Deluxe Edition 2011

No one would talk about this legendary album if it were simply just another album of Black Sabbath or another band. But it is the return of Bill Ward on drums, the departure of Ronnie James Dio and of course especially the entry of Ian Gillan, former and only a year later again frontman for Deep Purple.
The Gillan era in Sabbath lasted only ridiculous 9 months.

About the Music Much has been said and written. One can to stand, how you want, but heard heard this album when you can do something with music from the sausage sector! Seldom has a plate as polarized as this.

The cover is ugly, but legendary. A work of art in itself. The music had changed compared to the previous two plates with Dio, so musical comparisons are almost nonsense. ZERO THE HERO and in particular DISTURBING THE PRIEST showed a pretty freaky side with Sabbath - demonic, disturbing and mysterious. DISTURBING is because somehow the song of the album. Gillan scolds, laughs and screams ecstatically by those driven with devilishly wicked riffs song. Some other songs is no more than average quality, as a highlight but may well still apply the title track.
What the whole then touches the crown, is this appalling bad sound. One wonders how much effort it took to be followed by the LP cover, a corresponding sound. The current issue of 2011 includes a completely new remaster, which unfortunately sounds just as bad as all the other pressures of this album. Maybe it should be a stylistic device, too, at least it fits into the overall picture of the disc. Scratchy middle, dull, rattling treble and bass mumpfige form a perfectly undifferentiated mushy. Here would probably help only a real remix, but this could be the recording rob its charm. Overall, the sound has gained some power, but this is irrelevant. Beautiful it is not affected.
The solos seem louder in the mix, and due to their shrill call Mittenlastigkeit produced at high volume earache. Producer Andy Pearce reported from excessive compression factor of the master tape. As for the best sound engineers can also achieve little. So is "Born again" the well-known horrible sounding monster.

For bonus disc:

Fans expected the two long-known bonus pieces THE FALLEN and the endless version of Stonehenge. Both are absolutely dispensable, but they belong to nunmal. TRAPS is a little rock and roll, but clearly insignificant as the rest of the album. In a few places the master tape appears to have been damaged, you can hear marginal dropouts. STONEHENGE lasts less than five minutes, in which besides langatmigem mystical Keyboardgewaber nothing happened which would be preferable to the shorter album version. Bonus for fans up.
Instead of the raw album demos on the Bonus CD to pack (which also sonically no significant added value would) opted for the BBC recording of a concert from 1983. Good choice!

Technically sound well mixed, you can hear what specific occupation and experience Black Sabbath were then. Gillan's shrill cries perfect fit for the demonic set list, the only stock up on Heaven & Hell songs from the Ozzy-time, full of new songs from Born Again. Only later on the tour in 1984 was included in the program with NEON KNIGHTS the only second song the Dio era!

Unfortunately missing some highlights of the show, in particular DISTURBING THE PRIEST, said Heaven & Hell (which is called the end of PARANOID at least angesungen or angekreischt) or CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE. Ian Gillan had then brought actually ready to flex Tony Iommi Smoke on the water ... even them you can convince yourself here. The audience is very present in the mix, what the mood is easy to transport. So short of recording also is - he should not be missed and could be ignorant of an eye-opener - especially for those who dmit Dio never became hot or could vostellen never as Mr. Gillan intones Sabbath songs.

Packing:

Previously covered the deluxe editions a Banda Role, which could strip. This has now been in the most recent editions replaced by a sticker Banda Role. Anyone thinking whether better cut or remove it: The sticker goes down without leaving any residue and damaged the cardboard cover not fortunately. Despite making careful! The double-sided folding digipak contains more band photos, informative and beautiful then designed the booklet itself.

Anyone interested in a (extraordinary) Gesamtkunstwerk of early Heavy Metal, receives here a fair edition of the album at a fair price.

Well bekomms!