Black Sabbath – 13
Hellbound Metal: “It sounds awful, but 13 is not a bad album – it’s simply not the Black Sabbath album that a lot of fans will accept as a rousing return.”
Geezer Butler
Ravens Creed – The Power
‘The Power’ will definitely be in my top ten for 2013, and if you love metal it should be in yours too.
Happy 40th birthday to… Black Sabbath’s Volume 4
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the official release of what I consider to be one of the greatest albums ever made, Black Sabbath’s fourth studio album Volume 4. While many consider the two albums previous (Paranoid and Master of Reality) to be the band’s high point, the progressiveness of Volume 4 made it my Sabbath album.
A tale of two tours…
In case you missed the last episode of Days of our Black Sabbath, the band has pulled out of all but one of its upcoming European dates, citing Tony Iommi’s health issues. Meanwhile, drummer Bill Ward issued a public statement that he still wants to take part in the reunion, but is still waiting for a signable contract…
Cancer Bats Born Again as… Bat Sabbath!
On July 10, 2011 Toronto heavy rockers Cancer Bats went through some changes. Liam Cormier, Scott Middleton, Mike Peters and Jaye Schwarzer were swept into a void at the Sonisphere Festival in Stevenage, England, and when they re-emerged they became… Bat Sabbath, a hardcore Black Sabbath cover band. The Bat’s set, which was meant to be a one-off post-Slipknot after-party, attracted 5,000 bangers. More importantly, it captured the imagination of promoters. As such, starting this December, inbetween recording sessions for their fourth full-length album, Bat Sabbath will once again emerge from that hole in the sky and perform 11 dates across central Ontario and Quebec.
Aaron Brophy interviews Bat Sabbath’s Liam Cormier about this upcoming December tour
Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz (Legacy edition)
Listeners and long-time fans will be absolutely thrilled by this updated presentation of Blizzard Of Ozz because it does do a service to the songs – but the catch is that they have to make it by the re-treatment of “Crazy Train” to do it, and that may be a greater accomplishment than many might suspect.
Heaven & Hell – Neon Nights:30 Years of Heaven & Hell DVD
It’s tragic how such a welcome comeback could be snuffed out so cruelly, but what a way for Heaven and Hell to go out: sales and attendance exceptional, everyone finally getting along, not to mention proud of everything they’d accomplished in such a short time span. And with Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell, we have a perfect way to cap off that magical run.
Classic Albums Revisited: Black Sabbath’s Born Again
“With the recent UK deluxe reissues of the mid-eighties Black Sabbath albums Seventh Star and The Eternal Idol creating quite a buzz about those releases once again I thought it might be time to revisit my favourite under-heralded Sabs relic. Born Again, the band’s 1983 release and only one to feature noted vocalist Ian Gillan, is one of the most dividing releases ever to bore the Black Sabbath moniker. it is one of those records that you either love or loathe. There is no middle ground needed, and none provided.”
Album review by Sean Palmerston
Geezer Butler: The Hellbound Interview
“We all thought that we’d be able to do [Black Sabbath] for two or three years and then go get proper jobs. I mean, that is what bands did back then. That is what we thought would happen with Black Sabbath. We were lucky to do a second album, we were hoping that it would do well and then eventually we’d disappear. Nobody ever dreamt that any band would last this long, still being popular some forty years later.”
Sean Palmerston in conversation with Black Sabbath bassist and founding member Geezer Butler for Hellbound.ca