Following the disintegration of the reformed Mark II line-up after just the one album (Dehumanizer), Tony Martin returned to the fold to continue his part of the Sabbath legacy. This album was the result.
For the most part, this is really enjoyable. I mean, this is still Sabbath! It is still Iommi, and Butler, and Martin has done three albums with them before this! 75% of the album is the traditional modern Sabbath sound. You can't go into this thinking it will be anything else.
Martin's vocals are still terrific. He sounds eerily like his predecessor, Ronnie James Dio, especially on the final track, What's The Use (the track in fact sounds as though it was written by Dio...).
I would, however, like to know what they were thinking when they wrote the track Virtual Death. I am not kidding here when I say that this sounds like it has been taken straight off an Alice In Chains album – the guitaring and the vocals. Surely someone noticed this? Why do something this radical that sounds so similar to another band's work? Strange.
Not a bad effort from a great band, though coming on the heels of the brilliant Dehumanizer, it is difficult not to be disappointed in comparison.
My favourites include I Witness, Cross Of Thorns, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle and What's The Use.
Rating : You can't go into this album thinking it will sound like the classics with Ozzy or Dio, but you can still appreciate it for what it is. 3/5.
No comments:
Post a Comment