Black Sabbath - 13

As I did a fair bit of talking about Black Sabbath's '13' in my last blog, it is time I post my true thoughts on the album itself. Like any classic band, new albums are going to be met with the highest of expectations. I come from a town where we expect nothing but the best. If you slip up in the slightest, you will know about it and no one will accept what you do. So in this case, no doubt I have seen enough criticism of this album. Even I have.. But please! Is it THAT bad?

Firstly, this is no 'St Anger'. Leave that to Metallica to make the worst metal album you will ever hear. For my mind, there are a few issues as to why this album is 'below' expectations. To get the first point out. Ozzy's vocals. Who in their right mind thought that his vocal performance was going to be great on this album? You got high hopes, I will give you that. Thanks to auto tuning (I can't believe I said that), his vocals are not as bad as they could have been. That still doesn't mean they are magically amazing. He is still off key at times and it just sounds weird. 'God Is Dead?' That says enough.

All the songs are okay or good. The worst song is 'Zeitgeist' which just comes off like a poor mans 'Planet Caravan'. Then songs like 'End Of The Beginning' and 'God Is Dead?' just drag on way too long. Two slow numbers that do have plenty of cool riffs, but don't need to be eight minutes long if you are just going to repeat them over and over. 'Loner' is when the album really takes off for me. Good song! Rockin' riffs and not over done. Even songs like 'Age Of Reason' and say 'Dear Father', don't drag on given their length because there is more variation in the pace and riffs to keep them interesting.

The only real issue I have with the riffs is they lack that spark from those classic Ozzy era Sabbath albums. Sure, I would prefer hearing those licks, or those deep drone tinged melodies, or that dark buzz in the heavy riffs. Then again, 43 years is a long time between 'Paranoid' and '13', things change. In the end, musically, this sheds more of that 80's or 90's Sabbath era skin, only darker in atmosphere, only one would be expecting Tony Martin to be singing over the top of them instead of Ozzy. But hey, those riffs in 'End Of The Beginning' and 'God Is Dead?' are heavy!

Perhaps the big thing I take out of this, is just how modern this album sounds. When I think of the likes of say, Witchcraft, Orchid, Electric Wizard even, and many others who have used the Sabbath influence in not only their music, but even their production and atmosphere and have emulated it perfectly, it makes sense why many of us would have expected the same with '13'. Ah, a modern sound is the more logical way to go. They have a mainstream appeal, if you just set out to please metal heads, then that probably wont get you too far with everyone else..

Overall, '13' is a solid album. Yes, I have heard plenty of better doom and stoner albums this year if we have to compare because for some reason, we all expected this album to be the pinnacle of all doom albums we have heard and are going to hear for the next 10 to 15 years. Oh well, at least we have others...

Ikil