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This blistering recording takes me back to the time when four working-class Brits saved rock 'n' roll from the excesses of 1960s hippiedom. No, not the
Sex Pistols — Black Sabbath, from Birmingham, England, the UK
equivalent of Detroit Rock City. Unlike the remaining Pistols,
however, who made fools of themselves under the excuse of some woeful
"punk" aesthetic a few years back, the Sabs have never tarnished
their myth, coming back with all guns blazing on 1998's live
Reunion album. Here, on his solo bow, Sabbath guitarist Iommi
continues to keep the standards high, offering his much-imitated
signature sculptured, heavy gothic riffing and slow/fast time changes
on a variety of tunes that feature guest vocalists from hard rock's
30 or so years. A mightily rocking "Laughing Man (in the Devil
Mask)," with the recently rejuvenated Henry Rollins on vocals, is
among the highlights, topped only by the truly awesome "Time Is
Mine," on which Pantera's lead mouth Phil Anselmo delivers the most
gut-bustingly brutal and passionate performance of the entire CD.
Other winners here: "Goodbye Lament," in which Iommi proves the
durability of the Sabbath sound by cushioning it in some trip-hop(!)
rhythms, over which former Nirvana skinbeater/current Foo Fighter
singer Dave Grohl emotes; "Just Say No to Love," a Sabbath-y number
wherein Peter Steele of Type O Negative humorously laments a love who
"left me for Tony Iommi"; and, surprise, surprise, "Into the Night,"
on which Iommi, perhaps appropriately given his band's legend,
"resurrects" the long-lost Billy Idol for a classic Sabbath-styled
dirge. To top it all off, 3/4 of the mighty Sabs (with only bassist
Geezer Butler a no-show) reunite on "Who's Fooling Who," which, with
Ozzy Osbourne sounding relaxed and more like his old self, is far
better than the two clumsy new studio tracks on the Reunion
album, and bodes well for the band's upcoming effort with Rick Rubin
at the helm. Someone once said that "there's a little heavy metal in
all of us" (hell, I think it was me!) — Iommi is further
proof of that axiom.
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