
After listening to Heaven And Hell, you'll understand why I consider Dio the best thing that could've happened to the band and why I would call 13 a massive step backwards for Black Sabbath in terms of quality Metal.
1. Neon Knights
2. Children Of The Sea
3. Lady Evil
4. Heaven And Hell
5. Wishing Well
6. Die Young
7. Walk Away
8. Lonely Is The Word
ALBUM RATING - 8/10
2. Highway To Hell - AC/DC
An absolute classic and definitely my favourite AC/DC album with Bon Scott on vocals...hell, it's my favourite AC/DC album period! Much like Queen and The Beatles, AC/DC are a band that have been blessed and cursed with the ability to create several iconic hits. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows the album opener/title track "Highway To Hell" for its simple yet epic riff and anthematic chorus. However, even though it's worthy of the fame it's accrued over almost 40 years, I wouldn't place it anywhere near the top ranking of tracks on the album.
There's a steady variety of slower rockers that the band are best known for and a couple of faster tracks thrown in too for good measure. However, the main difference between an album like this and an album like Rock Or Bust is the energy put into each track. Each song packs a punch and, in my eyes (or should that be ears?), "rocks". Rock Or Bust had a lot of mediocre material that felt tired and uninspired and whilst I'll admit that a couple of songs have grown on me over time, I still wouldn't rate it highly. Also, Angus Young was the riff-master. Even on Black Ice, he was pumping out riffs as strong as ones on this album.
The only track that lacks the same energy the rest of the album harnessed is "Night Prowler" but even that isn't a total flatline. Fans of the band's Bluesy material will probably enjoy it and if only one out of ten solid Rock tracks is a dud, I would call that a decent album. However, when the majority of those nine tracks are awesome, I would call that a great album. If there's one AC/DC album you feel like listening to, make it this one.
1. Highway To Hell
2. Girls Got Rhythm
3. Walk All Over You
4. Touch Too Much
5. Beatin' Around The Bush
6. Shot Down In Flames
7. Get It Hot
8. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
9. Love Hungry Man
10. Night Prowler
ALBUM RATING - 7/10
3. Super Collider - Megadeth
OK, maybe this isn't the best album I could've picked to discuss a "bad" Megadeth album but it's definitely not the worst or even a choice that many fans would dispute. It was critically panned for sounding too generic and more like a Hard Rock album than a Thrash Metal one. Not only that but loyal fans took a virtual dump on it too with the usual accusations of selling out by going too commercial, only this time their arguments had a bit of weight to them. First though, before I delve into those murky waters some more, let's look at the positives as there definitely are some.
Megadeth have a history of absolutely nailing their album openers and whilst "Kingmaker" maybe paints the album to be something it isn't, it's a hell of a track! They could've rewritten and rereleased that song ten more times and the album probably would've been better received. However, critics would then pick on the absolute lack of variety the album would contain, something that you can't do with Super Collider. "The Blackest Crow" provides a bit of respite from the slog of Hard Rock/Soft Metal presented so far, opting for a welcomed Southern-fuelled twang instead.
Unfortunately, even though the tracks are sturdy and technically there's nothing wrong with them, bland Rock isn't what you expect to hear when you listen to a Megadeth album. Thank Christ Dave Mustaine realised this and remedied his mistake with Dystopia, creating an album that is well and truly Metal at its finest. Not only that but it's Metal clearly inspired by the band's back catalogue, whereas Super Collider sounds more inspired by American Hard Rock bands from the 00s. I would recommend this album if you like bands like Nickelback, Audioslave and Stone Sour. If you want (Thrash) Metal, listen to Dystopia...or Rust In Peace, that album is a timeless Metal masterpiece.
1. Kingmaker
2. Super Collider
3. Burn!
4. Built For War
5. Off The Edge
6. Dance In The Rain
7. Beginning Of Sorrow
8. The Blackest Crow
9. Forget To Remember
10. Don't Turn Your Back...
11. Cold Sweat
ALBUM RATING - 5/10
If you have any requests for albums/bands/genres/decades/anything else to cover in Rapid Fire posts, let me know in the comment section or via Twitter. I'll also take general feedback and opinions about any albums/bands I cover.
Coming soon (probably): a video games post.
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