Heavy metal fans, the wait is over! After more than 35 years, the legendary Black Sabbath is back with a brand new studio album, “13.” The new record features original members Tony Iommi, the riffmaster, on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Sitting in for the sessions was Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk with original drummer Bill Ward out due to contractual reasons.
For “13” Sabbath has gone back to their roots with their classic seventies era sound which has been modernized a bit with the help of producer Rick Rubin. Bring on the slower tempos, heavy bass, and ominous riffs that Sabbath made famous with their gloom and doom metal. The opening track, “End of the Beginning,” is epic. It’s huge and heavy with an eerie opening and extraordinary time changes. Following that is the first single, “God Is Dead?,” which is similar in style with Ozzy’s wails being the standout. One of the best tracks on the record is “Loner” which is a mid-tempo song with an “N.I.B.” type opening riff. A pleasant change is the acoustic ballad “Zeitgeist” with Iommi’s soulful, jazzy guitar. “Damaged Soul” is a bluesy track with some harmonica work and the album closes with “Dear Father” perfectly ending things with the sounds of a thunderstorm and church bells.
Geezer Butler provides classic, mystical lyrics like “I am losing the battle between Satan and God” and perhaps the best sounding bass ever recorded. Ozzy’s vocals haven’t aged as he sounds better than ever and Iommi’s signature solos are fantastic. Now to address the elephant in the room, the absence of Bill Ward. Brad Wilk is a terrific drummer and does a great job but I definitely prefer the sludgy swing of Ward over Wilk’s precision, at least for a Sabbath record. The musical highlight of “13” is the team of Iommi and Butler. Playing side by side makes them both raise their game and they are simply magical together as they weave and intermesh as one. Their work alone on “Age of Reason” and “End of the Beginning” make the entire project worthwhile.
Sabbath has broached the question, is God dead? I don’t know. Truly that is a question best tackled by the philosophers. What I do know is this, Black Sabbath is most assuredly not. They are alive and rocking with an outstanding new album. If you’re an old school Sabbath fan, you’re going to love “13.” If you’re not, you owe it to yourself to check this one out and give it a chance.
