While guitarist Zakk Wylde presented in the best mood to play, there is a lack of the now 58 year old John Michael Osbourne bit of expression. Nevertheless, the striking white Nörgelstimme still convincing, even if worked here lush with overdubs.
We continue with the theme song, the well-known anti-war motives picks. "War Pigs" Greetings. This song is followed by the first ballad misdeed. With eighties harmonies Ozzy presents a sugar-sweet ballad, however, that sets no accents and may have been just as well been taken up by a Fönlocken-poser rock band at the time.
"The Almighty Dollar" not indeed offers the most biting literary contribution to the theme "power of money" but the musical realization is solid and fun. Pressure Full strings work and driving drums snooze significantly to the songwriting of BLACK SABBATH. Interesting stylistic devices are the synthetically distorted guitar solos by Zakk Wylde. To some extent reminiscent of the song to the nearly fifteen-year-old "No More Tears", but can not reach its impact by far. For sterile production has fallen here.
In "Silver 11" you can see then clearly the handwriting of the melodies suppliers Zakk Wylde. Would not Ozzy on the microphone, you would not think that this is an Ozzy song. Where, over the years all guitarists have still created a certain style that was characteristic of an Ozzy-plate, missing this song all the attributes. About taste can but quarrel.
"Civilize the Universe" reinforces this impression new enhanced sequencer use. Through the whole song an LFO Arpeggio, which you also have expected at NuMetal bands as the honorable Mr. Osbourne pulls.
After an acoustic cruelty: Zack Wylde skin in the keys. In principle, he also gets the yes passable way, but what should be the nastiest MIDI strings in the background? Too bad that you do not fall back here on higher quality sounds and has even done a real string ensemble. Of money, it should surely be no shortage producers. The irrelevance of the ballad as such you are missing here best with the remote control.
Then come to the conclusion another two fairly decent old-school rock songs are used, which come along with dirty guitar riffs and oblique harmonies.
Overall, certainly not the best Ozzy album of all time, but after six years of a faithful follower of the also not outstanding "Down To Earth" album. After all, four out of ten songs on show across the board as a solid rock songs that have their place and certainly enrich the portfolio of this legend. Although everything else is for Ozzy conditions inconsequential but does one exception not really hurt. The disc is a good average, but certainly not a total failure as was asserted here on several occasions.
