Black Sabbath - 13

This is it. The one release a lot of people have been waiting for! The first studio album baring the Black Sabbath name since 1995 (excluding Heaven & Hell's The Devil You Know) and the first to feature Ozzy since 1979, expectations were high. No matter how good it was, will it be able to stand against the classic material that brought the original metal band to the forefront of music all those years ago? Well, it isn't better then those classic releases, I mean, how could it be? But, it is damn good! Ozzy, Iommi and Geezer shed of the years to show a lot of younger bands how it's done! The doom and gloom which we all love is here and intact. The songs themselves seem like they were born out of that classic era, maybe like songs that could of been on Master of Reality, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Vol. 4 but just didn't fit or were outtakes. To make an album, as good as this, 40 plus years after the fact is a feat on its own that cannot be matched by some. I mean, lets see some of these pop sensations try to do this 40 plus years later...I'll spoil the results....they won't! Yes, there is some controversy at the drummer's stool with no Bill Ward due to contractual disputes, Tommy Clufetos (although live can do the job and is amazing) was pushed aside by Rick Rubin for Bill Wilk (Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) who does a bang up job on this release. My highlights thus far are the lead off single inspired by Nietzsche's famous and controversial statement  "God is Dead?",  "End of the Beginning", "Age of Reason" and "Zeitgeist". These men, are the iron men of metal. Give them a listen as they have come once again to spread controversy, fear and fun we all love.