BLACK SABBATH - 13

Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Classic Rock | Heft: Jahrgang 2013, eclipsed Nr. 152 / 7-8-2013 | VÖ-Jahr: 2013 | Wertung: 8/10, Album des Monats | Label: Vertigo | Autor: ML


You skipped the latte! When Black Sabbath announced in November 2011 that they wanted to record a sequel to "Never Say Die" (1978) with the original line-up, i.e. Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, the collective trembling and trembling began - mixed with a colossal anticipation of what the inventors of Heavy Metal and grandmasters of the Doom had in mind. The hopes were based on the certainty that star producer Rick Rubin would not let a rotten egg be laid in his nest. The man has a reputation to lose! It was he who made Johnny Cash socially acceptable again, who gave Neil Diamond a fine work of his old age and who, in his early phase, ensured that Slayer was recognised and respected. On the other hand, he bit his teeth out at AC/DC. Bill Ward didn't make it into the recording studio. Financial differences led to this, but also a certain time pressure, which was caused by the cancer of Tony Iommi. Tony finally wanted to get the album under wraps, and if the drummer with whom he had taken the first steps towards Black Sabbath in the sixties wasn't supposed to be there, then that's the way it was. Brad Wilk, drummer of Rage Against The Machine, has done a good job, and whether Bill could have had much more influence remains doubtful, especially after the wrangling over competence in advance. The first two longtracks, "End Of The Beginning" and "God Is Dead?", sweep away all reservations. That's Black Sabbath as you know it from the first five albums. Perhaps with a touch of modernity, but basically these eight-minute numbers could have been written between 1969 and 1973. That's exactly what they had hoped for: that Tony Iommi would shake up reefs that could take on his early exploits. There are dozens of these riffs on "13", but especially the opening double pack is made for eternity. With breaks just in the right place and an Ozzy who sings the way one had hardly dared to hope. Less in the high registers, more like it fits to this dark music. From a total of eleven tracks - eight in the standard version plus three bonus tracks in the deluxe edition - the slightly folky hippie ballad "Zeitgeist", the thunder-sounding "Dear Father" and the blues-rock "Damaged Soul" stand out. Black Sabbath in 2013 do not weaken a single minute. "13" has become a great album.

Top track: God Is Dead?

Back to overview