BLACK SABBATH - 13 (2013)

Genre(s): Heavy/Doom Metal

Label: Vertigo Records

Rating: 7.5/10

I know this blog is supposed to be dedicated to the reviewing of extreme metal, and I've reviewed a number of non-extreme doom or sludge bands lately, but I'd be remiss if I didn't review the new Black Sabbath; it's sort of necessary for any metal blog. Black Sabbath return to the throne of kings of heavy with this album. Unfortunately, they were too cheap to bring Bill Ward along for drums, and that would have undoubtedly earned the album a higher score. On session drums is Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk, who does a suitable job, although he's no Bill Ward.

The first track, a doomy one, is entitled "End of the Beginning," and the classic Iommi riffage is there. After a distorted intro, it quiets down to clean guitars, reminiscent of the song "Black Sabbath." When Ozzy's vocals kick in, the listener is still not sure whether or not Ozzy can perform at where he used to... Then at 1:51, when the distorted guitars come in, Ozzy lays all suspicion to rest. He sounds better than he's sounded in decades. At roughly the 3:00 mark, a groovy moment comes in, leading to a bridge. It should be noted also that just as Iommi's riffs are killer, the bass is amazing on this album; Geezer just plain rules. Then a guitar solo comes in, pretty simple bluesy solo, followed by an outro riff. There's another solo that's more modal in nature. The next track, which starts off soft, is called "God is Dead?" Triumphant sounding riffage abounds. The chorus is where it really shines. "The blood runs free/The rain turns red/Give me the wine/You keep the bread/The voices echo in my head/Is God alive or is God dead?" goes the chorus. The riff behind it sounds evil, desperately evil, and you just want to sing along to it. What we'll call "Section C" has a pretty sinister feel, and leads into another chorus. This is followed by the intro again, which leads into another rocking section, definitely heavy. Then, a bridge with a guitar solo over it, and Geezer sort of going nuts under it. Once this is over, a final chorus comes in. "Loner" is a traditional heavy metal song in the Sabbath style. It's honestly a middling song relative to some of the other songs on this album. "Zeitgeist" is their attempt to recreate something with the feel of "Planet Caravan." It's ultimately not very interesting.

Ready for another killer song? "Age of Reason" is it. Infectious riffage abounds. The chorus is as good as you'd hope. There's a bridge that has a palm-muted arpeggio that opens up into a build-up, leading into the ultimate bang your head riff on the album at about the 4:00 mark. The solo comes at 5:18. As always, the bass kills it. Next up is "Live Forever." It sounds very Sabbathy. That blues-doom riff that only they can pull off is what comprises the verse. Speaking of bluesy, "Damaged Soul," which comes next, sounds like pure blues crossed with doom metal. In the intro and the verse, the guitar is played through the neck pickup. And so it is for the chorus. This song has one of the most righteous, fuzzy solos of the entire album. The second solo is played through either both pickups or the bridge. It is, again, a righteous friggin blues solo. It rips. Lastly is "Dear Father," a perfect doom-heavy hybrid. The chorus, while the lyrics are cliche, is great. The bridge is pretty standard Sabbath. It ends with the sound of a thunderstorm and rain falling down.

Whatever you do, go out and buy this album!  And what's more, play it on a hi-fi system so you can hear that delightful bass. This is easily the best Sabbath since perhaps Vol. 4. The fact that they're as old as they are and can perform this well is a breathtaking feat. Though the drums could have been better if Bill Ward had been in the lineup, the production on this album makes it an easy decision. I definitely recommend it on vinyl, but you can get either that or CD here. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.